How Software Helps Manufacturers Keep Their Biggest Customers

Bluestreak Reading Time: 3 minutes

Software Helps Keep Customers

It’s the age-old question in any kind of business: how can we keep a customer after we’ve brought them through the door for their first purchase? It isn’t always easy. Your business has profit goals but so do your clients. They want to get good value for their money, without sacrificing quality. In manufacturing, the best way to keep your customers is to provide a quality product that meets your client's exact specifications, do your best to meet their schedule, and communicate clearly and effectively. Customer satisfaction has typically fallen under the umbrella of tasks associated with the marketing or public relations team, but for manufacturers, the operations managers on the floor should realize that they have a significant role in keeping clients happy and coming back for more. Customer satisfaction is ultimately about more than PR and marketing. Every employee on the production floor needs to grasp their role in keeping the customer happy and ultimately delivering more orders. Keeping manufacturing customers as long-term clients can be a tricky task, and it’s been made even more difficult by the global pandemic. Everyone is still trying to keep everything as close to normal as possible. Staying connected is essential, whether that means increasing your presence on social media or being consistent with updates on your response to the pandemic. It all matters to clients. Clients want to feel listened to and understood, to have their reasonable expectations met whenever possible, and to know that their needs are being addressed proactively. Give them the attention that they deserve. Your clients may be willing to shop around to find the lowest-cost producer that can meet their needs. Customer retention will hinge on your ability to flawlessly execute orders on time and offer extra selling points, like the flexibility to fulfill rush orders, the ability to deliver products that adhere exactly to specifications, and exceptional customer service. Using industry-leading software from Bluestreak helps give manufacturers a boost when it comes to keeping their customers. The platform’s Customer Connector gives clients 24/7 access to their orders. Customers can track their order status, view certification statements, check shipping details, and see real-time work-in-process information for every part in their order. This is a powerful tool that gives clients direct access to data that will give them confidence in your ability to deliver. Bluestreak also has built-in Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) capabilities. CRM might not seem like a crucial part of the manufacturing business, but it is becoming increasingly necessary for manufacturers to engage with their clients through software. CRM is important for manufacturing companies because it helps them with accurate demand forecasting, improves product quality, develops an intelligent supply chain, and ultimately enriches customer relationships and leads to more business. Bluestreak knows how essential implementing top-level customer-focused software is for manufacturers and has worked hard to add these features to the platform. The Customer Connector transforms customer service and communication by giving the client full access to their own personal data and order information. With Bluestreak, customers have 24/7 access to their order status, certification statements, and work order history. There is a powerful search capability for every level of client orders that can be focused on dates, part numbers, purchase orders, or counts. You can also track previous and future tasks, which makes it easier to project future demand based on order history and timing. Within the platform, order status is also continuously updated to keep clients informed. Logistical details and shipping reports are included. In addition to the Customer Connector feature, Bluestreak also offers dedicated CRM features in a unified database. Bluestreak’s CRM has remote and mobile access, customer and prospect management tools, and automated email marketing. Keep track of your business relationships in a centralized, organized location with this platform. The CRM module makes it easier to keep an open channel of communication with each customer and react quickly to their needs. Also, the iDeliver module allows customers to see real-time tracking of their parts and keeps them up to date on when to expect delivery. iDeliver gives clients direct access to your shipping department and is a fast and precise way to manage complicated deliveries to customers. With iDeliver, customers can see who accepted each part, and there is always proof of delivery that is quickly verifiable.

With the capabilities of Bluestreak, keeping manufacturing customers happy and coming back for more (and hopefully larger) orders has never been easier. Give your clients peace of mind and tangible data by providing real-time updates on their orders and ensuring a quality product every single time, thanks to a stronger quality control process built on the best software in the industry.

Bluestreak is committed to helping make every aspect of the manufacturing business easier, and that includes customer relations. Contact us for a free consultation today!