By Oier Gil, on 16 January 2025
A CRM tool has become essential across all business sectors, both for sales and marketing teams. Its wide range of functionalities that streamline and improve customer relationships have made CRM a must for companies looking to boost their businesses.
In the manufacturing sector, CRM tools take on an even greater role. They enable companies to strengthen relationships across the entire supply chain, including with other manufacturers, collaborators, and brands. These platforms also help brands tackle key challenges in manufacturing, such as coordinating between sales and production teams, improving communication between clients and distributors, and centralizing information for better decision-making.
If your manufacturing business is working to overcome these challenges, adopting a CRM tool is an excellent solution. In this article, we’ll explore what CRM tools can offer manufacturing companies and recommend some of the top options available on the market.
What Is CRM & How Does It Fit Into the Manufacturing Sector?
A CRM tool is a platform designed to organize, manage, and centralize all customer information and interactions within a company. While initially created for commercial use, CRM tools have become highly versatile and are suitable for businesses in any industry. This evolution has made them indispensable for improving collaboration between teams, increasing operational efficiency, and enabling better decision-making.
In the manufacturing sector, CRM is not only about improving relationships with end customers but also about enhancing partnerships. This makes it a critical tool for fulfilling orders efficiently and on time.
Key Benefits of CRM Tools for Manufacturing Companies
1. Better Supply Chain Management
A CRM tool tailored to manufacturing companies offers a comprehensive view of the supply chain—from sourcing raw materials to delivering finished goods. This visibility allows teams to anticipate issues, optimize inventory, and improve coordination between sales and production.
2. Optimized Production Planning
CRM software helps manufacturers forecast demand more accurately, enabling agile production adjustments. By leveraging historical sales data and consumption patterns, these tools help identify trends which leads to better production planning.
This minimizes inventory surpluses or shortages and reduces downtime in production lines.
3. Improved B2B Sales Efficiency
Most manufacturing companies operate in the B2B space, requiring long, highly coordinated sales processes. CRM tools consolidate all customer-related data, enabling both sales and customer service teams to manage interactions more effectively and in a more personalized manner.
A notable CRM functionality includes the ability to automate follow-ups throughout the sales cycle. For manufacturers negotiations and client meetings are critical, thus using CRM tools to schedule reminders and organize visits could prove useful.
4. Inventory Control and Cost Reduction
Efficient inventory management is crucial in manufacturing. Poor planning can inflate storage costs and disrupt operations. By integrating with inventory systems, CRM tools allow for real-time stock monitoring. This helps manufacturers identify high-demand or slow-moving products.
This also aids in preventing overstock or stockouts, which significantly reduces costs. Additionally, CRM software enables tracking materials and components throughout the production process to avoid unnecessary expenses.
5. Improved Customer Service and Post-Sales Support
Customer service and after-sales support are vital in manufacturing, especially in the competitive B2B sector, where long-term relationships are hard-earned. CRM tools enable efficient management of customer complaints, inquiries, and requests by maintaining detailed records of each client’s interactions.
With quick access to a customer’s history, service teams can provide fast, personalized responses. Many also allow companies to set reminders for maintenance, bettering customer satisfaction and loyalty.
How to Choose the Best CRM for Your Manufacturing Business
The CRM market in the manufacturing sector is highly competitive, so finding the right one for your needs can be overwhelming. Here are some key factors to consider when choosing a CRM tool for your business:
1. Ease of Use and Team Adoption
For manufacturing companies, usability is crucial since team members may not be familiar with CRM systems. The easier the tool is to use, the faster employees can integrate it into their workflows.
2. Integration with ERP and Other Industrial Tools
Ensure the CRM tool integrates seamlessly with systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), inventory management, logistics, and production tools. Real-time data sharing between platforms prevents information silos and provides a unified overview of operations.
3. Scalability for Growth and Change
Manufacturing is a dynamic industry with frequent fluctuations in demand and production. A scalable CRM system that grows alongside your company can save time and costs when business needs evolve.
4. Industry-Specific Features
Lastly, manufacturers need CRM tools with features like production and project management, B2B customer relationship handling, inventory control, post-sales services, and maintenance support. Make sure your chosen CRM tool meets these needs.
Top CRMs for Manufacturing Companies
To make it easier for you, we have selected what we consider to be the best CRM systems for the manufacturing sector. Review these options and select one that best fits your needs.
1. HubSpot CRM
Best for: Businesses of any size seeking a customizable and user-friendly platform
HubSpot is a highly popular CRM with tools for managing sales, leads, and marketing strategies. It offers automation capabilities, easy integration with other platforms, and scalability through its many accessible pricing offers.
HubSpot also has a free version, making it a great option to test before committing.
2. Salesforce
Best for: Large manufacturing enterprises
Salesforce provides an extensive overview of customer interactions and operations. Its advanced integration and collaboration features make it ideal for large-scale businesses. That being said, it’s better suited for enterprises than small or medium-sized companies.
3. Zoho CRM
Best for: Small and medium businesses looking for affordability and automation
Zoho offers cost-effective solutions with tools for automating sales, real-time production tracking, and inventory management. It’s ideal for growing companies seeking to expand.
4. Pipedrive
Best for: B2B manufacturers focused on sales
Pipedrive is intuitive and user-friendly, offering features for lead management, sales automation, and communication tracking. It also provides insightful performance reports and user access controls but is more focused on sales than marketing.
5. Freshsales CRM
Best for: Comprehensive sales and marketing integration
Freshsales is geared toward facilitating sales processes, especially in lead generation and management. Its marketing tools help automate tasks and trigger alerts for efficient follow-ups.
6. Flowlu
Best for: Combining project and customer management
Flowlu is a versatile option that supports project planning and monitoring alongside CRM functionalities. It’s easy to use and customizable, making it ideal for diverse business needs.
