As much as we hate to admit it, many of us are settled in our ways. Too many of our business processes are handled a certain way simply because “that’s how we’ve always done it.” To a certain extent, this is rational. It takes time, labor, and even money to switch things up, to train employees in new systems, and to switch things up. But sometimes, not changing systems is the biggest mistake of all. How do you know if you’re making that same mistake? Here are some of the most common signs that your current manufacturing and customer tracking software needs to be updated.
Sign #1: Too many cooks. Have you heard the expression “too many cooks spoil the broth?” Well, it holds true even when talking about manufacturing, inventory, and product ordering software.
Too many programs doing too many things spoils the “broth.” It’s difficult and time-consuming to use multiple programs for different reasons when one will suffice for all of your reasons. It takes time out of your employees’ day that could otherwise be spent productively.
So what’s the solution? Looking for a software system that integrates all your basic processes—product ordering, inventory management, warranty claims, parts ordering, sales and customer tracking—will immediately reinvigorate your infrastructure and streamline your processes.
Sign #2:Customer and client complaints. If you have great, honest employees who do their best to keep customers happy, great. But if, for some reason, your customers still find reasons to complain, there may be something else going wrong.
In many cases, it’s not your employees, but the sales and customer tracking systems you have in place. Losing track of customers, failing to follow up on product orders, and slow processing times can all be symptomatic of a deeper problem: your software is simply not good enough. If you’re going to fix the problem, you need to address the underlying causes of all the customer upheaval.
Upgrading your software is the quickest way to ensure that customers’ problems are addressed—especially when that software includes sale and customer tracking that allows instant manufacturer access to each customers’ unique information.
Sign #3: Cumbersome tracking. In this day and age, tracking should be automatic. Today’s software is more than capable of tracking orders, customer interactions, warranty claims, and more. If you have to do your own tracking for these interactions, then you’re losing a lot of time and money without even realizing it.
Manufacturers and dealers have to do a lot of tracking in order to stay on top of things. That’s why it’s so important that their software handle the legwork for them. Without an effective system in place, manufacturers end up losing employee time—which translates to losing money.
If any of these three signs sound like conditions at your company, it may be time to consider upgrading your software. Keep browsing around DealersCircle.com to find out how all of these problems can be solved with simple software that connects manufacturers, dealers, and customers.