Industry-specific software has been gaining popularity in recent years. Why is that?
While the ubiquity of widely adopted software from big companies means that it can be implemented across many industries and fit into wide standards, it also means that custom work may have to be done to make it fit the mold of your business. Smaller businesses don’t always have the resources to manage this level of customization, as it often takes a full-time resource.
As an industry-specific software provider, we at SalesChain have done a lot of thinking about what makes sticking with just one vertical so valuable. Over and over, we’ve concluded that it is the nuances that come with the industry that make our product great.
So, what exactly makes a copier-centric CRM so unique?
A Big Emphasis on Leasing
Twenty years ago, SalesChain was founded as a lease portfolio management business. That emphasis is reflected in every tool we have made since then. Our lease portfolio management utility is integrated into our entire platform, giving users quick access to data required to efficiently service accounts.
This is especially important in capital equipment sales due to the cyclical nature of lease renewals or upgrades. Since roughly 90% of deals made in capital equipment sales involve a large enough contract to require financing, sales representatives have a unique opportunity to manage repeat business, just by keeping track of the recurring revenue possible from lease renewals and used equipment resales.
This competitive advantage is part of what SalesChain is designed to manage, by storing important metrics and creating automatic workflows to help sales representatives keep track of the sales cycles for their clients. To use an old cliché: it’s always easier to keep a repeat customer than to go and find new business.
Intentional Workflow Automation for Fulfillment Processes
Workflow can mean many things for different industries. It’s important that the workflow tool your business implements aligns with the goals that you have and meets or exceeds your business’ needs.
SalesChain has developed a software platform uniquely aligned with the office technology industry. We are familiar with the industry, including the latest technological innovations and expansions into related products.
Your business needs a workflow that automates all the steps in the sales cycle, including fulfillment, in an intuitive and easy-to-learn format. We work directly with our client companies to clearly define their specific needs. The result is an automated workflow system within the SalesChain platform that supports all aspects of your business sales cycle: from prospecting for leads and new opportunities to pricing, documenting, and delivery of products and services. SalesChain allows you to define customized workflows that best represent the working steps needed to fulfill each type of product or service that your business offers.
SalesChain’s delivery workflow automation system is not only a comprehensive set of tools to organize and automate your sales cycle. It also had embedded tools to measure the efficiency of your fulfillment processes. Advanced business intelligence tools provide easy-to-read metrics for sales and management to evaluate effectiveness and promote growth.
The SalesChain platform also has tools to integrate with other core systems like leasing companies, e-Automate, or ConnectWise Manage. Throughout the sales cycle, each step of assignment and completion is time-stamped so that the timeliness of your process may also be evaluated. Your whole team will be better informed and able to perform tasks more efficiently.
One System for Dealers in Imaging and IT.
Watch this brief video to learn a bit about where our offering is headed in 2022!
Relevant Integrations to Industry Standard Software
Integrations to industry standard platforms are essential in modern software, more so now than ever before. With the overall goal of complete digital transformation becoming more prevalent, some companies prioritize having the largest number of integrations while failing to have the very precise integrations that a specific industry might need.
Pre-packaged software products are built to communicate well with “outside” software to fill the gaps in their own functionality, however, these are still ultimately disconnected products. Your company needs integrations that interface with the day-to-day functions of your organization and address your user base.
The SalesChain platform is built with your industry in mind, including integrations to common marketing and ERP tools. For example, SalesChain’s integration to ECI e-Automate allows sales representatives to create sales orders in e-Auto with the push of a button rather than requiring that a staff member allocate time to manual data entry.
Focused Support
Any software tool, including industry-targeted products, is only of value if it can be used consistently and effectively by your employees. Purchasing software should not be the end of the relationship between your business and the vendor. Ongoing support services for training, troubleshooting, implementation, and improvements should be readily available and approachable.
You need an industry-specific product that comes with a focused support staff. When your organization partners with an industry-specific software solution, such as SalesChain, you’re presented with a set of tools that are specific to the functions of your business, as well as support personnel who are trained and operate in the same industry that the software serves. This naturally engenders a much higher level of competency and service.
SalesChain prides itself on its service. Our help desk staff is trained on our system, from its most basic functions to its most advanced utilities. They can help employees at our client companies with any issues they are facing. Our professional help desk staff is US-based, English-speaking, and trained in the intricacies of the office technology industry.