Tag Archive for: IoT Pulse

The Digital Transformation Journey: Lead, Follow, or Get Out of The Way

“Lead, follow, or get out of the way!” – Thomas Paine

There is a new world order, one that is built around digital transformation, technology, innovation, digitization, and new business models. As the world shifts toward a digital era amidst a technological revolution, it’s clear that there are leaders, followers, and those who just seem to get in the way of change.

If you’re leading a digital transformation journey, make sure you understand your role and the responsibilities it comes with as you, and those who follow you, strive towards a common goal. If you are a follower in the journey, you play an important role of carrying out the strategies of the leader.

Recognize the role you play in digital transformation, and, if you’re not leading or following, then get out of the way! But do so at your own peril.

What Exactly Does Digital Transformation Mean for Your Business?

Digital transformation has a different meaning for everyone. The type of digital transformation to pursue depends on the needs and goals of your business.

For example, a business looking to improve the customer experience could make use of a chatbot on their website. Similarly, a business looking to centralize their siloed data could use a data integration solution, such as Commercient SYNC, that will provide a central location for all their data.

Whether you’re a manufacturer or you sell ice cream, your business will most definitely benefit from digital transformation.

Common Digital Transformation Challenges

Digital transformation is imperative to business success, but it comes with many challenges. To help you better navigate any bumps on your journey, we’ve identified common challenges that can hinder your digital transformation initiatives:

  • Organizational resistance to change
  • Lack of expertise to lead a digital transformation project
  • Lack of digital literacy within the workforce
  • Legacy systems
  • Budget constraints

5 Pitfalls to Avoid on Your Digital Transformation Journey

Businesses that recognize the need to adapt to the digital age to remain competitive are pursuing digital transformation initiatives. These will help them streamline their operations, deliver excellent customer experiences, and spot new opportunities for business growth.

However, there are some pitfalls that any business may run into when proceeding down the path of digital transformation. Here are 5 pitfalls to avoid during your digital transformation journey:

  1. Getting it Wrong
    Digital transformation is not just about implementing technology without a business reason or relevance. Instead of focusing on the technology, look at your business strategy, goals and objectives from a technological capabilities vantage point. Identify new technologies that will change how you are operating and generating revenues, and then integrate those technologies into your business to help you get there.
  2. No Investment in Culture Change
    Digital is just as much about people as it is about technology. All the technology in the world will not successfully transform your business without including your workforce.
  3. Not Having the Right People
    Make sure you have appropriately skilled people in the right roles to deliver your digital transformation vision.
  4. No Plan in Place
    Digital transformation begins with a vision which must be turned into a strategy. It’s important to set your goals upfront and have a clear picture of your desired outcome.
  5. Lack of Communication
    Having a well-documented plan for your project is good, but without action, you’re going nowhere fast. Get everyone in the business excited; communicate – communicate – communicate! Tell them where the business is going, and how they will benefit. Communicate your vision and empower your employees to be part of the process.

Key Elements to a Success Digital Transformation

Many organizations are already embarking on this journey in an effort to meet the increasingly rigorous demands of changing markets. Focus on these key elements when preparing your plan:

  • Have the right leaders in place.
  • Create a digital culture and empower people to work in new ways.
  • Harness the power of your data.
  • Leverage advanced technologies to digitize your business operations.

As we said earlier, it’s important to make digital transformation everyone’s business. When everybody buys into the plan and believes in its importance, digital transformation efforts will be more effective.

Data is the Foundation of Digital Transformation

Digital transformation is essentially centered around data and how to put it to use in new ways to drive efficiency, business insights, and increase revenue. The aim is to identify which technologies can help transform and enhance the value of data.

The Importance of Data Integration

Ineffective data collecting and storing mean that you lose the ability to execute on any data-driven decisions. Furthermore, siloed data is a major roadblock for digitalizing your company. Businesses must focus on ways to make digital transformation strategies effective by breaking down data silos. The key lies in data integration.

Integration connects data from disparate sources into a single unified view. This provides valuable insights that can help your business meet the demands of a digital business landscape.

Commercient Powers Data-Driven Digital Transformation

Commercient is a leading business application development company that specializes in providing data integration services and solutions. We combine leading-edge technologies and specialized skills across diverse industries and business functions. We provide solutions that help businesses transform themselves and remain relevant in an increasingly digital and data-driven world.

Commercient SYNC, the #1 data integration platform for sales, integrates data between your ERP and CRM systems. SYNC is pre-built, and is the fastest, simplest and most flexible solutions for your data integration needs.

Supporting over 85 ERPs such as SYSPRO, QuickBooks and Sage, with CRMs like Salesforce (a Salesforce AppExchange licensed managed package), Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zoho CRM, etc., Commercient drives innovation to simplify and accelerate digital transformation. We help our customers derive meaningful intelligence out of their data. View all our available integration apps here.

In addition, IoT Pulse connects your ERP to over 1100 apps, helping automate data migrations and frequent tasks. Supported apps include HubSpot CRM, Gmail, Infusionsoft, social media apps, and more. Learn about our IoT Pulse integrations here.

The Future is Digital

The bottom line is, digital transformation opportunities are real, and it’s vital for every business to prepare for the digital era and ride the waves of innovation and success. Become a digital business industry leader by harnessing the full power of data with Commercient SYNC and IoT Pulse. Contact us today to find out how!

