Technology in Practice

Modern construction firms often run on software that made sense when the business was smaller: a basic accounting system, a few project tools, and a lot of spreadsheets in between. As projects grow and operations become more complex, that legacy construction software can quietly slow bids, hide margin fade, and limit how confidently you scale. This article highlights five practical signs that your current stack is holding growth back and shows how modernization of construction software creates a stronger foundation for job costing, reporting, and future use of AI-powered features. In this article you will learn: Five warning signs that show you have outgrown legacy construction software How spreadsheet-heavy workflows hide job costs, margin fade, and cash risk Why disconnected tools and manual reporting slow growth as projects become more complex How multi-entity and multi-line operations expose gaps in older construction systems How modernization of construction software creates a platform for AI, better decisions, and scalable growth Most contractors don’t wake up one day and decide they need a full-blown modernization plan for their construction software. You started with what made sense when the business was smaller: often QuickBooks for accounting, a project app like Procore or Buildertrend, maybe Microsoft Project, and a lot of spreadsheets in between. “As soon as job costs disappear into spreadsheets and every answer requires a custom report, your software has already fallen behind your business. The contractors who treat modernization as part of their growth plan spot problems sooner, add capacity without extra overhead, and move into new markets with far more confidence.” — Kallie Jackson, Principal Construction Industry Consultant, Net at Work That legacy construction software often started as a smart, low-cost choice that fit the business perfectly in its early years. Then projects grow, margins tighten, and the stakes rise. At that point, the question shifts from “Are we fine with what we have?” to “Is this stack going to support the growth we want next year and five years from now?” Kallie Jackson, Principal Construction Industry Consultant here at Net at Work, offers these words of wisdom: “As soon as job costs disappear into spreadsheets and every answer requires a custom report, your software has already fallen behind your business. The contractors who treat modernization as part of their growth plan spot problems sooner, add capacity without extra overhead, and move into new markets with far more confidence.” In this context, modernization of your construction software becomes a growth strategy. When your systems catch up with how you actually build, you can bid faster, protect margins, and add capacity without stacking more people into the back office. So how do you know your current mix of construction software has reached its limit? Here are five clear signs. Job costs and change orders feel like a guessing game On paper, you track job costs. In reality, the numbers are often fuzzy. Labor may live in a timekeeping app, materials in a purchasing system, subs in email and PDF invoices, and revenue in accounting. Someone in the office spends days every month stitching that together so leadership can see whether a job made money. When job cost data lags behind reality, overruns creep in quietly. Entry-level accounting systems often produce job cost reports that trail actual activity by days or weeks, which makes mid-project course correction very difficult. Change orders add another layer of uncertainty. Scope often changes in the field with no clear link back to the original budget. Approvals sit in email threads and never fully flow through to billing. On top of that, many teams track change orders in side spreadsheets, so finance and project managers end up looking at different totals and making decisions from different versions of the truth. When you outgrow your software, you see patterns like: Nobody quite trusts the job margin report Profit fades late in the project, and no one can point to a single cause Teams argue over which version of the budget or CO log is “right.” Modernization lays the groundwork for better growth here. A connected financial and project platform links commitments, actuals, and approved changes to the same job record. The same numbers drive WIP, billing, and project reviews. That tighter feedback loop lets you spot trouble jobs earlier, price work with more confidence, and protect margin at scale. Spreadsheets are holding the whole operation together Every construction firm uses spreadsheets. The warning sign appears when spreadsheets turn into the unofficial system of record that props up legacy construction software. You might have a cost-to-complete workbook only one person understands, separate files for WIP and subcontractor commitments, and two or three versions of the same spreadsheet circulating by email. Spreadsheets are flexible, but they introduce risk once projects and portfolios expand. The vast majority of spreadsheets contain errors, often a broken formula or a small manual entry mistake that no one noticed. Even small errors in a cell can ripple into big problems on site, particularly when decisions about staffing, purchasing, and scheduling depend on those numbers. A modernized environment doesn’t eliminate Excel