If you are still operating with spreadsheets and paper, you probably can’t answer (with any degree of certainty) many of the questions your customers ask. “Has the item been shipped?”  “What time will the service rep arrive?”, “Have you received my returned item yet?”

Customers expect answers on the first call
Whether you serve consumers or businesses, customers don’t have much patience for vendors who can’t answer their question right away. Online retailers like Amazon and Zappos are setting a high bar for customer service standards – it’s challenging to try to keep up. The first step in keeping pace with higher customer service standards is to answer your customers’ questions on their first contact.

ERP delivers answers that build trust
The only way to meet hose high demands is to put centralized information from your ERP and CRM applications at the fingertips of your customer service staff. With a fully integrated ERP system, your employees will be able to give complete information to customers on the first call. You will keep customers when you can answer questions with confidence, like:

• “Do you have the premium model in stock?”
• “How much will it cost for 2-day delivery?”
• “When can you ship the part I need?
• “Can I add one more item to the order I placed yesterday?”

Fast response and accurate answers will keep your customers coming back – instead of looking for alternate vendors. This is a great time to make the move to integrated ERP. Let’s talk soon.

Published on 7th December 2012 by Jeanne DeWitt.