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP

Top 5 Reasons You Should Use Data Integration Tools

As disruptive technologies emerge and find large-scale adoption, there is an influx of massive amounts of data within enterprises. Scattered data exists across various systems in companies such as CRM, ERP, marketing systems, email, etc. It’s important to have it streamlined, organized, and simplified into a cohesive whole. The solution lies in data integration from all sources, so users can view it as one centralized data set.

Such data can prove powerful when used correctly, and its accurate analysis can help transform your business and build value. Although there is no single kind of integration that is ideal for every business, it has become a necessity to get ahead in today’s competitive markets. Let’s take a closer look at why integrating data is a key part of business best practice.

Data Simplification

The most important function of a data integration tool is the simplification of data. Simplified data promotes efficiency and ease of use. When data is scattered, it is extremely time-consuming to make sense of such data. For instance, when you are looking at CRM or ERP data through separate systems, it is complicated to comprehend the information and its further use can be difficult.

Sifting through tons of systems makes the data extremely complex, and unless it sits at one easily viewable space, it cannot be analyzed or used in a meaningful way. Data integration brings in data from various sources into one central platform.

It’s easy to access by management and team members, and perhaps partners. Viewing data through a single centralized view, making it simple to use and comprehend.

Enhanced Value

Data can be present in so many different formats, it can have a structure or it can be in the form of graphics or as a web-based program and so on. It’s much easier to identify any issues after looking through data in its entirety and make necessary improvements where necessary. You can do this by using qualitative and quantitative analysis, and such analysis can work only once the data is complete.

Commercient SYNC, the #1 data integration platform for sales, integrates your ERP and CRM data, and brings them into a single location, giving you a 360-degree view of sales and marketing. What this means is a unified data access point for you and your team. They can deal with clients in a quick and efficient manner after having quickly reviewed their data, based on the query, be it a sales or a customer service issue.

Data Integration Saves Time and Effort

An important reason why companies channelize data integration in the right manner is to cut down time and effort in tracking and analysis of that data. Such reliable automation produces a single unified data view, eliminating the need for any manual entries or looking for vital information.

Physically draining manual efforts are minimized, and the efforts can be geared towards utilizing the time on productive efforts such as retention and profitability. It also saves company and resource time, and, indirectly, expenses are lowered.

Error Reduction

We know that in any manual process, some scope of error cannot be ruled out. The sheer volume of a company’s data means despite individual software in place for specific functions, the dataset may not be complete or accurate.

As departments across a company are updating information to the same customer account, the data if not centralized is not viewed in its entirety. To reduce any discrepancies, reports must be run at frequent intervals to get some idea of the data.

With integrated systems in place, such reports can be run in real-time, and with great accuracy. An integration plan also ensures data is consistent with no duplication. For example, when inputting an order once in ERP, and again in CRM, shipping and billing information, or the amount of product ordered, could be wrong. Commercient SYNC will integrate that data entry in CRM over to ERP, so there are no errors.

Easy Accessibility of Data

Sometimes real-time data becomes the need of the hours when dealing with a customer or looking for critical information. A centralized data presence means anyone within your company can easily access that data for analysis. In addition, it can be shared and used for present and future projects.

Integrated data also fosters collaboration among your team, and is much more likely to be complete as it has multiple chains of contributions.

If you are a small business looking to minimize overhead without compromising on service delivery, then consider tapping into the benefits of using Commercient SYNC.

To learn more about Commercient SYNC data integration apps, please contact us today.

SYNC ERP and CRM

IIoT: The Evolution Of The Industrial Sector

To grow and thrive, companies must adapt to industry changes, and recalibrate their business processes and methods when necessary. The rise of the Fourth Industrial Revolution era is rapidly redefining the world in its entirety. Its primary focus on technological advances in communication and connectivity has thrown a spotlight on IIoT. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the industrial sector, and break barriers beyond previous possibilities.

What is IIoT?

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), also known as Industry 4.0, is part of a larger concept known as the Internet of Things (IoT). IIoT is a network of connected industrial machines and devices that use IoT technology to improve manufacturing and industrial processes. IIoT applications enable systems to collect, exchange, monitor and analyze large volumes of data to deliver valuable insights. Companies can then make smarter, data-driven business decisions.

The Difference Between IoT and IIoT

While their basic principles are similar, IoT and IIoT serve different purposes. IoT connects physical devices such as home appliances, vehicles, smart devices and more, to the Internet. IIoT connects industrial machines and devices in industries such as manufacturing, agriculture, transportation, oil and gas, and others.

The Importance of IIoT

IIoT is one of the major technology trends impacting industrial businesses today. This technology is gaining momentum, and will create entirely new industries. It is paving the way to a digital, data-driven world, and a future with tremendous opportunities for industries worldwide. As the number of connected devices increases, we can expect significant growth in the global adoption of IIoT in the coming years.

The main idea behind IIoT is to connect machines and devices to give real-time information on processes and efficiency. IIoT uses sensors connected to industrial devices which collect and store large amounts of data. This data is then transformed into actionable insights, which enable businesses to make data-driven decisions.

Intelligent Connectivity: The Future Of Manufacturing

The Industrial Internet of Things will transform industries as we know them, and the manufacturing industry is at the top of the list. With IIoT, traditional manufacturers will become connected ones.

