When looking to improve their business with technology solutions, B2B manufacturers in the mid-market tend to focus on transforming their ERP and integrating, and where possible automating, core business processes. But competing on pricing, product specifications and delivery times is no longer enough to succeed. Everyone else is doing the same, so improvements in these areas won’t help any B2B manufacturer to stand out from the rest. To differentiate themselves in a highly competitive, global market, B2B midsize manufacturers are becoming customer-centric.
Putting the customer at the core of your business makes good business sense. Happy customers tend to spend more and are more likely to be loyal. Integrating all their customer touchpoints (online, manual and in-person) into one platform gives manufacturers the power to deliver easier, more intuitive customer journeys. However, B2B manufacturers tend to have huge product catalogs, customer-specific pricing and often have complicated, even bespoke, product configurations. This can make it tricky for them to find a suitable CX system.
Creating greater efficiencies and delighting customers
Some modern CX (Customer Experience) systems are designed to cope with these complexities and create greater efficiencies by streamlining the entire order-to-cash process. But the customer experience isn’t solely limited to purchasing. Manufacturers can improve service management, resolve customer issues faster and even anticipate what their customers need with a CX platform that incorporates intelligent technologies such as automated real-time analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence,
In an integrated commerce platform, manufacturers can collect product and customer data across their supply chain and use it to improve their products and services, create new business models and innovate to delight their current customers and attract new ones.
Traditionally, midsize B2B manufacturers interact with their customers via call centers, and via field sales agents and mobile service workers. Cloud CX systems can empower employees ‘on the ground’ as they have all the relevant customer and product information at their fingertips through their mobile devices.
When it comes to placing orders, CX can empower customers to self-serve which minimizes the risk of incorrect product specs. During the purchasing process, customers can receive relevant Amazon-style recommendations and personalized promotions to increase basket value and encourage loyalty,
SAP CX Systems for SME
Growing, midsize manufacturers rarely operate only in one country. Much of the production process and their suppliers are likely to be offshore. Therefore, their CX platform must support multiple languages and currencies.
To increase customer satisfaction when expanding into new territories, autoscaling is a crucial feature in CX software so that the system is able to adapt automatically to fluctuations in demand.
SAP CX solutions, such as SAP Commerce Cloud, SAP Sales Cloud, and SAP Service Cloud are powerful tools for the B2B manufacturer. They can help to:
- Deliver personalized, integrated, consistent, and connected customer experiences
- Attract and keep customers
- Increase revenue
- Understand and anticipate customer requirements
- Provide unique insights to help serve their customers better
Manufacturers can use SAP CX to satisfy customers by delivering on their commitments and meeting, even exceeding, expectations: from providing fast and easy buying experiences to arriving on time for service calls.