According to a survey by NSK Inc., 82 percent of companies surveyed saved money by moving various parts of their business to the cloud. Interestingly, however, according to another survey by a renowned analyst firm, only 3 percent of manufacturers have a cloud-based Manufacturing Execution System installed. Clearly, we have a world where cloud adoption is not ubiquitous!
Meanwhile, 14 percent of those that have embraced cloud-based IT systems later downsized their IT needs after cloud adoption, representing an opportunity for cost savings. Although cloud computing can positively impact your bottom line and improve the overall quality of your operations, there are other factors at work – at least for manufacturers. Most likely, concerns over production disruptions top the list of why cloud-adoption has not been as wide scale compared to other areas of operations.
If you’re not sure where to start, here are five ways the cloud can revolutionize your business:
1. Better Forecasting
It’s difficult to create accurate forecasts without your real-time supply chain information at hand. If you only use a piece of the data available, you may run into issues when trying to make business decisions. Solutions that can present real-time information to you quickly are obviously better. For example, some cloud-based offerings can be used in the warehouse to keep tabs on real-time inventory, and to communicate that information with your supply chain partners. This way the need to gain approval to access data behind firewalls might be more easily obtained. In the end, if you can increase your forecasting accuracy, you can also help develop algorithms for your product categories to help meet the demands of your growing business.
2. Improved Inventory Management
Inventory shortages can make or break your business and bring your manufacturing operations to a halt. Cloud software can help you share data with partners or suppliers, to help work together to better keep track of your inventory levels – in real-time – to avoid a loss in sales and customer base. Leveraging the cloud can also free up access to inventory data by visiting partners or suppliers, as they make field calls or move around your warehouse as needed. These folks can simply log in to tablets and mobile devices to check on inventory or to send out a client report without needing to gain access to files located behind a firewall, where security protocols or IT access might be restricted. Of course, cloud-based data is still protected, but granting access might (or might not) be more readily available, and not involve IT administration.
3. Automated Backups and Updates
There’s no need to waste valuable resources to back up your manufacturing system or to launch your software updates. Cloud-based providers can do it all for you without needing to involve your IT team or other employees. Cloud backups keep your business running with few to no glitches involved. Even if every computer in your warehouse goes down, you can still power up your tablet and log into your cloud-based inventory and other systems to get the information you need. And, most importantly, a cloud-based backup means that your data is being stored offsite. So, if a disaster of any kind impacts your facility, you don’t have to worry about data being lost forever.
4. Refine Customer Service
Streamline your customer support with the cloud. There are services that can handle questions, status inquiries and other functions without sucking away valuable time from your day-to-day operations. Upgrading to cloud-based customer service can be as simple as allowing your customers to log in and see their order status or as complex as using a remote virtual team to answer phone calls and track down information. This team doesn’t need to be onsite because the employees have your business information in the cloud.
Cloud storage also can refine your customer service efforts. You can store client files and information so you can access it from anywhere. If you aren’t sure what type of storage options your business needs, visit a review site like Top10CloudStorage to research the different features and options.
5. Streamline Your Marketing Collaboration
Get help executing your marketing strategy without the need for extensive meetings and in-person collaboration. Once you decide on your marketing campaign, use cloud software like Marketo to manage the process, exchange notes, get status updates and get real-time statistics and feedback. Some cloud software can also help schedule social media posts, tell you when to follow up with a lead and when to deploy your next email marketing campaign.
Tell me what you think? Are you “on” the cloud? Are there other benefits you have achieved?