IIoT can help you unlock the hidden value of all your machine data. Insights from this data can provide many benefits, including improving operational efficiency and productivity, reducing operating costs and equipment downtime, increasing employee safety, maximizing asset utilization, and so much more.

Connect Your ERP to the Internet with Commercient’s IoT Pulse

The main goal of an ERP system is to give actionable data for decision making. IIoT has the potential to expand the availability and improve the accuracy of your ERP data. IIoT and ERP solutions combine to deliver efficiency and cost savings. This provides a competitive differentiator over manufacturers that are slow to embrace emerging technology.

Commercient’s IoT Pulse improves the pace of digital transformation and maximizes the value of your ERP system by connecting it to more than 1,100 internet apps. This can help automate your digital migrations and your frequent tasks.

IoT Pulse integrates ERP’s such as QuickBooks and Sage to apps like HubSpot, Magento eCommerce, email programs, marketing systems, and more. With all your data connected, you can make data-driven decisions faster because all your data is in one place.

Integrating your ERP with IIoT provides valuable real-time data, which can be used to optimize operations, improve customer service, and create new business opportunities.

The Future Is Now!

IIoT is an absolute necessity if you want to not only stay relevant but keep growing in the face of digital disruption. Industry leaders are successfully leveraging intelligent, connected devices to drive their business forward and stay ahead of competition. Don’t get left behind.

Get connected and call or email Commercient today, to find out about how our IoT Pulse solution can help your business.

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP

The Hidden Costs Of On-Premise Solutions vs. The Cloud

Many companies are migrating to the Cloud in a bid to gain efficiency, have access to cutting edge technology, and remain competitive. If you are contemplating doing the same, but aren’t sure of the promising future Cloud offers as compared to your on-premise systems? The decision is entirely up to the business considering such a move to the cloud. However, we would like to help you make an informed decision by reviewing some of the hidden costs about on-premise solutions you might be paying for right now.

Infrastructure Expenses

Costs for setting up an on-premise legacy system include hardware and software expenditures, which can add up to substantial amounts. And then come the upgrades to aging in-house systems. It requires huge investments to set up these systems, including technology like SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS, and are simply not sensible for smaller companies to manage. Furthermore, the cost of trained resources to maintain and utilize these technologies is also huge.

In a Cloud environment, costs are usually in the form of monthly subscriptions that are much easier to track, and allow companies to use their surplus finances for much more critical business initiatives focused on growths and profits. Costs of infrastructure, personnel, upgrades and updates, etc., are handled by the cloud services provider. The biggest advantage is that you can suspend the subscriptions whenever you want.

Seamless Use of Technology

As previously mentioned, on-premise applications come with associated hardware and installation costs. These include experienced IT personnel to install, maintain, and train your employees. The fast changing dynamics of the technological world mean there are routine upgrades that come with costs attached, as well as time. Besides, you may not be able to utilize the systems until upgrades are complete, bringing most business activity to a halt. This also means loss of man-hours and additional costs.

With Cloud-based technologies provided by vendors such as Salesforce, all the hassle of hardware or software licensing is eliminated with the use of technology that is seamless, efficient and easy. And there is no noticeable disruption to routine work.

Security

Although the debate on the security of data between cloud and on-prem is an ongoing one, the Cloud does seem to have an edge when it comes to data security and safety. Many prefer the traditional on-premise set-up when it comes to the safety of their data.

However, companies must understand that for Cloud vendors, it is in the interest of their own business that the customer data remain safe. They know this is one aspect of their service that is critical, such as in the event of a breach of data, their clients can simply switch to a more reliable Cloud services provider.

Integrations

On-premise software integration is complicated and time-consuming given the sheer number of parameters to run for accurate results. Cloud-based software comes with built-in functionality to support integrations easily and seamlessly. iPaaS, for example, is a set of automated tools for integrating software applications deployed in different environments, such as on-premises data with cloud data.

Commercient SYNC expertly integrates ERP and CRM systems, such as Sage, SYSPRO, Epicor, and many more, with Salesforce, Zoho CRM, etc. Commercient can easily support seamless integration for on-premises and cloud applications. With SYNC integration, your business will have a full view of sales and accounting, helping you streamline your processes. You’ll be able to view data through desktop, Smartphone, or any smart device-anytime, anywhere, and make informed decisions. Check out our SYNC integrations page to get started.

In addition, Commercient’s IoT Pulse brings you the benefits of integration and the cloud by connecting many popular ERP systems such as QuickBooks Desktop, SYSPRO, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, Acumatica, etc., to over 1,100 apps. These include HubSpot CRM, Magento eCommerce, Mailchimp, Gmail, WordPress, social media apps, and many others. To learn more, please visit our IoT Pulse integrations page.

Scalability

As a business grows and hires more employees, there is an increased burden on IT’s overall budget, as the department has to buy more hardware to meet increased demand with an on-premise system. Once the demand reduces, you are then forced to retain with the additional infrastructure.

This is where the cloud has a bigger advantage, and customers can continue to add users without worrying about infrastructure costs. Scalability is one of the crucial necessities in a fast-evolving IT scenario, and can attract savings or costs in the form of time and money.

