Improving efficiencies has been the driving force in the manufacturing sector for many years. Up until recently, 80% of a manufacturer’s focus has been on running a more efficient facility, which includes a shift to industry 4.0 and becoming a “smart shop” – using technology to support lean manufacturing and other operational processes.

But what about the other 20% of the business – the so-called “back-office”? Made up of customer service, sales, marketing, service and maintenance departments, the back-office is commonly ignored when internal discussions surrounding process improvements are held.

A common challenge faced by back-office departments is the management of the overwhelming volume of documents and customer correspondence. Most manufacturers are manually generating quotes, proposals, legal documents, service orders, and marketing material that take hours away from staff who could otherwise be focused on profit generating activities. On top of that, outdated systems put in place in the 90’s are also holding businesses back.

So how can manufactures solve their document challenges and continue to improve efficiencies and drive customer engagement? By investing in a document automation and customer communications management (CCM) platform, like Experlogix Document Automation. A good platform not only enables you to easily and efficiently design, manage and deliver highly personalized, data-driven and engaging documents such as flyers, NDAs, proposals, quotes, contracts but can also streamline document workflows, accelerate document approval processes, improve inter-department collaboration and maintain brand consistency.

If you want to start moving towards a more digital world, start with your back-office documents. A solution like Experlogix Document Automation will be a seamless transition and will allow you generate more revenue for future i4.0 projects. The longer businesses wait to evolve and digitalize their operations the more painful and costly it will be when the move is made. Think about moving data from a floppy disc to the cloud. Yikes!

To learn more about how manufacturers can improve their document and customer communication processes, follow us on social media.