Why CRM matters to manufacturers

A customer relationship management (CRM) solution empowers manufacturers to manage

and advance relationships throughout the customer lifecycle, giving them an edge in an
increasingly competitive market.

Using TechValidate an independent survey company,

Insightly surveyed over 400 manufacturing
professionals to discover how they use CRM and
project management solutions to improve operations,
help with supplier communications, and manage
end customers. Using their insights, your team can
spend less time managing the product lines and
more time profiting from business relationships.

Top obstacles for

manufacturing professionals

Our CRM solution has helped manage

all projects within the company,
allowing management a better view
of everything that is going on and
where to allocate resources.
Ryan Ching,

What kind of project

management/workflow
problems were you having
prior to implementing a CRM?

Difficulty organizing information

62%
Difficulty managing clients and suppliers

49%
Difficulty collaborating with team members

34%

managing partner at Essential Flavours

Difficulty managing projects

33%
Lack of general productivity

19%
Other

10%

How CRM improves your operations

and relationships
CRM solutions address the issues most
important to manufacturers: efficiency,
productivity, and customer happiness.

How has having a CRM

solution helped to
improve overall business?
Increased efficiency

76%
Enhanced productivity

50%

Installing a CRM also helped survey

respondents achieve the below:
Improved sales and shorter sales cycles,
resulting from customer and sales data
being organized and available in one place
Shorter meetings and less time spent on
administrative work
Reduced overall costs, and as a result, an
increased competitive advantage

Our CRM solution has helped us actually

get work done, and were able to review
the entire companys conversations with
each customer. It has really helped this
new company grow.
Don Hicks,

Happier customers and clients

18%

vice president of construction and

partner at Tamarack Pipeline Services

Saving time and spending more with clients thats progress that benefits the entire customer journey.

Boost overall productivity

Its simple: when data is organized and at your fingertips, you can focus on meaningful work that gets results.
Using CRM, almost 90% of manufacturers saw productivity increase by at least 10%, with 31% boosting
productivity by more than half. Thats hundreds of manufacturers providing suppliers, distributors and
all other contacts with improved, personalized service, simplifying information management and improving
communications all because they used CRM to make information more readily available.

31% of manufacturers used CRM to

lift productivity by more than 50%.
How much has a CRM solution
helped increase staff productivity?
More than 75%: 10%
5074%: 21%
2549%: 32%
1024%: 24%
Up to 10%: 13%

How?
The most helpful CRM features were:
68% Contact management
41% Sales pipeline management
28% Mobile CRM app

Other helpful features included:

22% File sharing
19% Integrated product management
18% A
 pplication integration with Google Apps,
Office 365 and more
15% Customized reporting
7%
Social media integration

Use your CRM to grow your bottom line

CRM solutions make the sales pipeline a breeze which improves customer relationships and
ultimately improves business. By enhancing reporting and data organization, you ensure dayto-day health of your company and continued momentum.

More than half of manufacturers improved

sales by up to 50% after using a CRM.
How much has a CRM helped grow your sales?

More than 75%

50% 74%
25% 49%
10% 24%
Up to 10%

7%

Insightly was key for us to evolve as

a company, better processes and
communication, more productivity,
and more sales.
A
 lejandro Brenes,
owner of Enertiva

7%
26%
35%
25%

CRM delivers excellent team performance

enhanced ability to manage the sales
team on a global basis.
Dennis Riccio,
vice president of sales at Strasbaugh

Calculating the ROI of CRM

In less than one month, 43% of
organizations surveyed saw a return
on investment.

How long did it take for your CRM

to show return on investment?

95% of the organizations surveyed saw their

investments returned within one year.
When a business management tool combines
operational simplicity with increased sales and
enhanced client service, its no surprise how
quickly it pays off.

Less than a month: 43%

13 months: 29%
36 months: 16%
69 months: 4%
912 months: 2%
More than one year: 5%

The proper implementation of a CRM forces

a company to verify what it thinks it already
knows about its products and services, value
propositions, and processes. This process alone
is bound to uncover growth opportunities.
Matthew Stoops,
sales manager at MetalSource

How often do
manufacturers
actually use CRM?
Time is one of the most coveted resources in any
organization especially for manufacturers. Adopting
new technology can add cycles to an already busy day.
However, when a solution is designed from the ground
up to be easy to use, and online support is available
24x7 with tutorials at hand, the long-term benefits of
the CRM adoption process pay off.
More than half of manufacturers that use Insightly CRM
report they cant live without the tool, and they interact
with it on a daily basis. When youre considering adopting
a new solution, consider the big picture: where will your
organization be in one year?

Where could it be if you start using a CRM today?

I cant imagine not having our CRM solution.

It takes no time at all to find contacts and other
pertinent information, to see what sales and
opportunities weve had in the past year, and
how many opportunities weve converted to
sales. Insightly is such an integral part of what
we do that its almost instinct at this point.
Ryan Ching,
managing partner at Essential Flavours

How often do you

use your CRM?
Every day / cant live without it

52%
Two to three times per week

33%
Once a week

8%
Once every few weeks
Once every few months
Other

2%
2%
2%

Your days are already hectic. Thats why Insightly CRM simplifies every link in the production
cycle so you can deliver high standards for client service, streamline operations, and
improve your bottom line.

CRM FAQ
Q: How long will it take for Insightly CRM to show ROI?
A:  72% of manufacturers saw their Insightly investments returned in
less than three months. Nucleus Research also reports that CRM
generates $8.71 in revenue for every $1 spent.

Q: How much can a CRM increase our sales?

A: More than half of manufacturers improved sales by up to 50%
after Insightly.

Q: How can improved project management help our

company overall?
A:  Of the manufacturing pros surveyed, 62% rated organizing
information as their No. 1 pain point. Insightly CRM centralizes
customer data, so you can streamline project management and
according to the Project Management Institute, project management
boosts the success rate of strategic initiatives by 16%.

Insightly has dramatically lowered

the administrative cost of CRM
and pipeline management. It is an
essential tool for any small business.
Jenny Hopewell,
owner of HOPEWELL Companies, LLC

About Insightly CRM

Insightly is the easiest customer relationship
management solution (CRM) to use for managing deep
customer relationships. Customers use Insightlys
tightly integrated CRM and project management
features to close new sales, track post-sale customer
interactions, and drive repeat purchases.

See how Insightly could transform your

manufacturing business.