Customer Satisfaction

The agility and seamlessness that comes with the Cloud are simply not possible to replicate within the traditional on-prem legacy systems. Loss of time, need for additional resources, and the ability to retain a greater number of customers are all costs to a company.

Such a cost is much higher when working with older on-premise systems. However, deploying most of your services to the Cloud can give you a competitive advantage. This will allow your team the flexibility to directly address some of the issues of customers.

If you’d like to learn more about how Commercient’s cloud integration solutions can help streamline your business, please contact us today for a demo.

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP

The Future Of Data Integration For Business Is IoT

The world we now live in is changing in a pace and manner that is unrivaled in human history. Revolutionary advances in technologies are reshaping the way we live and work all around the world. As businesses grapple with the new challenges they present, they are faced with a choice between being overtaken by technological changes, or harnessing their power to succeed and prosper through digital transformation.

IoT (the Internet of Things) is one such technology trend that is leading digital transformation and innovation in the evolving business world. It will forever change the way we connect with each other and the world around us.

What is IoT?

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of physical electronic objects such as vehicles, machines, smart devices, home appliances, and more, that are connected to the internet and to one another. This connection enables them to communicate, gather and exchange data without human intervention.

Simply put, IoT devices share data through a wired or wireless connection. In the home, devices such as the Nest thermostat, are part of the IoT world.

The growth of IoT is leading to an increasingly connected physical and digital world. Gartner predicts that in 2020, there will be 20 billion internet-connected devices.

The statistics of IoT’s growth and global expansion bear witness to its impact and its many potential benefits.

IoT in the Manufacturing Industry

IoT is gaining momentum across various industry sectors, and has already established a strong presence in the manufacturing industry.

Technology applications in the manufacturing industry are currently being used in these areas: To connect machines; enable predictive maintenance; automate and monitor processes in hazardous areas, thus ensuring the safety of employees; and much more.

These technologies hold tremendous potential to drive progress on a global scale. However, this is only the beginning, and the endless possibilities of how it can transform and modernize business operations continue to grow.

The Importance of Data Integration with IoT

In today’s digital and data-driven business environment, the ability for multiple business systems to integrate and share data with one another has become a major success factor.

When a growing business has several siloed business applications, challenges arise that can severely cripple the growth of your business. Running a company with disparate software often leads to wasted employee productivity; lack of real-time visibility; duplicate, conflicting or obsolete data; etc.

Some of the major benefits of data integration include:

  • Timely access to accurate data.
  • Real-time visibility.
  • Process automation.
  • Reduced risk of errors.
  • Improved employee productivity and efficiency.
  • Enhancements to customer service.
  • Streamlined collaboration and data sharing across departments.
  • And much more.

Unlock the Power of ERP Data with Commercient’s IoT Pulse

With Commercient’s IoT Pulse, you can connect your ERP system such as SYSPRO, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, Acumatica, etc., to over 1,100 apps. This will help to automate data migrations and frequent tasks.

IoT Pulse can also connect your ERP system to CRM systems like HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, and others as well as to 1,100 internet apps, including Magento eCommerce, Mailchimp, Gmail, WordPress, social media apps, and many others.

Integrating your data with IoT Pulse enables you to effectively use data to drive optimal business performance and keep you ahead of the game.

IoT Best Practices

IoT is gaining strength and providing new ways to make life easier and more efficient through connected technology. Invest in the future of your business as a global competitive player, and contact Commercient today to find out how we can help you prepare for the digital future.

IoT Pulse connect ERP to the Internet

Top 4 Ways To Grow Your Business With Innovative Technology

Innovative technology has become a competitive edge that wields the power to drive business success and accelerate profits exponentially. Large corporations such as Laurentide Controls and Sentury Tire, credit a large portion of their success to technology upgrades that revealed new and innovative ways of doing business. Their business success is proof that the long-term benefits of investing in technology far outweighs the cost.

Leverage The Power of Technology

1. Enable Easy Access to Data By Integrating Business Systems

Many corporations today are burdened by multiple business systems that aren’t connected, which can complicate processes and hinder operations. Using these systems, like ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, can result in siloed databases. Extracting data for reports from multiple systems becomes a time-consuming process that produces outdated, less valuable information.

The most effective way to bring together and analyze data in real-time is to integrate business systems. Integration allows a company to unlock the true value of business data, and transforms it into meaningful and valuable information which is critical in today’s data-driven world.

Commercient SYNC, the #1 data integration platform for sales, connects sales and accounting systems, enabling easy access to data by allowing a company to view all the data stored in these systems on one platform. Businesses can view ERP data directly within CRM, giving real-time visibility into the overall performance of operations.

Your data is updated in real-time in both your ERP and CRM software simultaneously, and can be accessed from any system on any device, ensuring that the right data is delivered to the right people, every time.

This data, from ERP to CRM, includes customer information, sales history, terms, serial numbers, inventory, invoicing info, etc. From CRM to ERP, new accounts, customers and invoices are SYNC’d.

Hilton Cordero, Territory Sales Manager of Sentury Tire, a leading tire manufacturer, turned to Commercient SYNC to help give visibility of vital sales data to his team, which would otherwise be stuck in Sage 100.

By integrating Sage 100 and Salesforce, Commercient SYNC provided clarity to all the vital data in Sage 100 for report building, and drastically reduced an 8 hour process to just a mere hour, saving the team hours of data entry work every day.

