Salesforce for Manufacturing: accelerate S&OP digitalization

In the manufacturing industry, Salesforce and its ecosystem drive the digitalization of manufacturing processes in sales and operations planning (S&OP). Salesforce enhances communication channels and facilitates data analysis, empowering more strategic decision-making processes. 

Discrete and process manufacturers, including those in industrial machinery, equipment, auto and engineering parts, building products, chemicals, forgings, castings, widget manufacturers, and complex & heavy equipment, have taken note of the customer success stories that underscore the effectiveness of Salesforce in digitalizing their operations. 

Manufacturing companies recognize the importance of leveraging Salesforce to stay ahead digitally, drawing from their experiences to accumulate a range of solutions that better meet industry needs. A primary focus is on efficient communication with customers, partners, and employees, while also streamlining sales processes. 

Salesforce solutions not only enhance business efficiency but also confer a significant competitive advantage. As market trends evolve, there’s a noticeable shift towards customer-centric business models, and manufacturing companies are expanding their services beyond physical product sales.  

Numerous solutions that are driven by digital transformation have a different spin on manufacturing S&OP. Let’s explore the most common use cases. 

Manufacturing cloud  

In 2019, Salesforce launched Manufacturing Cloud, a transformative platform tailored for the manufacturing industry. With insights drawn from a wide range of customer success stories across various sectors, this cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software provides manufacturers with a comprehensive overview of their operations. 

The Manufacturing Cloud within Salesforce aims to provide unified digital experiences across the manufacturing value chain. By modernizing operations and enhancing service experiences, Salesforce seeks to redefine how manufacturers engage with customers and partners. 

Sales service optimization 

Manufacturing Cloud enables seamless modernization of commercial operations, from opportunity identification to order management. It does so through the alignment of sales and operations by facilitating accurate demand forecasting, and optimizing efficiency and profitability. 

Additionally, the platform enhances service interactions, from the contact center to the field, resulting in faster and smarter service experiences. 

Partner engagement 

Simplified partner engagement within the Manufacturing Cloud drives greater visibility and performance within the channel, fostering collaboration and improving outcomes. 

Data-driven operations 

Manufacturing Cloud leverages data to provide actionable insights for informed decision-making. Powered by data, artificial intelligence, and analytics, these insights optimize operations and drive business success. 

Technology integration 

Manufacturing Cloud seamlessly integrates with the broader Salesforce platform, leveraging tools such as Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Lightning Platform, and more. By adapting and absorbing functions without data migration, the platform ensures continuity and maintains existing structures. 

Service Cloud: manufacturing customer engagement 

Field service digitalization 

Manufacturing companies face numerous challenges in field services, including delayed arrival times, manual processes, limited skilled talent, communication inefficiencies, and poor first-time fix rates, leading to dissatisfied customers and low service margins. To address these issues and boost worker productivity and efficiency, Salesforce and its partners offer tailored solutions for various field service scenarios. 

Source: Salesforce “Connected Manufacturing Service” report.

The main challenges for manufacturing companies in field services revolve around: 

• Workforce productivity 
• Mobile worker performance 
• Process optimization 
• Scheduling 
• Better service delivery models 
• Managing communications 
• Digitalizing pricing 
• Meeting evolving customer expectations 

Future-ready manufacturers are increasingly moving their S&OP to the cloud, with significant benefits in terms of reducing costs and time to revenue. 

Field Service solutions 

Salesforce and its partners provide a range of solutions to address field service challenges: 

Explore and watch how to generate field service reports in Service Cloud with Documill Dynamo. 

Mobile job management 

Mobile apps empower field service workers with job schedules and management documents, improving first-visit resolution and collaboration on the go.  

On-site field service quotation

Begin with emphasizing the importance of the mobile app in facilitating on-site job management, enhancing first-visit resolution rates, and providing real-time collaboration tools for mobile employees. Tailor the mobile app to meet the specific needs of the mobile workforce. 

Configure and generate quotes directly from the mobile app, including adjusted pricing and discounts, using well-formatted templates customized for each specific case. Streamline the approval process for quotes. 

On-site field service reports

Detail the importance of field service reports in documenting the outcomes of various tasks such as inspection, maintenance, or site visits. Highlight how these reports assist dispatchers in decision-making by providing a log of tasks performed and simplifying personnel selection based on availability and proximity to the site. 

The benefits of on-site field service management, emphasizing the swift creation of quotes and generation of documents using mobile phones and pre-built templates. Advanced document automation and creation solutions enable field service technicians to generate reports swiftly and easily during site visits, enhancing efficiency.

Standardized after-sales engagement  

Customer communication is a core priority for manufacturing companies. As well as after-sales services, communication is a core solution to provide customer loyalty and revenue streams.  

