Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Discover new ways to engage with customers
In today’s shifting manufacturing landscape, customer engagement is critical for organizations that want to gain an edge. In fact, 86 percent of manufacturers say that improving customer experience is a key differentiator1. However, now more than ever, manufacturing organizations are struggling to connect with customers, as they face eroding margins and the challenges of selling complex products and services remotely.
Manufacturers know that they need to take action, and they’re searching for innovative ways to engage customers—but many don’t know where to start. In the first installment of our on-demand webinar series, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Part 1 – Engage Customers in New Ways, we discuss these complex challenges and offer manufacturing trends, insights, and customer engagement strategies. This webinar series will highlight some of the Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing capabilities that are already helping our manufacturing customers accelerate their digital transformation efforts.
During this webinar, you’ll also learn more about Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing, which is now available for preview. This end-to-end solution supports the core processes and requirements of the industry and empowers manufacturers to build a more resilient and sustainable future. Addressing the industry’s need for a platform that enables collaboration, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing more securely connects people, assets, workflow, and business processes. Plus, this industry-tailored solution includes capabilities to help manufacturers improve customer engagement and boost profit margins.
Drive customer engagement with digital experiences
As customer engagement becomes a top priority, manufacturers are searching for new ways to connect with customers and elevate their experiences. A growing number of manufacturers are tapping into technology to overcome their greatest customer engagement challenges. For example, some organizations are turning to AI and cloud solutions to optimize inventory and streamline sales processes. Additionally, many manufacturers are deploying virtual assistants to provide efficient customer service experiences and using smart, connected products to gain valuable insights.
In the last year, 91 percent of manufacturers have increased their investment in digital transformation2. With cloud solutions, industrial IoT, AI, and other modern technologies, manufacturing organizations can improve customer satisfaction, attract new customers, and empower sales teams to close more deals.
In our first webinar of this series, discover two specific ways Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing is helping manufacturers improve customer engagement:
1. Activate digital selling
With digital selling, manufacturers can empower sales teams to win more deals and increase margins. These digital customer engagement solutions include quote-to-cash, configure, price, quote, and contract lifecycle management.
2. Enable always-on service
Always-on service helps service agents, dispatched technicians, and virtual assistants install and monitor connected products and engage remotely with customers and experts. This allows teams to exceed service expectations by predicting, detecting, and resolving service issues before customers even know there’s a problem.
Powerful partnerships: Joining forces to engage customers
Our extensive ecosystem of industry partners extends the value of Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing with additional solutions to address today’s most pressing challenges, including customer engagement. Together with these partners, we’re helping manufacturers elevate customer experiences and empower their sales teams to close more deals.
For example, one of our partners, PROS Smart Configure Price Quote (CPQ), serves as the connected pricing and selling fabric that allows Microsoft business applications to embed its capabilities into each selling experience. This platform features capabilities spanning all manufacturing customers’ pricing, selling, and e-commerce needs.
“Industry changes, global competition, and increasing customer expectations are placing manufacturers under immense pressure to shift to digital commerce. Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing delivers a comprehensive platform, applications, and infrastructure, that scale to support manufacturing-specific solutions and drive this digital transformation. PROS Smart Configure Price Quote integrates seamlessly into Dynamics 365 as an out-of-the-box solution which enables manufacturers to accelerate the delivery of quote-to-cash strategies with optimized offers for every selling interaction. PROS and Dynamics 365 combined are a selling team’s central point of management for all quoting and sales agreement needs, empowering businesses to accelerate quoting speed from weeks to minutes, streamline approvals, and increase deal size.”—Les Rechan, Chief Operating Officer, PROS.
Accelerate innovation to connect with customers
If manufacturers want to differentiate their organization and drive profit margins, it’s more important than ever to improve customer engagement. Today, manufacturers have access to an array of tools and digital solutions that will help them attract customers, improve customer satisfaction, and empower sales teams to close more deals. Watch our on-demand webinar, Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing: Part 1 – Engage Customers in New Ways, to explore manufacturing trends, insights, and new ways to engage customers.
To learn more about customer engagement strategies, get the Engage customers in new ways infographic.
1Revolutionizing Customer Service in Manufacturing, Salesforce Research.
