The pandemic has changed the way the world works. Face-to-face meetings have been replaced with video conferencing, phone calls with emails, paperwork with PDFs.
The industrial sector can’t function 100% virtually, of course, but more and more industrial companies are embracing automation and certain operational aspects of running an industrial business can benefit from some of the remote-working software out there.
However, manufacturers have a unique set of needs when it comes to remote operations. Zoom conferencing might work great for a marketing company, but what about when you’re discussing proprietary information or trying to examine a complicated manufacturing process from afar?
Are there messaging systems that take into account logistics data? What about purchasing and sourcing, paying vendors and signing contracts?
Today, we’re taking an in-depth look at some software solutions that cater to the unique needs of manufacturers.
1. Team Messaging
Yes, you’ve probably heard of Slack or Facebook Workplace. And if you’re looking for an 100% free solution, Microsoft Teams is an obvious go-to . But what about the unique communications needs of manufacturers? A lesser-known option is ClickSend. ClickSend provides SMS (short message service) solutions that are catered to specific industries, like manufacturing.
ClickSend’s manufacturing solutions provides the same cross-team communication capabilities like you would see with Teams or Slack, but industrial companies can also use the service to integrate with their existing supply chain management software systems, facilitate work shifts and staffing, trigger procurement alerts, view logistics data and more.
2. Video Conferencing
When you can’t communicate via email or chat, it’s time for a meeting -- and it’s probably going to be a virtual one. If you’re looking to go completely free, Google Meet is a good option. And of course, Zoom is a well-known option. But what about for manufacturers? It’s great to have a screenful of talking heads when it’s just a quick meeting, but when it comes to the nuts and bolts of manufacturing you might be looking for something a little more nuanced.
Lifesize provides video conferencing solutions catered specifically for manufacturers. Its ultra-high definition full-motion 4K content sharing function helps viewer zero in on the fine level of detail crucial to manufacturing processes, while its enterprise-grade security helps protect proprietary information.
3. Virtual Check Writing
As a century-old company, we’ve long been accustomed to writing checks to our vendors, but of course this traditional means of remitting payment can be burdensome – especially during a pandemic. Writing out checks and contending with the postal service can take up a lot of time, while printing, stamp and envelope expenses truly add up. According to this study from 2017, most U.S. companies are still using paper checks for at least 50% of their payment to vendors. And the cost? Anywhere from $3-$5 per check, when accounting for ink, printers, postage, time and the like.
We recently found a solution that FairwayPay allows you to send checks by email. We're using it and love how easily we can pay our vendors. No more paper checks or stamps. And our vendors appreciate getting immediate payment. With this service, you can send checks by email to anyone’s inbox, so you can pay your utilities, payroll and other vendors hassle-free.
If you have a lot of vendors to pay, you can use their file upload feature to send multiple payments at once. You can track delivery and record your payments in real time so bookkeeping becomes much easier. And the cost? FairwayPay brings that $3-$5 per-check cost all the way down to $0.39/check.
This is in addition to a $4.95 per month account management fee, but if you’d like to try FairwayPay for free for 30 days, we’ve got a custom link for you. Click here to try FairwayPay at a discount.
4. Document Signing
Although the movement towards paper-free operations has been happening for a long time now, there are still many companies that have not gone completely paperless. For those now trying to figure out ways to get important documents signed virtually, there are now a number of options available for document signing. DocuSign is a well-known option, but there are others out there worth checking out.
One company, HelloSign, is DropBox’s answer to the electronic signature needs of businesses. What makes HelloSign unique is that it offers enterprise scalability, potentially making it an affordable option, depending on the needs of your business. HelloSign offers bank-level security; team management tools, and Google plug-ins. You can sign documents yourself or request signatures from others, making it a good choice for sales contracts, employee onboarding and more.
5. Customer Relationship Management
There’s a lot of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software out there. So many, in fact, that we recently conducted a survey of the thousands of industrial sales and marketing professionals that use our industrial database IndustrySelect to find out what the top CRMs were for industrial sales. We provided the results of the survey and dug into to examine features. You can read more about top CRMs for industrial sales here.
6. Enterprise Resource Planning Software
Like CRMs, there are a lot of ERP options out there. Oracle’s ERP is a well-known option, but there are others that are worth taking a look at. Universal Business Systems in Somerville, NJ provides ERP software for a variety of applications, including sales force automation, supply chain management and process manufacturing, making it a full-service ERP solution for manufacturers.
Specific industries Universal Business Systems serves includes packaging, private label manufacturing, process manufacturing and building materials.
7. Industrial Purchasing, Sourcing and Procurement
We would be remiss if we didn’t talk about our industrial marketplace IndustryNet, the easiest way to find industrial parts, supplies and services online, providing listings of 500,000 industrial companies across 11,000 distinct product and service categories. Set up a free account; create a list of suppliers based on your specific needs, view detailed company listings; send an email or send a quote directly from the site.
Powered by MNI’s people-powered data, IndustryNet listings feature the most in-depth, accurate industrial information available today.
The best part is IndustryNet is 100% free for users. Start your free search today!
Additionally, if you’re looking for quality industrial sales leads, consider an IndustrySelect subscription. IndustrySelect allows you to tap into MNI’s database of 500,000 industrial companies and one million executives. With IndustrySelect, you can drill down to just the data you need using up to 40 different types of criteria to help you identify and pre-qualify the best leads. Click here to try out a free demo.