entirely, but it changes its role. Core financial and project data lives in connected systems, so spreadsheets become a way to explore, not the only way to see the truth. That shift frees your team from spreadsheet babysitting and reduces the risk that a broken formula or copy-paste mistake will quietly undercut profitability. Systems don’t talk, so reporting always trails reality A typical contractor might use legacy construction management software or QuickBooks for accounting, Excel for reporting, a cloud project platform for RFIs and submittals, separate estimating software, and a timekeeping app for field hours. Often, there is little or no communication between the applications. Deloitte’s 2025 digital adoption study with Autodesk found that the typical construction business now runs about six different technologies and juggles a median of 11 separate data environments. Leaders in that survey estimate that moving toward a more unified environment could reclaim about ten hours a week and even link tech adoption to revenue gains. The impact shows up in reporting: Month-end closes stretch longer because teams need time to reconcile systems WIP, cash flow, and profitability reports arrive late, which limits their value Leadership meetings rely heavily on anecdotes from the field because hard numbers lag behind When systems integrate cleanly, a different pattern emerges. Field updates feed WIP automatically. Approved commitments flow into budgets as soon as they are entered. Dashboards refresh without a flurry of exports and imports. In an integrated setup, a single field update can update dashboards, schedules, and billing queues simultaneously, saving hours of admin work and reducing human error. That kind of real-time view supports growth. You can manage a larger portfolio of jobs without losing control, because you see problems early enough to act. You can also expand into new services or geographies with more confidence, knowing that leadership still has a clear line of sight. When project and financial data actually live in one place, you also create room for newer tools to help. Modern, cloud-based construction and finance platforms now offer simple AI features that can flag unusual costs, summarize job performance, or highlight cash pinch points. Those small, everyday assists only work when the underlying data is consistent, so modernization becomes the first step toward using AI in a practical way. Growth exposes cracks in multi-entity and multi-line operations Early on, a construction firm typically operates as a single entity with a single primary line of work. Over time, growth often means: Additional legal entities for tax, ownership, or risk management New offices or regions New lines of business, such as service work or development projects Entry-level and legacy construction software often struggle once that shift takes hold. A lot of construction accounting guidance notes that outgrowing basic systems usually shows up in multi-entity consolidation and intercompany complexity: teams rely on spreadsheets to combine results, track due-to/due-from balances, and handle cross-company jobs. You might recognize a few pain points: Consolidated financials require a lot of manual work at month-end Intercompany eliminations live in side schedules Different offices or divisions develop their own processes because the system cannot support a common way of working Those cracks limit growth. Each acquisition or new region requires more workarounds rather than simply adding a new entity to an environment designed for that complexity. The admin burden rises, the risk of inconsistent practices increases, and leadership spends more time wrestling with structure than acting on results. In fact, a 2024 QuickBooks survey of business owners found that the average business spends 25 hours a week on manual data entry and reconciling data across various applications. Modernization supports growth at this stage by treating multi-entity, multi-line operations as normal. A more capable construction financial platform can share vendors, customers, and job structures across entities while still keeping books and compliance clean. That foundation makes it much easier to say yes to good opportunities – a new office, a new service line, or a joint venture – without overwhelming the back office.   Technology choices feel reactive instead of part of a growth plan A recent industry brief found that more than half of general contractors still manage most core processes without a dedicated technology solution. Even among those that do, many describe their software stack as something that just happened over time. A superintendent needed a better way to log photos, so the firm adopted a field app. Estimators pushed for new takeoff tools. Finance needed electronic AP approvals, so another system entered the mix. None of those decisions were wrong. The issue is that they were made in isolation. When the approach remains tactical, the opposite happens: overlapping tools, rising subscription costs, and more places where data can fall through the cracks. You start hearing questions like: Why do we have three different places to store drawings? Why does estimating use one cost structure and accounting another? Why are we paying for this application if leadership still runs meetings off Excel printouts? These are signals that