Unlock Greater Value from Your Epicor ERP System
Any distributor is likely to tell you they can do a lot with their existing ERP system. It serves as a go-to hub that houses so many vital processes, from sales to inventory, finance, and more. It collects important data and makes it accessible in one place so their teams can view and reference it as needed.
Another thing most distributors are likely to tell you is that their industry is inherently complex. The critical business information they need to access regularly can become clouded or even obscured in their ERP system. This is because an ERP is great at collecting data, but it doesn’t necessarily offer this data in a way that is useful for certain intricate or specific tasks.
Unlocking New Potential for Distribution Companies That Use Epicor
Take automation and fluid power distributor Clayton Controls, for example. The company supports a range of complex projects — one opportunity and its associated quotes could involve products from many different vendors, from robotics to conveyor and hydraulics providers.
Because of this, they require a way to configure their existing ERP systems to make their insights actionable, integrate with their customer relationship management tools, and get clear, understandable views into the insights that matter. Filtering data by vendor and product, for example, was a need they wanted to fulfill to help their manufacturers plan.
“Back in the day, as long as you had the sales numbers, you were great, now I need to have a lot more leading indicators to show the vendor,” said John Allard, owner of Clayton Controls.
This is where investing in the right CRM and BI solution that worked with their existing distribution model was essential. When distributors reach the point of realization that they need to do more with their data, it’s time to start considering new solutions that will work with their existing ERP and allow them to do more with their business information.
Clayton Controls is one of many distributors using Epicor ERP Prophet 21 to house essential distribution business information, from warehouse logistics to tracking supply and demand.
Epicor P21 ERP software is designed for the distribution industry and has the power to process and store large amounts of data, like vendor purchases and customer orders. But where it falls short is in the analysis of behaviors and trends that can truly elevate distribution businesses.
Insights like customer buying activity, vendor performance metrics, or sales trends require purpose-built tools that turn raw data into a springboard for action. To unlock the full potential of Epicor ERP software, integrating with distribution-specific tools like CRM, BI, pricing software, and eCommerce platforms is essential. This integration takes the important information housed in your ERP and turns it into clear insights anyone on your team can act on.
Customer Insights Amplified
With CRM integration, Epicor P21 ERP users can gain access to a treasure trove of customer data. From purchasing history to open orders, the ability to glean specific insights for every customer is invaluable. This level of granularity empowers sales teams to tailor their approach, anticipate customer needs, and foster stronger relationships.
It’s important to note that an ERP and CRM are not interchangeable but should be used together to maximize customer data for better business decisions and revenue growth. A basic CRM will serve as a usable database for customer information, but distributors who reach the point of needing to do more with their ERP may find that traditional CRMs are too simplistic or not built for the complexity of their industry.
Many CRM systems don’t communicate with a distributor’s existing ERP, for example, which can create duplications and extra work for teams that need to access multiple platforms for different needs. This can cause chaos and clutter, which is the antithesis of gaining clear insights you can take action on.
A CRM built for distributors and powered by BI will store current and potential customer information and automate processes connected to a customer’s journey. It works to improve visibility into important customer data across the entire organization.
By integrating Epicor P21 with White Cup’s CRM software, which is built specifically for distributors, businesses can streamline communication, manage quotes and orders, create marketing campaigns, and enable automation features. (For instance, setting reminders for sales reps to follow up on customers with open orders ensures no opportunity falls through the cracks.)
Business Intelligence Dashboards
Epicor P21 users can visualize critical business insights at a glance and make their data analysis actionable for better customer interactions with a CRM that includes built-in business intelligence. BI dashboards provide real-time analytics, KPI tracking, and trend analysis, enabling informed decision-making and proactive strategy adjustments.
Like an ERP, BI offers a holistic view of your business operations. However, its power lies in turning complex sets of data into clear and intuitive visuals and reports that enable everyone from company leaders to individual sales reps to spot what they need and take action quickly. Distributors can make smarter decisions with easy access to data and the ability to quickly drill down to validate as needed.
BI’s role is to identify trends within your business, and then tell you how to fix, improve, or eliminate inefficiencies. Every team member can create their own comprehensive reports independently for all of the customer and product information they need.
ERP systems help companies consolidate siloed data, while BI tools interpret large datasets to encourage real-world action. White Cup BI, which integrates with Epicor P21, includes a library of pre-built reports and dashboards that help distributors, specifically, manage bookings, inventory, and sales.
An integrated ERP, CRM, and BI tech stack joins together the benefits of each of these powerful tools to quickly distill data and, ultimately, uncover more sales opportunities faster.
Unlocking New Opportunities via eCommerce
While Epicor P21 may be able to integrate with distributors’ existing eCommerce platforms via add-ons, the beauty of a unified system is housing all the actionable data you need in a centralized location that is easy to access. Tapping into the potential that eCommerce provides helps to close the gap between online buying history and offline sales.
Business intelligence from your ERP and CRM can drive revenue by elevating websites from digital catalogs to untapped opportunities for driving more sales. Built-in eCommerce integration functionality within your CRM and BI system will help your team have better sales conversations by gaining a clear view into the way your customers browse and buy.
White Cup offers eCommerce integration built into its distribution-specific CRM and BI, creating a unified approach for more efficient operations and less time spent on manual tasks. The way it works is enabling reps to follow up with customers who make an online purchase or leave the distributors without checking out with insights into their purchasing behavior.
Optimized Pricing Strategies
Pricing optimization is another complex but essential piece of the distribution puzzle. Pricing analysis and customer and product segmentation are inherently time-consuming, but with pricing software that integrates with the ERP system, Epicor P21, distributors can streamline and speed up their pricing-related activities.
With pricing tools that leverage data-driven insights, distributors can set action plans by analyzing how customer segment buying data and product groups intersect. This analysis enables cross-selling and, ultimately, more business and profits through competitive price setting.
The Power of White Cup + Epicor ERP integration
The key here is to choose a single platform that wades through the complexities of distribution data and includes a CRM, BI, eCommerce platform integration, and pricing optimization that all work together with your ERP. It isn’t about getting rid of one software and replacing it with several others; it’s about leveraging what your existing tool does best and maximizing its power and potential with a single platform designed to help distributors win more business.
Distributors using Epicor P21 ERP can act on their best opportunities faster with crystal-clear insights. White Cup is purpose-built for distributors to uncover more sales opportunities, improve customer communications, and spot customer performance trends. Get a demo today.