The manufacturing industry is a competitive one. Suppose your company is at the point of either implementing a new ERP or upgrading to the latest version of an existing one. In that case, you must find a solution supporting smart manufacturing. An ERP chat bot is one of the critical features of smart manufacturing, and AI (artificial intelligence) is improving these digital bots to make them more effective for sales and customer service roles. 

How AI Improves Sales and Customer Service Performance

There are several ways AI is improving sales and customer performance.

1. AI monitors customer behavior trends.

AI is the better option for monitoring customer behaviors and reporting on any changes. The company needs to resolve the issue if a customer starts placing orders for fewer products. The company must be prepared to meet the increased demand when customers ramp up their orders. 

Artificial intelligence can track customer behavior trends and report this information directly to the company. AI transforms an ERP from a record-keeping system to one that provides proactive engagement with the management team.

2. It gives the sales team ideas for customer cross-selling and up-selling.

Artificial intelligence's collaborative filtering helps the sales team achieve its goals by scrutinizing prior transactions. It can accomplish this task faster than a human can determine which additional products and services interest customers. Sales representatives can make custom presentations to their customers and increase the likelihood of making a sale.

3. Changes in the ERP are communicated to sales and customer service teams directly.

Suppose any new information in the ERP database affects customers, such as an address change, a sales order, or a credit limit increase from the company's financing department. In that case, the sales and customer service team will see it in their feeds. Access to updated information can only improve customer sales and customer service experiences. 

4. Digital self-service agents provide essential information to teams.

Sales representatives and customer service agents save time and effort by turning basic information retrieval over to digital self-service agents. This business automation frees team members from having to look up pricing and other essential information, check on orders, and manage stock levels. AI bots can respond to questions about these matters more quickly and efficiently than human team members and predict trends. 

5. ERP chat bots talk to customers about basic or repetitive tasks.

ERP chat bots can greet customers on live chat to ask why they are contacting the company. If the customer has a simple question, ERP chat bots can often answer the query without a human intervening. The chat bots are available to answer queries from customers and suppliers on a 24/7 basis anywhere within the company's supply chain. 

The chat bot is also a compelling "screener" so that only the issues that require a human company representative get sent to a live person to handle. Employees can spend their time on more valuable tasks for the company. In contrast, ERP chat bots can often answer customers' questions before a small issue snowballs into a bigger problem. For more information, check out SYSPRO's Complete How-to Guide to your Digital Transformation with ERP.

PositiveVision is the Right Partner for ERP Implementation

PositiveVision (PVI) has been serving the needs of manufacturing and distribution customers in Chicago for over three decades. PVI's experts will gladly guide you through your ERP decision-making, including answering your questions about ERP chat bots, to help you make an informed choice. Contact us today to speak to one of our product experts about a custom solution for your business.

Robert Baran

Robert Baran is the founder and President of PositiveVision. He has worked in a variety of positions including system analyst, computer consultant and programmer, project manager, and division manager.