the current system no longer supports the scale and ambition of the business. A modernization effort aimed at growth looks different. Leadership defines a clear financial and operational core, decides which systems will be primary for which functions, and invests in integration where it matters most. From there, new tools are added carefully, with an eye toward how they contribute to better bids, smoother delivery, higher margins, or more capacity. That kind of plan helps a firm scale without losing control. It also helps you get full value from the good tools you already own, rather than watching them turn into isolated islands of data. Over time, that plan becomes a quiet growth engine: new tools plug into a foundation that already works, instead of creating one more island of data. Modernization as a growth lever, not a necessary evil The construction industry has a reputation for thin margins and lagging productivity, but that gap is starting to close. Studies of digital adoption in construction show that firms that invest in the modernization of construction software and related workflows can reduce rework, shorten timelines, and create more predictable financial outcomes. Modernization does not have to mean a big-bang change. Many firms move step by step: First, stabilize the financial and project core Then, connect the right field and estimating tools Finally, strengthen reporting and analytics so leaders see trends in time to act What matters is the direction. When you recognize the signs – job costs that never quite line up, spreadsheets doing too much heavy lifting, disconnected systems, multi-entity headaches, and tactical tech purchases – you also see how much room there is for improvement. Modernization also sets you up for what comes next. As AI features show up in the tools you already use, a modern platform makes it much easier to let them handle the rote work – drafting variance explanations, pulling job summaries, spotting patterns in costs – so your team can stay focused on the decisions that drive growth. Net at Work partners with contractors ready for the next phase of modernizing construction software. The goal is not software for its own sake, but a modern platform that supports the way you build, today and as you grow. Reach out to our construction industry team today. Frequently asked questions about modern construction software What construction management software is considered outdated? Software starts to feel outdated when it depends on heavy manual entry, runs only on a local server, and forces teams to rely on spreadsheets for job costing, WIP, and consolidated reporting. Legacy construction software also struggles when it cannot integrate with newer tools your field, estimating, and service teams use every day. Should I upgrade or replace legacy construction management software? Upgrade when the current system still has a clear roadmap, supports modern integrations, and can handle expected growth. Replacement makes more sense when core workflows live in spreadsheets, simple configuration requires custom work, or the vendor puts minimal investment into the product. How do I select modern construction management software? Start with business goals and current pain points, such as slow reporting, weak job costing, or multi-entity complexity. Involve people from both field and office and look for modern construction management software that supports strong job cost visibility, multi-entity structures, open integration, and configurable dashboards, backed by an implementation partner with real construction experience. What are the risks and costs involved in upgrading legacy construction management software? Expect costs for subscriptions or licenses, implementation services, data migration, integration, and training time. The main risk comes from poor planning or rushed change management; a phased rollout with a clear data and process plan reduces that risk and turns modernization of construction software into a manageable investment rather than a disruption.

Legacy ERP systems built in the 1990s served organizations well for decades. However, for many organizations, they may now represent a significant barrier to growth. Approximately 40% of business leaders identify legacy systems as a major obstacle to digital transformation.  The numbers tell a stark story: on average, only 26-27% of employees actively use legacy ERP systems, falling far short of the ideal 50% engagement rate. Meanwhile, the total cost of ownership for legacy systems can be as much as five times higher than modern, cloud-based alternatives.  It’s time for modern ERP: systems designed for agility, intelligence, and growth.  What Makes an ERP System Modern?  Modern ERP represents a fundamental reimagining of how enterprise software supports business operations. The global ERP software market reflects this transformation, with Fortune Business Insights projecting growth from $81.15 billion in 2024 to $229.79 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 13.8%. Cloud-based deployments now represent 70.4% of all ERP implementations in 2024, up from 69.8% in 2023, with expectations to reach 75.9% by 2032.  Today, 53% of business leaders consider ERP a priority investment. They’re not investing in legacy technology; they’re investing in five core capabilities that define modern ERP.  