Cordero explained that he would only get quarterly reports until SYNC was implemented: “I can now get reports from Sage 100 up-to-the-minute, and I can look into my reports once a day now.”

Read the Sentury Tire Success Story here.

2. Adopt a Customer-Focused Approach and Use Customer Data to Increase Sales

Operating since 1968, Québec-based Laurentide Controls Ltd. is the recognized leading provider of automation, measurement, process control, and reliability solutions to industries in Eastern Canada.As part of their key strategy, Laurentide Controls implemented Salesforce to help modernize their sales system, and increase overall sales and efficiency.

“One of the reasons we decided to go with Salesforce was the ability to include [ERP] data in it, such as during an integration with our IFS system,” explained Simon Chapleau, CIO at Laurentide Controls.

That need for integration to get important customer data from IFS into Salesforce led them to Commercient SYNC, which can be deployed rapidly, is affordable, and features premiere support. Commercient SYNC helped Laurentide Controls increase revenue and provide better customer service.

Simon Chapleau, CIO at Laurentide Controls, discussed how Commercient SYNC has helped qualify Opportunities in Salesforce.

“It’s allowed us to get the data out of the silos [from IFS], and make it available to our [inside sales team in real-time]… to make a decision right away, whether that opportunity is worth pursuing, or that customer is worth pursuing,” he explained. Chapleau went on to say the company’s sales teams have been able to increase their Opportunity Win Rates, which is helping to close more deals.

Commercient SYNC also helped their outside sales team. “[Customer data] is available for them on their mobile device, in real-time,” Chapleau said. “They know what cases are open, what orders are open, what orders are being delayed for some reason or not, what service requests are open, which one is at a critical stage… [Our sales teams] are able to track what’s happening in real-time, and intervene and facilitate things.

Chapleau also commended Commercient’s premier support team: “It has been great, really helpful in aiding us in setting it up. They’re very responsive and always there to help when we needed it. [Support also helped with] understanding the data, how to SYNC it, how to make it available in Salesforce in a way that makes sense.”

Read the Laurentide Controls Customer Success Story here.

3. Optimize Business Processes

Implementing new technologies designed to improve efficiencies and optimize business processes makes a significant contribution to managing costs. Commercient SYNC helps boost employee productivity and allows them to work more efficiently.Commercient helped Sentury Tire to optimize their sales processes by integrating their sales and accounting systems. Prior to Commercient SYNC, their remote sales team didn’t have access to important data in Sage 100.

“There was no visibility to the information, which only lived in Sage 100,” said Hilton Cordero. “The sales team would have to manually search through emails, and sometimes an email might be forgotten, and [Commercient’s bi-directional SYNC] gives visibility of Sage 100 to the entire sales team.”

With Salesforce, Sage 100, and Commercient’s two-way SYNC, Sentury Tire now have efficient, streamlined processes.

4. Make Your Business Part of The Internet of Things

Commercient’s IoT Pulse enables companies to take productivity to new heights by automating your migration, via an integration of your ERP to the internet and with more than 1,100 internet apps for your ERP. Integrating data across all of your business systems with Commercient’s IoT Pulse will help promote productivity and allow the automation of daily tasks.

In Conclusion

By combining business and technology expertise, Commercient helps industry leaders by providing leading data integration technology designed to drive results and increase profits. Contact us today to find out how we can bring you closer to making your next billion.

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP

Data Integration for Sales and Operations: A Goal for 2019

We are living in a data-driven world where the only thing worse than a lack of information is unreliable or worthless information. New technologies have given businesses access to massive amounts of data, and their ability to read and analyze this data has become even more critical for success.

Forward-thinking businesses are leading the way on the journey to digital transformation by employing data integration technology. This enables them to extract hidden insights from data that would have otherwise remained undetected.

What is Data Integration and Why is it Important?

Data integration is the process of combining data from various software applications in order to provide users with a unified view of all their data.

Integration lets you do more with data. It provides you with a complete view of accurate, complete information, giving you real-time visibility into the overall performance of your business. Data integration provides invaluable insight that leads to efficient processes and more informed decision making. Your business can automate tasks, streamline processes, better trace materials, monitor quality, and so much more.

Commercient SYNC Integration Platform

In today’s fast-paced business environment, relying on data from disconnected systems to make critical business decisions is risky. By keeping data on separate systems, you won’t have the level of detail required to stay competitive. Employees will face challenges collecting and analyzing data from different business systems. Meanwhile, sales and customer service departments will eventually suffer, leading to lost potential opportunities.

Commercient SYNC, the #1 data integration platform for sales, integrates your sales and accounting systems. This will give you a 360-degree view of your overall business operations, in real-time. By integrating data from your ERP and CRM, you can prevent data silos and the potential for duplicate, conflicting, or obsolete data.

Your sales team will be able to access ERP data directly in CRM, such as customer information, sales history, bill to and ship to addresses, terms, salesperson’s name, territory, invoicing, serial numbers, inventory, and much more. New accounts, new orders and new invoices are integrated from CRM to ERP. Click this video to watch how integration works.

IoT Pulse App

With Commercient’s IoT Pulse app, you can connect your ERP to the internet and to more than 1,100 business apps, and can help with data migration. We support many integrations, including QuickBooks Desktop and HubSpot CRM. IoT Pulse also connects your ERP with productivity and marketing apps like Magento eCommerce, email, WordPress, social media, and many others.

