In a recent survey, manufacturers indicated that cutting operational costs and improving customer service are two top priorities for 2017. Here are a few recommendations of how you can accomplish both of these goals at the same time:

Customer Self Service

You can add a portal – or business to business (B2B) – website that allows your customers to see their open invoices and order history. Some accounting/manufacturing software packages even enable online customer ordering. Customer self-service access like this can free up your customer service reps so they have more time to spend with customers who have non-routine needs.

Digital Invoices and Statements

Another feature often available is the ability to email invoices and statements. This can reduce postage costs and speed up collections. An online portal or a website allowing ACH payment linked to your accounting system can improve payment time, costs and payment application accuracy. Using an integrated ACH system can reduce credit card and transaction costs.

Things to Consider

Online ordering through a B2B website works well for businesses who have standard components of their product line that are ordered repetitively by their customers. It also gives you the opportunity to provide educational product information to your customers in a visual format. If you are concerned about keeping your pricing confidential, you can provide access to your website with a username and password.

Before implementing online B2B options, it is important to understand your product line and your customers’ acceptance of these tools. Consider surveying your customers about the features they would use before making a selection.

It is also important to understand the degree of integration that is possible with your current software. Be sure to check out which features will work for you.

Don’t have time to explore these options or want some help to implement? Contact Nancy Orben at 513-834-6906 or norben@blueandco.com.