The Five Hallmarks of Modern ERP  1. Embedded Business Intelligence Modern ERP transforms raw data into actionable insights across every department and location. This capability allows embedding intelligence directly into daily workflows so teams can make informed decisions in real time.  “Rather than asking “What happened last quarter,” modern ERP asks, “What’s likely to happen next month and what should we do about it?” The shift from descriptive to predictive analytics represents a fundamental change in how businesses operate. According to NetSuite’s analysis of ERP trends, more than 65% of organizations believe AI is critical to their ERP systems, with CIOs listing predictive analytics and deep learning as the most critical ERP technologies to gain a competitive advantage. Organizations implementing AI-enabled ERP systems have reported a 20% improvement in forecasting accuracy and a 15% reduction in operational costs.  Rather than asking “What happened last quarter,” modern ERP asks, “What’s likely to happen next month and what should we do about it?”  2. Intelligent Workflow Automation Smart workflows eliminate manual touchpoints while keeping critical tasks on target. Modern ERP goes beyond digitizing existing processes and fundamentally redesigns them for efficiency.  Organizations implementing modern ERP systems report an average 25% increase in operational efficiency. And according to NetSuite research, a survey found that adding AI to business processes led to dramatic improvements in ERP performance, with organizations experiencing significant efficiency gains in rule-based tasks and error reduction.  This automation frees employees from repetitive administrative work, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives that drive business growth. When systems handle routine tasks automatically, people can concentrate on the work that requires human judgment and creativity.  3. Flexible Commerce Capabilities Modern customers expect seamless experiences across all touchpoints. Modern ERP provides the tools businesses need to transact the way customers and partners prefer, whether through eCommerce, EDI, subscription models, or self-service portals.  This flexibility extends beyond customer-facing transactions. Modern ERP supports various business models simultaneously: traditional sales, recurring revenue, usage-based pricing, and hybrid approaches. As market demands shift, businesses can adapt their commercial strategies without replacing their foundational systems.  The integration capabilities of modern ERP enable data to flow seamlessly between commerce platforms, inventory systems, financial management, and customer relationship tools—creating the unified experience that today’s buyers demand.  4. Composable Architecture and Platform Ecosystems Perhaps the most transformative characteristic of modern ERP is composability, which is the ability to assemble software components as needed rather than accepting a rigid, one-size-fits-all solution.  The market has embraced this approach decisively. According to a 2023 survey of IT decision-makers, 76% have heard of composable ERP, and 84% of those respondents planned to invest in composable ERP solutions. Research from Infosys indicates that 80% of CIOs surveyed list modular redesign through composability as a top-five reason for accelerated business performance.  Composable ERP uses APIs and middleware to connect specialized applications into a cohesive system. Organizations can select best-of-breed solutions for specific functions such as accounting, inventory management, production planning, and integrate these functions seamlessly. When business needs change, companies can swap components without disrupting the entire system.  This modularity, coupled with subscription-based pricing, lowers entry barriers and accelerates time-to-value, particularly for mid-sized businesses. Instead of massive upfront investments in monolithic systems, organizations can implement capabilities incrementally, demonstrating value at each stage.  5. Global Financial Functionality at Scale Modern ERP provides capabilities that support growth across borders. These capabilities include multi-company consolidation, multi-currency transactions, multi-book accounting, and sophisticated reporting that meets diverse regulatory requirements.  According to Fortune Business Insights, North America accounted for approximately 35% of total ERP revenue in 2024, while the Asia-Pacific region is expanding at a CAGR of 13.2%, driven by digital transformation efforts. Organizations operating globally need systems that can manage this complexity without creating administrative bottlenecks.  Modern ERP goes beyond tracking financial data by providing the visibility and control necessary to manage complex global operations while maintaining compliance with varying regional regulations, tax requirements, and reporting standards.  The Business Case for Modernization  The return on investment for modern ERP is compelling. According to NetSuite’s comprehensive analysis, the average ROI for ERP projects is 52%. Companies typically see returns within 2.5 years, and among organizations that performed ROI analysis prior to implementation, 83% reported that projects met their expectations.  