Especially after the rise of COVID, customers are looking at their suppliers differently. With so many delays and supply chain issues over the past few years, customers are nervous about only having one supplier who may prove to be unreliable in the next crisis down the line. Accordingly, more and more organizations (and consumers) are looking outside of their current supplier pool for backup options.
You may be concerned by this shift in supply chain philosophy. After all, some of your customers may be thinking of adding your competitors to their supply chain! However, industry leaders see this shift as an opportunity. With companies reflecting on their current supply chain, your organization has more potential customers open to starting a conversation.
If you maintain strong reliability and quality standards with your existing customers, then you don’t need to worry about them turning to another supplier. On the flip side, you may have the opportunity to go from being a backup supplier to a customer’s number one supplier by demonstrating that you are better than your competitors.
In this blog, we will cover how you can become your customers’ preferred supplier by consistently delivering high-quality goods or services, on time, at a comfortable price, and with no issues. This can be done with the help of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
Create High-Quality Goods and Services
To create high-quality goods and services, you need to have a tool that can support you. An ERP assists with everything from concept creation to product design to material purchasing. An ERP allows you to clearly see existing purchasing data to understand what existing products are selling well and who your main consumer currently is. With this data, Research and Development can identify customer interests and currently unmet needs. During product development, an ERP becomes the central location for organizing project notes and maintain proper protocols. You can set checklists for taking a product from one stage to the next that require data to fall within certain acceptability ranges. That way, quality is consistent throughout the design process and during production. To gain the advantages of an ERP, talk to Datix, a one-stop shop for ERP ecosystem needs. Our team can help you with everything from adding select customizations to hosting and disaster recovery.
Deliver On Time
Particularly since the rise of COVID, customers are tired of unexpected delays on their orders. They don’t want to hear about supply chain issues, labor challenges, or other problems that are slowing down your processes: they just want their goods on time. An ERP simplifies your supply chain management by allowing you to compare supplier data seamlessly, including responses to automated bid requests for restocking materials. You can keep suppliers accountable by keeping track of their lot failures right from your system and implementing a supplier validation process if necessary. In addition to supply chain management, an ERP increases efficiency by improving labor management and shop floor processes in a myriad of ways. This includes planning ahead so that you schedule your labor effectively and having job and work orders coordinate equipment use. You can also become faster at completing orders by automating numerous production tasks such as attendance operations, work center operations, and inventory management.
Price Appropriately
An ERP makes pricing and quoting to customers easy. When giving prices, you want to balance being competitive with maintaining your profit margins. Instead of guessing, calculating the price manually, or having to tell customers you will “get back to them,” let your ERP do the work for you. The right ERP will have pricing and quoting calculators within its system, so you can see the right price (or price range) within moments. When you price appropriately, your customers won’t have any reason to look for an alternative supplier. To utilize pricing and quoting calculators most effectively, talk to the team at Datix. We will ensure that all of your ERP functionalities are set up for your specific organizational needs with our business-first approach.
Superb Quality Control to Avoid Issues
Because of an ERP’s full tracking and traceability capabilities, companies can ensure consistent quality standards. This real-time data for materials and products allows you to spot defects before they ever reach your customers. Don’t let issues hurt your brand’s reputation.
Wrap Up
Becoming your customers’ top supplier isn’t easy, but it does become easier with the right ERP and the right support. Let our team optimize your business outcomes so that you can take care of your customers.
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About Datix
With over two decades in the industry, Datix is the ERP consultant of choice for manufacturers and distributors. We believe in “being the best with the best” and look for partners who match our commitment to solving real issues and doing what it takes. Our in-depth analysis of our clients and their business needs allows us to maximize their software investments to the fullest.
