business intelligence

software for
manufacturers

Guide produced
by sales-i

introduction

what is

business intelligence?

50%

37%

of businesses
struggle to extract
value from data

have or are planning

to implement
Business Intelligence
in 2014

The pressure on the manufacturing industry is astronomical. With the

increase in globalization, a flagging economy and a demanding customer,
manufacturers of all sizes are finding themselves somewhat stuck. There is
the odd peak here and there, when the industry is on the up, only to have
dreams dashed and manufacturers soon find themselves back where they
started.
Manufacturers that we have spoken to are often looking to point the finger
at someone (or something) that has caused this slump in the industry. Many
blame globalization, others the low cost alternatives some countries are
churning out while some are looking closer to home and blaming the
misuse of the heaps of data trapped inside their business.
Its not a lack of wanting to succeed; its simply how business goes today. But
it is often those who think outside the box that prosper in times of strife. That
is where Business Intelligence has stepped up and some manufacturers are
now sprinting towards the light at the end of the tunnel. `
Now, more than ever, is the time to leverage technology and data to remain
ahead of the competition. ERP systems alone are no longer enough and
CRM systems arent either. But combine the two and youll be halfway to
what we know today as Business Intelligence (BI).

Business Intelligence automates the task of analyzing

data, providing a better understanding of company
performance, championing a proactive sales
technique, offering a holistic customer view for
the entire business and streamlining the sales and
marketing process.

Too many providers of BI beat around the bush, telling

you it is one thing and another, with none really landing
on a clear, concise definition. Even then 90% of that is
marketing fluff while probably just 10% actually matters.
So, we have let you in on what BI means to us.

BI is not that difficult or quite as reminiscent of Minority

Report as you may have thought. While it does do a lot
more and there is some of the most powerful technology
behind it all, for the most part, that is all you really need
to know as an end user.

what does
it mean for
manufacturers?

can it really help

your business?

Before we get down to hard ROI and the big

advantages, you will benefit from day one with simple
access to your data. A shiny new BI system will be a
source of power for your entire business, transforming
your sales team into the superheroes they were made
to be.
So lets look at just some of the ways BI can benefit
manufacturers of any shape or size.

B I R E M O V E S H E AV Y

DATA
S I LO S
T H AT

WEIGH
D OWN

BUSINESSES

As a manufacturer, you thrive on processes and data.

Everything has its place, has to be double and triple
checked for quality and any slip up or efficiency is
recorded and noted. Data soon builds up and youll have
so much of it that you have no clue what to do with it. So
why are so many of us choosing to ignore the opportunity
that data can provide?

Most manufacturers are rolling thousands of items off the

production line every single day and as a salesperson
without BI, trying to keep track of which customer has
bought which products, what they havent bought and
what they should be buying is akin to trying to run uphill
with an elephant on your shoulders. It is never going to end
well.

There is a perception floating around that you have to be

the next Stephen Hawking in order to analyze any amount
of data. In short, you dont. Technology has moved on
and there is software that does it all for you. You input a
question and itll supply the answers. Some of the best BI
solutions will even preempt your questions and provide
an answer before you even know what to ask.

A good BI tool champions the use of data, sales history,

mobile applications and produces dynamic results in
seconds, presenting valuable Business Intelligence in
an efficient format that can be actioned and used. BI
removes the heavy data silos that weigh businesses down
and before long youll be cashing in on the information
trapped within your business.

better supply chain management with company-wide insight

quickly identify sales trends before your competition does
organize your empire to better manage growth

better
supply chain
management

E V E RY S T E P O F T H E

SU P P LY
CHAI

N
M U S TBBIEinKaction
EP T
U P DAT E D

There is little doubt that supply chains are becoming

more sophisticated, not to mention more complicated.
As a manufacturer, it is likely that youll work and interact
directly with vendors, distributors, partners, retailers and
end users all in tandem; each with varying needs and
requirements from you as their manufacturer. These needs
are difficult to manage and satisfy without software of
some sort in place.
For a supply chain to operate at its best, information must
be shared across the business for a complete 360-degree
view of operations. From customer interactions, to sales
activity and business performance, everything can be
monitored within a BI tool. Youll be able to spot areas of
improvement, youll be promoting effective collaboration
and real-time data sharing while your entire business has
all the information they need right at their fingertips.

Managing and tracking every interaction at each stage

of the supply chain is difficult to say the very least without
BI. Say you have a customer in France. Your team in
the USA is charged with supplying 10,000 units to your
distributor based in England who will then work to get the
product to the customer on time.
Every step of the supply chain must be kept updated
with expected delivery times, logistics, involved team
members and customer expectations to optimize
customer service. Your global supply chain will fall apart
if each business unit isnt aware of what is occurring in
neighboring branches.

quickly identify
sales trends

BI tools are great for your entire business, but they are
particularly useful for those in a sales or marketing role.
Your sales people are probably some of the busiest in
your business, followed closely by marketing. Both of
these departments are pivotal to keeping company
revenues flowing.

