JourneyTEAM Helps Equipment Manufacturers Improve Productivity, Profitability, and Customer Loyalty

Discover the power of managing equipment manufacturing, installation, and customer service on a unified platform implemented by JourneyTEAM, a Microsoft Gold Partner.

Technology has completely disrupted the business world. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the equipment manufacturing industry. Automation, robotics, 3D printing technology, and other technologies have enabled manufacturers worldwide to increase output, cut costs, and improve customer experience.

Despite major advances, many manufacturers struggle to utilize technology in a way that improves productivity and the bottom line. Many simply add another piece of technology to their stack with the hopes it will improve operations and efficiency. Unfortunately, it’s the opposite that actually occurs. Systems, applications, and processes become more disparate, resulting in a significant decrease in productivity and numerous lost opportunities.

For manufacturers looking to break out of a productivity rut, it’s crucial to turn to the experts at JourneyTEAM. We’ve helped dozens of manufacturers across the country unite disparate systems, automate processes, and reduce costs—all by centralizing technology onto a single platform.

Here are three ways JourneyTEAM helped manufacturers bolster productivity which led to an increase in revenue and customer loyalty simply by implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Manage Mixed-Mode Operations and Accounting from a Unified Platform

Most manufacturers rely on a plethora of systems to complete projects. Unfortunately, most of these technologies are disparate and unable to communicate with outside systems. This leaves valuable data stuck inside silos, preventing users from getting the insights needed to drive growth. Additionally, business leaders lack visibility of the supply chain, preventing them from finding new opportunities to increase productivity, forecast future needs, and optimize work order efficiency.

JourneyTEAM helps manufacturers overcome these obstacles by uniting all systems, processes, and tools onto Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. The powerful, flexible platform centralizes all business data, providing a single source of truth for users. Business leaders gain end-to-end visibility into inventory and labor costs via the connected platform, enabling them to drive productivity throughout the production, installation, service, and customer lifecycle. Plus, by unifying technology, equipment manufacturers enjoy simpler software upgrades, lower costs, and tighter security—even with limited IT resources.

The comprehensive visibility provided by the platform also enables users to effectively forecast future demands. Advanced planning and forecasting tools enable users to reduce the risk of over-or under-stocking inventory items, plan for materials and associated labor, and achieve optimum work order efficiency by accurately predicting resource capacity. Business Central ensures users are able to do this and more with complete accuracy.

Finally, by unifying and modernizing technology with the support of JourneyTEAM, data that was previously hidden in large datasets or trapped inside siloes are released, enabling users to gather, organize, report, and act on data. This enables users to make data-driven decisions across the supply chain and business operations and helps businesses become more resilient and agile.

Maximize Resources and Inventory with Intelligent Planning Tools

The manufacturing industry is growing rapidly despite the many challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, one survey conducted by the Institute for Supply Management expects manufacturing revenue to increase by 6.5% in 2022. Many equipment manufacturers are already feeling the effects of this rapid growth as they attempt to maximize resources, maintain productivity, meet current demands, and plan for future needs.

JourneyTEAM takes the guesswork out of resource planning by implementing the intelligent planning tools within Dynamics 365 Business Central. Tools like resource analysis, resource management, capacity management, budgeting, cost and work breakdown, and job lifecycle management enable executives to easily manage, allocate, and control available resources.

Dynamics 365 Business Central supports intelligent resource planning by:

• Providing end-to-end visibility: Leaders are able to maintain a healthy cash flow and manage and accelerate growth with the end-to-end visibility provided by Business Central. This helps to increase profitability by providing executives with strategic insights into the lifecycle of customer-owned assets and costs.
• Eliminating bottlenecks: Users can share and collaborate on resources and inventory directly from Business Central, allowing teams to eliminate labor redundancies and anticipate bottlenecks before they occur.
• Increasing supply chain resiliency: Thanks to Business Central’s flexibility, the solution is able to span across locations and modes, enabling executives to build a smarter, more resilient supply chain.
• Providing real-time data insights: With business data centralized on a single platform and available in real-time, users are able to use data to better understand resource utilization and impact across the organization. This helps users to make more profitable business decisions that are based on accurate data and up-to-date performance metrics.

Anticipate Customer Needs to Build Long-Term Relationships

Thanks to major online retailers like Amazon, the customer experience has been completely transformed. In the past, companies simply had to offer a great product at a great price in order to stay ahead of the competition. Now, today’s customers are all about the experience. They expect companies to provide them with a seamless experience that spans the entire customer lifecycle. If not, companies risk losing buyers to competitors and becoming obsolete. To avoid this, it’s critical for online retailers and equipment manufacturers to accurately predict current and future customer needs.

JourneyTEAM helps manufacturers to accurately forecast current and future needs with the help of Dynamics 365 Customer Service and Field Service.

Customer Service features multiple interactive dashboards and data visualizations that provide users with instant access to customer behavior and trends. This helps to identify potential sales opportunities at an early stage, enabling teams to plan accordingly. Additionally, with access to customer trends, users can see which products customers have purchased and proactively offer similar products or services before the customer asks. This creates a more seamless experience that increases customer retention and loyalty.

Using Field Service, executives can empower field technicians with valuable customer information available anytime, anywhere, and from any device. This ensures workers have all the information needed to answer questions or resolve problems more quickly which boosts overall customer satisfaction. Additionally, Field Service allows users to track the lifetime value of every customer—from sale through installation through maintenance.

With a clear picture of customer lifetime value, businesses are able to deliver a personalized experience that builds a stronger relationship with customers. Additionally, with a better understanding of future needs, organizations can accelerate production, cut costs, and drive efficiency across the entire supply chain, allowing them to outpace the competition.

The Team Equipment Manufacturers Trust for Solutions, Service, and Support

JourneyTEAM is an experienced technological partner that understands the unique needs of manufacturers. With our extensive experience and deep knowledge of Microsoft products, we’ve supported hundreds of equipment manufacturers of all sizes to implement Microsoft solutions customized to their specific needs. Each of our customers has achieved a faster time to value while minimizing disruption, which has resulted in significant business growth and improved performance.

In addition to personalized services and 24/7 support, JourneyTEAM specializes in designing tailored, robust solutions specifically for manufacturers. These include:

• Dynamics 365 Business Central
• Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management
• Field Service
• Customer Service
• Power Platform Applications
• Project Operations and Management

Ready to get started with JourneyTEAM? Schedule a call with one of our experts today.