Shortening Sales Cycles with Exact Synergy
The 2nd blog in our “Transformation Through Synergy” blog series
Exceptional Software Solutions LLC Consultant, Frank Ezinga, has worked with Exact and Exact Macola ERP for over 20 years as both an end user and as a consultant. An experienced problem solver, one of the most common issues that Frank encounters in small to mid-sized manufacturers’ and distributors’ processes is in the sales cycle — namely in the quoting process and the follow-up thereafter.
Sales cycles differ vastly from industry to industry. With customers that manufacture and distribute a variety of products including packaging products, bath products, healthcare products, sporting goods, food and beverage items and more, their sales cycles can range from days to years. However, there are always ways to improve the cycle and achieve greater efficiency. That’s where we find opportunity with Exact Synergy.
The Quote and the Follow-Up
The quoting process can become a cumbersome one without the right system to generate quotes, track them and follow up on them to a win or a loss (and hopefully a win). Exact Synergy allows you to easily generate quotes, whether for an off-the-shelf or custom-manufactured item, and follow through on the quoting process efficiently, effectively and with transparency.
For custom items, which traditionally require much more time and effort to compile a quote, Exact Synergy eases the process by allowing collaboration among all stakeholders, departments, approving managers, etc. within one central system. We can streamline the process so that, when paired with the functionality of Exact Event Manager, each stakeholder receives an alert in their calendar when their quote activity is due. Once the quote is complete and presented to the customer, alerts are generated for the sales staff to follow up in a day, a week, etc., tracking the progress and the status after each touchpoint with the customer.
Sales staff who are on the road, or working remotely, can easily access this information with mobile devices via a summary email that alerts to the necessary follow-up tasks that need to be performed that day. Within this email, links lead to Exact Synergy where sales staff can easily update the quote project with the results of the follow-up.
Remember — with Exact Macola 10 ERP, the functionality of Exact Synergy and Exact Event Manager are already integrated into the solution. So there’s no need to purchase add-ons in order to automate the quoting process.
Reporting and Goal-Setting
In addition to automating the quoting and follow-up process, and storing the information into one central location where all stakeholders have a transparent view of the sales cycle and how it is progressing, Exact Synergy also has the ability to create statistics regarding the sales cycle. This could include the average time it takes to make a sale, the percentage of quotes that result in a sale, the average number of call-backs and follow-ups that it takes to reach a decision, and much more.
This is your opportunity to use the readily-available information in order to identify problem areas, bottlenecks, and set goals for your organization. Maybe you’ll notice that call-backs and follow-ups are too infrequent, or occur too late after the quote is sent. Maybe you’ll find that the quicker a customer receives a quote, the more likely the customer is to make a purchase. Maybe you already know your issues and your goals, but you don’t know how to design the process to get you there. Herein lies the expertise of Exceptional Software Solutions LLC.
Creating the Process and Workflow in Synergy
How can you utilize Exact Synergy to the best of its ability? We’ll guide you every step of the way. Our experienced professionals love to solve your complex process issues, and will work with you to create the processes and workflows that will work for you, now and in the future.
Ready to transform your business with Exact Synergy?
Contact us at tod@esoftsol.net or visit our website at http://www.esoftsol.net/exact-synergy-crm.php.
What is Exact Synergy?
Exact Synergy is a web-based customer relationship management (CRM) software tool for small to mid-sized manufacturing and distribution organizations that manages all internal and external communication processes in one central location — creating interdepartmental collaboration and efficiency. Read more about Exact Synergy in this online brochure and through other blogs in this series:
- Exact Synergy: A Beauty and a Beast
- How to Manage Knowledge Within a Multigenerational Workforce
- Using Exact Synergy to Meet ISO 9000 Certification Standards
- Reclaiming Your Finance and Accounting Departments with Exact Synergy’s Customer Portals
- How Technology Can Improve Employee Relations and Engagement
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