B2B Manufacturing Insights | Q1 2024

Building B2B Manufacturing's Future: Redefining Customer Experience 

In today's competitive B2B manufacturing landscape, customer experience (CX) is no longer a bonus – it's a necessity for survival and growth. While the industry has traditionally focused on product quality and efficiency, neglecting CX can leave you lagging behind competitors who prioritize building strong, lasting relationships with their customers. 

The Changing Landscape of B2B Manufacturing CX: 

• Customer expectations are evolving: B2B buyers now expect the same level of personalized, seamless experiences they receive as consumers. They want transparent communication, real-time updates, and a hassle-free buying journey. 
• Data is the new gold: Leveraging customer data to understand their needs, predict their behavior, and personalize their interactions is key to building trust and exceeding expectations. 
• Technology is the enabler: Creating a shared source of configuration truth ensures every function that touches the product – from engineering and sales to manufacturing and service – is aligned and error-free. 

For manufacturers of complex products, the customer experience (CX) starts at the product configurator. Ensuring a great product configuration experience each and every time requires more than a great UI design and more than a focus on the Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) solution. It requires a focus on solid configuration management that ensures consistency, reliability and speed. 

How to Reimagine B2B Manufacturing CX: 

• Focus on the entire customer journey, not just the transaction: Map out every touchpoint from initial inquiry to post-purchase support and identify opportunities to create positive interactions. 
• Invest in customer-centric technologies: Implement solutions that provide real-time visibility, enable self-service, and personalize interactions. 
• Empower your employees to be CX champions: Train your team on the importance of CX and equip them with the tools and resources they need to deliver exceptional service at every level. 

By implementing these strategies, B2B manufacturers can: 

• Increase customer satisfaction and loyalty: Happy customers become repeat customers and brand advocates, driving long-term growth. 
• Improve efficiency and reduce costs: Streamlined processes and fewer customer issues lead to operational improvements and cost savings. 
• Gain a competitive edge: In a crowded market, a superior CX can differentiate your company and attract new customers. 

In this issue of Configit’s B2B Manufacturing Insights Quarterly Newsletter, you can learn more about how B2B manufacturers can reimagine the customer experience by aligning their organization around a single, shared source of configuration truth. 

In addition, we have also gathered the latest news for B2B manufacturers, including webinars, tech talks, and articles that deliver actionable insights to build a strong, resilient business. 

💡 Analyst Insights

IDC | How Can Manufacturers Transform the Customer Experience with B2B Digital Commerce 

In recent years, B2B digital commerce has seen significant growth in the manufacturing sector. Manufacturers are increasingly turning to digital channels for both purchasing and sales, driven by several factors.  According to IDC’s 2023 Global Manufacturing Survey, 47% of manufacturers globally consider B2B digital commerce as a strategic initiative to drive customer experience. 

Read more about how manufacturers can overcome barriers and tap into previously untapped potential by embracing digital commerce. 

Accenture | Seizing Opportunity from Complexity 

The global B2B digital commerce market is booming at 18.30% CAGR. But with opportunity comes complexity. 

The rapid and ongoing changes across customers, markets, channels and business models—and within enterprises themselves— have a multiplier effect on the complexity of commerce operations. Companies that struggle to manage it face another challenge: higher costs.  

Accenture Song's research explores a life-centric approach to growth that can reinvent commerce for relevance without sacrificing profitability.

📺 Webinars and Tech Talks

Our library of on-demand Webinars and TechTalks covers a range of topics designed to help manufacturers respond swiftly to dynamic market requirements by mastering product complexity across the enterprise.

• Watch this Tech Talk to learn how “out of the box” functionalities in a modern configuration engine powered by Virtual Tabulation® technology can improve your customers' user experience. [Watch here]
• Hear how Arbonia, a global building supplier, developed a headless configuration platform for configuration, pricing and quotation in a web-based application. [Watch here]

📖 Latest Blog Posts

• Be sure your systems are optimized for future growth while keeping the most important person in mind: your customer. This blog by Configit Chief Strategy Officer Henrik Reif Andersen explores why it is critical to maintain a positive customer experience throughout the lifecycle of the product.  [Read here]
• How do manufacturers keep up with both servicing sold products in the field as well as optimizing upgrades for greater revenue and customer satisfaction? Hear from Configit Vice President of Product Management Henrik Hulgaard how manufacturers can not only keep track of all installed configurations but leverage this data across the enterprise. [Read here]

View more on-demand content by visiting the Webinar and Tech Talk sections of our website.

🗞️ In the News

• Read how CLM enables better digital employee and customer experiences in this Solutions Review article by Configit Chief Strategy Henrik Reif Andersen. [Read the article]
• Henrik Reif Andersen and Henrik Hulgaard share their predictions on B2B manufacturing technology for 2024 and beyond in this Solutions Review magazine article. [Read the article]

🔦 Customer Spotlight

NORD Drivesystems | Harmonizing Sales Processes for Exceptional Customer Experience

"The results of implementing this configuration process include; improved quoting efficiency, increased online sales, and reduction of manual tasks for our internal sales organization, while fulfilling our vision of providing a best-in-class user experience for our customers."

Jens Paulsen, Managing Director, NORD Drivesystems Group

Read the full NORD Drivesystems story here or watch the video below:

Vestas | Meeting Market and Customer Demands with a Collaborative Configuration Platform

The key benefits to us were efficiency, and based on the Configit solution were able to make a sales configuration in just 5 minutes, instead of 60."

Henry Farrell, Head of Digital Commercial - Digital Solutions Organization, Vestas

Read the full Vestas story here or watch the video below:

🗓️ 2024 CLM Summit May 15 + 16

The Configit Configuration Lifecycle Management (CLM) Summit is the premier event for CLM practitioners from around the globe.

Held this year on May 15 and 16, the Summit brings together manufacturing experts, innovators, and leaders to share experiences, success stories, and insights on how to transform the end-to-end configuration management process into a competitive advantage.

As the first of its kind global conference for CLM practitioners, the Summit provides attendees with a unique opportunity to learn from and network with the leading minds in the field. 

Visit the CLM Summit page to explore past events as well as keep up to date on future Summit announcements including agenda, speakers and registration information. [Learn more]

⚙️ Product Update

The latest update to Configit Ace® includes structured BOM generation and customer-driven enhancements for flexible localization, efficient system integration and cost-effective cloud hosting.

Learn more about the newest features of Configit Ace® here.