One of the solutions that is a favorite for Salesforce manufacturing customers is an email-centric customer communication solution tailored specifically to the automotive industry. This innovative solution streamlines after-sales engagement processes for manufacturers to streamline B2B interactions – be it supplier-manufacturer, manufacturer-distributor, manufacturer-customer, or distributor-customer interactions.  

Key features of Documill’s after-sales engagement solution:

Advanced email editor: Empower support agents to craft personalized and accurate email correspondence efficiently. 

Internal approval workflows: Ensure quality control and adherence to company guidelines. 

Drag-and-drop knowledge base: Provide pre-approved answers for streamlined responses. 

Seamless salesforce integration: Enable easy access to relevant data. 

Multilingual and multibrand support: Accommodate diverse customer needs. 

Read more about this solution and see how manufacturing companies easily manage their customer communications. 

Sales Cloud: contract management in manufacturing 

Negotiations and approvals

Imagine a scenario where negotiating contracts feels more like a dynamic exchange of ideas rather than a tedious back-and-forth struggle. Sales teams and other contract parties can now engage in real-time collaboration on contracts directly within Salesforce, breaking down communication barriers and accelerating decision-making. 

For manufacturing companies, where every contract can have a ripple effect on production timelines and costs, the ability to streamline negotiations is invaluable. Documill Leap’s workflows take the complexity out of contract management, providing easy-to-use tools that automate repetitive tasks and guide users through the negotiation process with ease. 

Main benefits of contract creation with Documill: 

Customizable templates: Offer customizable templates tailored to industry-specific needs. 

Seamless integration: The solution seamlessly integrates with existing systems, ensuring that contract negotiation processes are efficient and well-coordinated. 

Centralized data: From tracking material costs to managing supplier agreements, Documill keeps all contract-related data centralized within Salesforce. This provides manufacturing companies with unparalleled visibility and control. 

Efficiency: In the manufacturing world, where margins are tight and competition is fierce, efficiency isn’t just a luxury – it’s a necessity. Documill Leap enables smoother workflows, reducing manual effort and minimizing errors. 

Ready to experience the benefits of Documill Leap? Sign up for a 30 day free trial and explore how you can start creating automated workflows that assist your contract creation.

Contracts with e-signing capabilities

Contract creation is a multifaceted process that encompasses negotiation and signing. To mitigate risks, it is crucial to incorporate your signature within your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Doing so can also enhance cost-effectiveness, especially when integrated into your automation processes. 

For streamlined contract management, consider the following components:

Automated workflows: Implement workflows that automate repetitive tasks, ensuring efficiency and consistency. 

Security certification: Prioritize robust security measures to safeguard sensitive data. 

Dynamic templates: Utilize templates that adapt to changing requirements, reducing manual effort. 

No-code builder: Simplify contract creation by using a no-code approach. 

Tailored offers: Generate customized offers for different services. 

By embracing these elements, organizations can drive efficient digital transformation and allocate more time to strategic decision-making.  

Order management 

Salesforce provides order processing, inventory management, and fulfilment control within Manufacturing  Cloud where order management process can be streamlined by integrating data from multiple channels, including direct sales, distributors, and e-commerce platforms. The cloud provides real-time visibility into inventory levels, order status, and delivery schedules, allowing manufacturers to fulfil orders efficiently and avoid stockouts or excess inventory.  

Document management is a part of order processing. The most common documents are: 

• Product orders  
• Complex purchase orders  
• Order confirmations  
• Order acknowledgements 

These documents come in various formats such as PDF, PPTs, Microsoft Word, Excel files, and scanned documents. Sales reps have the opportunity to generate well-formatted documents, with automatically populated data from your Salesforce CRM, as well as the possibility to modify the data in the generated template where it will be automatically saved back to Salesforce. Furthermore, when sales team needs to create a lot of documents at once, Documill’s batch processing capabilities come in handy.

 With an automated process, the level of manual work decreases and streamlines the order management process. Documill provides a solution for the order management document automation process, securely launched from Salesforce.   

Book a demo to see the solution in action. 

Reporting 

Manufacturing companies undertake expensive and high-risk projects that demand swift and precise reporting. One solution is leveraging PPT document generation within Salesforce, incorporating integrated dashboards and Salesforce data for effective risk management. This allows for immediate analysis and evaluation of the data. 

If you’re interested in enhancing risk management and enriching your presentations with risk estimation, feel free to schedule a meeting to discuss your specific case. 

To conclude 

The digitization of sales and operations planning helps manufacturers increase revenue, make more customer-centric decisions, and improve customer loyalty through high standards of customer service. 

Salesforce and its partners’ suite of solutions have proven effective in digitalizing operations across various sectors, including discrete and process manufacturing, industrial machinery, and automotive industries. 

As manufacturers face challenges in field services, contract management and order processing, Salesforce and its partners offer tailored solutions to address these complexities. Advanced field service solutions, contract creation and management tools, and streamlined order processing capabilities empower manufacturers to enhance customer satisfaction, drive efficiency, and achieve operational excellence.