Most BI solutions feed off the information you input

through your current back office or accounting package
(something like SAP, Sage, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics
and the like). Extracting sales-ready, actionable data
from such a system would take some time, time that no
salesperson or marketer has to spare.
While it is not time wasted, BI will do a lot of the work,
freeing up time to do what they do best and concentrate
on more pressing matters. With intuitive dashboards,
proactive alerts to opportunities and targeted
campaign lists, your sales and marketing departments
can be taken to the next level in a couple of clicks.

BI in action
Any good BI tool can help a flagging marketing
department to generate specific campaigns to both
existing customers and fresh prospects, feeding the
sales team with a steady stream of warm leads.
Predicting sales trends and identifying sales opportunities
isnt easy to do manually, but a BI tool can respond to
your questions and provide you with a campaign plan
that will actually push your prospects buttons, rather
than churning out useless campaigns with little return.

organize
your business
empire

best practice
for BI

As with any new technology, BI takes a bit of work on

your part. Before you can even consider investing in a
solution you need to work out what you want to get from
it, who will be using it and why. If you dont know why you
need it or how you will use it to your advantage why
are you spending the money on it?
Preparation is key, particularly if youre working in a larger
organization and you have a lot of people to please.

B I PR O V I D E S C L E A R - C U T

I N F O R M AT I O N
I N S E CO N D S T H AT I S U S E F U L A N D AC T I O
NABLE
Globalization doesnt have to be a bad thing; in fact most
manufacturers have thrived in this period of international
business and trade, with new international sales channels
and opportunities. But your plans for world manufacturing
domination will fall flat on their face, however, if youre
not organized. Its nothing new that as businesses grow,
processes change and the flow of information becomes
somewhat blurred. Whats more, the harvesting and
storage of data is done in hundreds of different ways.
Acquisitions, mergers, buyouts and joint ventures will only
add to the confusion.
But the best thing about Business Intelligence is that it
feeds on ERP software, CRM systems and even ancient
spreadsheets to provide clear-cut information in seconds
that is useful and actionable. A central information
hub will provide simple data access and encourage
collaboration across branches and even borders.

BI in action
BI makes it easier for you to grow your empire and outsmart
the competition. Selling tens of thousands of products
makes it tough for your team to effectively analyze sales
information and valuable opportunities will be passing
them by every day simply because they dont have the
hours in the day to keep things organized.
BI can quickly identify the precise products that a
customer has bought, what they havent and more
importantly, what they should be buying from you. Having
instant access to information will make a vast difference
and you wont be wasting time sorting through order
forms and sales invoices to spot your next sale.

Identify pain points

Have a champion

First and foremost, you have to clearly define what

problems or issues the adoption of a BI system will
respond to. Address and refer to these pain points when
you are reviewing BI tools. As a global manufacturer, you
are going to have to do your homework, reviewing your
current practices and software before any BI project gets
off the ground.

Nominate someone in house to manage the new

solution, take ownership of deployment, manage
training, handle simple questions and act as a point of
contact between your users and your provider.

You need to know what BI is going to do to benefit your

business so take a moment and think about what you
want from it. Spend time with each of the departments
across your business, from sales and customer service
to marketing and finance, get under their skin and
understand which of their problems BI will solve. It will
make sign off and approval much easier with the support
of key departments.
The biggest and most expensive risk you can take when
deploying any new piece of technology is not having
clearly defined goals from the outset.

The champion will ideally be in a position of working

directly with those using the new system and will be
using it themselves. New tools of any kind can get
messy very quickly if you have hundreds of users trying
to master it so having a central point of contact will
really help out.

Data, data, data

Any BI system is only as good as the data that feeds
it. Jumping in feet first with little consideration for your
data quality will see any BI project fail to make a splash.
No BI system will fill in the gaps or correct errors; it is a
simple reflection of your data, albeit in a better-looking
and more efficient manner.

Research shows that an average salesperson

costs companies $500 per day to employ. For $504
(as sales-i costs $4 per user per day) sales-i
provides a profitable focus for sales activities so
that time is not wasted.
G er r y Br o wn, S enior A naly st

Give us a try, just 20 minutes could change the

way you sell.
Contact us for a free, online demonstration
and judge our software for yourself.

find out more

e: t ellmemore@sales-i.com
North America
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Suite 100,
Evanston,
IL 60201
t: 877-646-8277

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om

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