INDUSTRY WATCH
CRM SOFTWARE
REPRESENTS A NEW WAY
FOR THE CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY TO MANAGE
ENGAGEMENTS WITH
CUSTOMERS AND
SUPPLIERS.
C
onstruction is a complicated
business – for companies to be
successful, they must engage with
a variety of stakeholders that includes
building owners, government agents,
engineers, architects, subcontractors,
suppliers and residents.
The digital revolution has made it
possible for the communications, and
processes these engagements entail, to
be streamlined as never before. And yet,
‘digital’ has never been a defining aspect
of the construction industry and the case
for digital transformation is still perceived
to be a challenge to the status quo.
revolution and begin to lay the foundation
for long term digital success. For many, the
right Customer Relationship Management
(CRM) solution will serve as this platform
as it affords a host of benefits that
includes streamlining of processes by
providing crucial information right when it
is needed.
Consider the volume of information a
typical company has on its hundreds
of clients and suppliers which is often
disorganised. An intuitive CRM system
can organise this data and make it
easily retrievable, thereby increasing the
efficiency of customer service and the
quality of supplier relationships.
Lost potential
The construction sector is built on
relationships, but unlike other verticals
such as banking, hospitality and
manufacturing wherein this also holds
true, the segment has done little in
the way of utilising technology to
manage these relationships. Most
often, awkwardly integrated systems
are deployed which capture data from
the many people who interact with the
company and stored it in disparate silos.
Therefore, instead of creating a unified
view of information across the business,
organisations are left with unstructured
data that holds little value beyond
its primary function, representing a
tremendous lost opportunity.
Back to the blueprints
Construction companies must shed
their reluctance to adapt to the digital
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This near-instant availability of relevant
and up-to-date data can also provide
accounting, marketing and business
development teams with all the
information they need to execute their
operations in the most convenient and
effective manner.
Going a step further, most leading CRM
systems such as the Salesforce platform
feature modules designed and customised
for the construction sector that specifically
address key challenges. For example,
inbuilt contract templates and document
controls that can be leveraged to optimise
the p roposal process.
Selecting the right solution
With no shortage of CRM vendors in the
market, picking the right provider can
be a daunting challenge. Convincing
arguments can likely be made for most of
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