Data Integration in the Manufacturing Industry

Cutting-edge technologies are rapidly changing the manufacturing industry, as manufacturers reinvent their business models to keep up with industry changes and emerging technologies. Many manufacturers rely on business systems, but the data tends to remain separate. This integration provides them with essential real-time data and allows them to automate their business operations, and so much more.

Commercient was able to help Hatch Lighting, a manufacturing company that provides quality lighting products, unlock the true potential behind their business data. By integrating SYSPRO and Salesforce using the Commercient SYNC app, Hatch Lighting was able to grow their customer base. Read the full story here.

Benefits of Integrating Your Sales and Operations Systems

  • Faster access to critical data from one location
  • Streamline manufacturing and distribution processes
  • Automate specific tasks
  • Improve employee productivity
  • Use data-driven insights to increase efficiencies
  • Improve inventory management
  • Reduce manual data entry tasks
  • Reduce the chances of data duplication and errors
  • Analyze customer data easily and boost customer relationships
  • Use insights gained to fuel sales and marketing efforts
  • Get better insight into customer requirements
  • Make better, faster data-driven decisions
  • Allow teams to share data easily
  • Promote effective team collaboration
  • Improved visibility into your overall business operations

In today’s fast-paced business environment, one of the most valuable assets that a business can leverage is data. Integration tools such as Commercient SYNC and IoT Pulse unlock the true potential behind data, capturing the attention of the business world, not just in 2019, but in the future.

Put your business on the fast track to growth and success with Commercient! Please contact us today to get started with integrating your business.

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP

How Understanding Customer Experience Can Help Your Business

Customer experience is defined as a business interaction between a customer and an organization. It has become an important aspect of CRM (Customer Relationship Management software), as positive experiences mean happy customers, and happy customers are loyal customers. That should be enough reason for companies to invest in bringing only the best experiences to their clients.

Focusing on customers’ needs, and then delivering on those parameters is what adds value to the experience. One of the most effective ways to achieve a more wholesome and complete customer understanding is through effective data management.

Gathering crucial data at one single location makes it extremely easy for your employees to interact with the customer. Data management and analysis are the best methods to study customer behavior, choices, and buying patterns. Here are some benefits of efficient data management.

Understanding the Customer Better

Data can reveal valuable insights into your customers and their needs. Better organized data can present some surprising trends in behavior. You can clearly understand from past data their entire history, be it previous purchases, budgets, and preferred modes and times of communications.

This information can be utilized to enhance the product and service as well as revise parameters such as price points. You can also easily predict future consumption needs and offer those even before they ask. And the reward is improved business and profitability for your business.

Engagement

It’s not just the product they buy, but the interaction that matters most to a customer. This may be the reason why some very expensive products or services still have many more happy customers, although their product may be similar to cheaper versions on the market.

In this instance, the business that wins is the one that uses data available to add value, communicate better, and thereby ensuring a terrific customer experience.

In a streamlined process, you can automate marketing and sales campaigns and keep the customers updated with services that stroke their interests. CRM platforms such as Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zoho CRM, and SugarCRM are just a few examples of excellent solutions that offer the capability for data organization and automation.

Customer Service

To expedite a timely resolution of complaints, replying to queries is the key to a successful business. By simply integrating customer data that is already available within your organization, you can create unforgettable experiences for the customer.

Organizing and integrating the data allows your customer service teams to shift focus from searching for information, to listening to customer issues and engaging with them in a positive way, be it over the phone, internet or in person (if applicable).

The resulting service that the customer receives is miles ahead of ordinary standards. This makes the customer feel connected and important, and lays the foundation for an emotional connection to your brand or service.

Decision Making

Data integration takes the tedium out of daily work processes especially those that need quick thinking and decision making. Staying connected and up-to-date with various systems brings valuable insight from that data, with speed and precision. The easily viewable data by sales and customer service teams, often in real-time, means improved knowledge allowing them to make better, more informed and quick decisions.

Data will also help come up with product and service enhancements and help tailor the product to meet individual needs, and therefore, bring down cost for the customer and increase his satisfaction level.

Therefore, utilizing the right tools to maximize customer experience is vital.
For example, Commercinet’s SYNC app integrates your ERP with your CRM, and brings real time ERP data into the CRM for sales and service staff who can then quickly manage any follow-ups or queries arising from either of the areas.

Personalization

Personalized service is what everyone wants, and data intelligence makes this possible. In service-oriented fields, companies can personalize pricing and other aspects of their product or service, by using the data and analysis of that customer.

When it comes to communication, a customer’s first point of contact with a company could be either in person, or via phone or email. With more details about every customer available with service agents, they can further personalize their interaction with the customer.

Highly successful strategies include the use of the latest technology such as mobile marketing. Who wouldn’t like that special discount sent to them for their birthday? That’s the power of personalization – it creates positive experiences and memories.

The Importance of Data Integration

Data comes from so many sources, and efficiency increases when integrated with existing customer accounting data. Seamless merging of ERP data with CRM gives you a 360-degree view of sales and operations. This is very important for companies looking to digitally transform their business.

