by David Rivas

While the pain of the pandemic’s initial disruption continues to fade, other ripple effects are still wreaking havoc on supply chains and economic stability—major red flags for manufacturers trying to grow and make large digital investments during this time. A recent report found that 75 percent of mid-sized manufacturing executives whose role includes risk management say their needs “are not being met.” That’s a 13 percent jump from just one year earlier. Clearly, the market is still unpredictable and ever-changing, and it is demanding the most agile operations out of manufacturers if they wish to stay relevant and profitable. But how can organizations get there? A revenue-focused cloud platform might just be the answer for many manufacturers.

Salesforce’s Manufacturing Cloud is a robust, industry-driven solution for manufacturers to drive more value out of their customer insights and stay close to the pulse of changing expectations in the market. Most of all, it’s a powerful way to drive more revenue to your bottom line with its industry-specific forecasting and sales agreement configuration. In this article, we’d like to showcase three key functionalities of Manufacturing Cloud that help your organization truly raise revenue: unify run-rate operations with sales, enable exceptional service with automation, and make more strategic decisions with the help of dynamic analytics. 

Unify run-rate operations with sales

With Manufacturing Cloud’s industry-specific sales data models and collaborative account-based forecasting features, your sales reps can manage the sales agreement lifecycle far more closely and with more transparency in every account. With sales agreements expertly managed through the CRM foundation from signing to ongoing renewals, run-rate business operations will be more in sync with sales, reducing any gaps in both service to customer and revenue in your pocket. 

Distinguish yourself with exceptional service

Manufacturing Cloud also provides manufacturers with the opportunity to engage with servitization trends in a tangible, effective way. According to the Economic Times, servitization is one of the core drivers of Industry 4.0 and beyond, and it will be crucial for manufacturing to increase its footprint in the GDP. So whether it’s distributors, suppliers, other partners, or direct customers, Manufacturing Cloud can elevate service from an obligatory side project to an integral operational function. With your Salesforce technology in place, cases are resolved faster and with more connected support staff empowered with real-time customer data integrated from ERP and factory floor systems. 

Make more strategic decisions with dynamic analytics

Finally, also key to driving more revenue is being able to make decisions fast in an ever-changing market landscape. For manufacturers leveraging Manufacturing Cloud, dashboards and reports are powered by Salesforce’s trademark Einstein Analytics—AI-driven guidance at every step of operations, sales, pricing, etc. Intelligent, real-time data is delivered consistently and in line with any updates your team makes to pricing, product inventory, or account health information. Plus, with advanced approvals, the necessary sign-offs are done quickly and without the back-and-forth hassle of emails or messages slowing you down. That means happier customers, more loyalty, and more reliable profit margins for years to come. 

If your organization is looking to get more revenue-boosting benefits out of an existing Salesforce implementation or get started with a new instance of Manufacturing Cloud, Simplus knows just how to help. Reach out to our team today to start discussing your unique needs. 

David is VP and GTM Lead for manufacturing sales at Simplus.

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