Modern-day CRM solutions are easy to integrate with ERP software. Such a process prevents sales, marketing, and service data from getting siloed in different systems, promoting positive customer experiences.

Through Commercient SYNC, the #1 data integration platform for business, your sales and support teams can access important ERP data such as customer information, sales history, invoicing, terms, serial numbers, inventory, bill to and ship to addresses, and more, directly in the CRM. Plus, new sales, accounts, and invoices can be SYNC’d from CRM to ERP. These are known as our one-way and two-way SYNC options.

Take a look at our Commercient SYNC ERP and CRM data integrations here.

Commercient also offers the advanced IoT Pulse, which connects your ERP with a host of apps through internet integration, enabling automation, maximizing your customer engagement in minimal time.

For more information on Commercient SYNC and IoT Pulse, please contact us today.

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP

Top 4 CRM Software For Small Businesses

Growth is the primary goal of virtually every small business today. But, as a business grows, using spreadsheets to organize and keep track of customer data becomes an increasingly complex task. Small businesses finding success require a more efficient system. The most effective way to manage customer data is to use CRM software, also known as Customer Relationship Management.

What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software?

Customer Relationship Management – CRM software – is a specialized system designed to gather data pertaining to past interactions with customers and prospects in one place. CRM software can significantly improve business processes and caters to businesses of every size and budget.

Why Your Small Business Needs CRM Software

Customers are the core of every business. Without them, your business would not exist. Without an accurate view of your customers and prospects, your sales team will have difficulty following up on leads and staying on top of customers.

A CRM system provides businesses with an accurate view of all customer data. By using this data, businesses can better understand their customers needs and wants, and provide better customer service. CRM software can also help businesses manage and improve existing customer relationships, and enhance the customer experience, resulting in satisfied and loyal customers.

Basic Features of CRM Software

  • Contact Management
  • Lead Management
  • Campaign Management
  • Social Media Management
  • Email Tracking
  • Tasks and Deals
  • Reports and Dashboard
  • Mobile Application
  • Third-Party Integrations

Major Benefits of Using CRM Software For Your Small Business

  • Centralized location for all customer data.
  • Track history and status of all interactions with existing and potential customers.
  • Enhance customer relationships and retain existing customers.
  • Increase sales and marketing efforts.
  • Help your sales team close more deals which boosts revenue.
  • Segment customers so messages can be tailored to suit different groups.
  • Cross-sell products more effectively.
  • Increase productivity and improve team collaboration.
  • Make smarter data-driven decisions.

Benefits of Integrating Your ERP, CRM & Business Software

In today’s business environment, competition for customers has become increasingly fierce. Integrating your ERP system with your CRM software provides you with a holistic view of your customers, and will keep you one step ahead of your competition.

Having one system with all your customer data, sales history, inventory, terms, bill to and ship to addresses, etc., can eliminate the need for employees to manually share data. This will greatly benefit your sales and marketing efforts.

In addition, Commercient SYNC, the number one integration platform for sales, can connect your ERP data to your CRM software data, making valuable customer information from both sales and accounting systems available to the right people at the right time, all through a single interface. And from your CRM software, new orders, customers and invoices can be SYNC’d to your ERP. This will give you a 360-degree view of sales.

Top 4 CRM Software For Small Businesses in 2019

There are hundreds of CRM solutions out there, but not all are designed with the small business in mind. The best CRM software for your small business is one that has the capabilities and features that meet your specific business needs.

To help you make an informed decision, we’ve put together a list of the top 4 CRM software for small businesses in 2019.

  1. Salesforce Essentials
    A CRM is better than spreasheets. This out-of-the-box CRM software was designed to match the needs, budget, and resources of a small business. Salesforce Essentials comes with a setup assistant and in-app tutorials to help you navigate around the software with ease. With the help of Salesforce Einstein (built-in artificial intelligence), your teams will work smarter and be more productive. Salesforce Essentials is highly scalable, so you won’t have to transfer your data to another platform when your business grows. Salesforce Essentials is priced at $25/user/month.
  2. HubSpot CRM
    HubSpot CRM is an easy-to-use, cloud-hosted CRM software that is ideal for small businesses. With its customizable interface and mobile application, this software comes with all the basic features of a CRM. This solution is highly flexible and configurable, imposing no restrictions on the number of users or contacts you can have. HubSpot CRM caters to businesses operating in any industry, and best of all, it is absolutely free.
  3. Freshsales CRM
    This CRM software provides small businesses with the essential tools to help streamline key aspects of the sales process. This flexible and affordable software has all the essential features of a CRM, including an easy-to-navigate interface and superior analytics and reporting. Freshsales CRM is free to use for small teams, and allows you to migrate to a paid plan ranging from $12/user/month to $79/user/month, as your business grows.
  4. Pipedrive CRM
    Pipedrive CRM is a customizable software designed to help you gain control of your sales activities. This CRM software is easy to use and flexible across industries. It gives you a complete view of your sales pipeline and enables you to manage and track your deals. This solution makes it easy to plan events and schedule meetings allowing you to plan ahead and focus on what matters. Pipedrive CRM pricing ranges from $12/user/month to $59/user/month.

Keeping track of your customer data doesn’t have to be tedious and frustrating. CRM software can help you grow your small business, and set the stage for long-term success.

If you’d like to know more about how Commercient SYNC and IoT Pulse can help your small business with ERP and CRM, and ERP and business software integration, please contact us today.

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP

Top ERP Software Systems For Small Businesses

Enterprise Resource Planning, or ERP software, offers functionality that manages production, orders and inventory for businesses of all sizes, including small businesses. The system integrates data through various channels such as manufacturing, supply chain, accounts and more, and stores it in a single centralized location.

These fully integrated solutions come with the option of installations on premise, SaaS, or in the cloud. There is no need to maintain exhaustive excel sheets and multiple records due to automation and integration across various departments.

Whether you are a small or enterprise-level business, there are ERP solutions designed to meet your needs. ERP’s have transformed from the more complex, difficult-to-use, and expensive software to modern-day, reliable and user-friendly options. These are efficient and eliminate the need for consultants or complex coding to seamlessly merge with your existing processes without significant changes.

For smaller businesses, cloud-based ERP models are providing multiple options at favorable price points. We discuss some of the promising ERP systems available to companies to meet their daily operational needs, and the importance of data integration via Commercient SYNC and IoT Pulse between CRM and other apps.

Sage 50 and Sage 100

Sage 50 (formerly called Peachtree accounting) and Sage 100 (formerly Sage MAS 90 and 200) are both accounting software designed for the American market. Sage 50 is meant for a smaller user base, while Sage 100 provides answers to the more complex process of larger companies by managing every aspect of business finance. Sage 100 can be customized and integrated with a host of applications to give it a winning edge over traditional systems.

Sage 50 offers greater scalability than similar accounting systems, functionality and value for the money. Sage 50 brings the benefits of both cloud and desktop accounting system in one cohesive system and can also be integrated with other solutions for improved functionality. There is also the popular Sage 50 UK.

Customer Success Story

RC Imaging leverages Sage 50 US and Salesforce for their business, which is in the medical manufacturing industry. They recently switched to Commercient SYNC to integrate their sales and accounting systems, helping give them a 360-degree view of sales. With a two-way SYNC, new accounts and orders created in Salesforce are integrated back to Sage 50. This eliminates duplication and entry errors, such as wrong addresses inputted. Read more here.

QuickBooks

QuickBooks is one of the world’s leading software for accounting. It brings the advantage of smart accounting software to small- and medium-sized businesses with both on-premise and cloud solutions. You can manage sales and expenses of all daily accounting transactions as well as generate accurate reports with a simple to use interface.

Microsoft Dynamics GP

Another offering from Microsoft is Dynamics GP, an ERP solution catering to small- and medium-sized businesses. Designed to give you control over your accounting, inventory, and general business operations, Microsoft Dynamics GP can be configured and designed to meet the specific needs of a growing company. Backed by the reliability of Microsoft, it delivers on every aspect of the best ERP systems, and brings great insights into ERP data, propelling you towards business growth.

NetSuite

NetSuite runs all of your key financial business processes in the cloud to enable companies to operate seamlessly. NetSuite ERP software combined with Commercient’s expertise as a leading Integration solution provider ups the value quotient of this ERP for our customers. It is robust, highly scalable, well integrated and offers a right fit for all, be it a smaller domestic set-up or a medium size enterprise, across a host of industries.

SYSPRO

SYSPRO ERP Software is a manufacturing ERP solution, perfectly aligned to meet the financial needs of those involved in manufacturing and distribution. It provides a competitive advantage by automating tasks and eliminating time-consuming spreadsheets, reducing errors, removing duplication and speeding-up exhausting manual tasks. An excellent investment, SYSPRO can be deployed in the cloud, on-premise, and accessed through mobile and smart devices.

Acumatica

Acumatica is a fast growing, cloud- and browser-based ERP software to hit the market and offers many features and advantages over other ERPs making it the go-to solution for small to medium-sized business. Its greatest benefit is that it comes bundled as one connected system together with CRM, BI, sales, inventory, purchasing, e-commerce, etc. with a single user interface. Extremely competitive on pricing, it improves user productivity through easy and quick functionality.

Epicor

Epicor is a fully-integrated solution designed to help small and medium organizations take advantage of modern-day opportunities and delivers on choice, flexibility and agility to drive growth. The ERP finds applications across a host of industries making it versatile and powerful. It comes with built-in analytics which can intelligently be used to streamline the business process. Epicor ERP is designed around a service-oriented architecture and is modular in structure.

The Importance of Data Integration

Information within your ERP and CRM is siloed, and to enhance the efficiency of data across these systems, you leverage Commercient SYNC, the #1 data integration platform for sales. Your sales team will be able to access important ERP data directly in the CRM, such as customer information, sales history, invoicing, terms, serial numbers, inventory, and much more. New sales, accounts and invoices are SYNC’d from CRM to ERP.

Yet another product from Commercient’s offerings is IoT Pulse which connects your ERP to over 1,100 apps to bring you all the advantages that internet integration offers. Apps include HubSpot, email, marketing systems, eCommerce, etc. This will set your data free, and automate certain business processes.

If you’d like to learn more about Commercient SYNC and IoT Pulse, please contact us today. For more information about ERP software systems, please contact our partner, Edgeware.

About the Author

Raj Adhi is a professional writer, editor and blogger. She has completed her Graduation in Chemistry and Masters in Journalism from University of Mumbai.

 

SYNC Demo integrate CRM ERP