The operational benefits extend beyond financial returns. Among companies with at least one phase live for a year or longer, 91% reported optimized inventory levels, 78% reported improved productivity, and 62% reported reduced costs, particularly in purchasing and inventory control.  The Competitive Reality  The gap between legacy systems and modern ERP capabilities widens every quarter. Organizations that delay modernization don’t maintain the status quo—they fall further behind competitors who are leveraging modern capabilities to serve customers better, operate more efficiently, and adapt more quickly to market changes.  As businesses drive toward $147.7 billion in global ERP spending in 2025, the question isn’t whether to modernize. The question is how quickly you can begin the journey toward a more agile, intelligent, and competitive future.  Ready to explore modern ERP capabilities for your organization? Contact us to discuss how the five hallmarks of modern ERP can transform your operations.  Sources  Acropolium. “How to Replace Your Legacy ERP System The Right Way.” https://acropolium.com/blog/legacy-erp-system/  Fortune Business Insights. (2024). “Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Enterprise Type, By Deployment, By Business Function, By End-user and Regional Forecast, 2025-2032.” https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enterprise-resource-planning-erp-software-market-102498  Fortune Business Insights. (2024). “Cloud ERP Market Growth | Key Industry Developments [2032].” https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/cloud-erp-market-108617  Infosys. “Composable ERP – New Era of ERP.” Infosys Cobalt. https://blogs.infosys.com/infosys-cobalt/public-cloud/composable-erp-new-era-of-erp.html  LeverX. (2025). “ERP Trends 2025: What Businesses Should Pay Attention.” https://leverx.com/newsroom/erp-trends  NetSuite. (2024). “60 Critical ERP Statistics: Market Trends, Data and Analysis.” https://www.netsuite.com/portal/resource/articles/erp/erp-statistics.shtml  Research AIMultiple. “ERP Stats in 2025 from 20+ reputable sources.” https://research.aimultiple.com/erp-stats/  SaaSworthy. (2025). “Top 50 ERP Statistics That Will Define 2025.” https://www.saasworthy.com/blog/top-erp-statistics  TechTarget. “9 ERP Trends for 2025 and Beyond.” https://www.techtarget.com/searcherp/feature/ERP-trends-for-this-year-and-beyond  Ultra Consultants. (2025). “Aging Legacy ERP Systems: 5 Things You Don’t Have in 2025.” https://ultraconsultants.com/erp-software-blog/five-things-you-dont-have-with-an-aging-erp-system/ 

When you log in to your computer on a Monday morning and see that ransomware screen demanding payment, you should realize that the attack didn’t start that weekend. As Net at Work CISO Michael Powell explains, “To stage an attack, it’s not uncommon for a threat actor to have been in the environment up to 90 days.”  For weeks or months, threat actors may have been cataloging your data and exfiltrating files. With U.S. ransomware attacks up 149% year-over-year as of early 2025, understanding how these attacks work has never been more critical.  Most attacks follow predictable patterns. Once you understand the playbook, you can build defenses that work.  In this article you will learn:  Why even well-funded cybersecurity efforts struggle to keep pace with evolving threats  How the “double extortion” ransomware model puts organizations at risk even with backups  Why AI has made business email compromise nearly impossible to detect  Simple defensive strategies that dramatically improve security posture  How to evaluate readiness and find the right security partners  Why This Keeps Happening  “Why is it hard? Why are we still trying to solve this problem?” Powell asks. His answer: “We’re effectively in an arms race.”  Organizations invest heavily and close vulnerabilities. Yet as one gap closes, attackers adapt. Cyber attacks per organization increased 47% in Q1 2025, reaching 1,925 weekly attacks on average.  The real challenge is asymmetry. Powell explains, “There could be more people trying to attack your organization than you have to play defense.”  The Ransomware Reality  During the 30-90 day reconnaissance phase, attackers aren’t randomly grabbing files. “They pull a file listing and then based on the file names and the file structures, they go for the information that they think is pertinent,” Powell explains. They systematically identify personally identifiable information, financial records, and commercially sensitive data, then slowly exfiltrate copies.  When attackers are ready to strike, timing matters. “We often see spikes around weekends, around evenings, around holidays.” Powell notes, “This is because reconnaissance and encryption take time.” They choose moments when you’re least likely to respond quickly.  The Double Threat  Even with robust backups, you face what Powell calls the “double extortion threat.”  “Your data is encrypted, and you need to decrypt it to continue to do business,” he explains. “But the threat actor knows these days people put reasonable technology controls in place. They’re betting you have backups, so they add a second pressure point: pay up, or we leak everything.”  The consequences go beyond embarrassment. Depending on your location and the data involved, you may face legal obligations to notify affected individuals. The average ransom demand in 2024 was $4.32 million, but legal costs and reputational damage can dwarf that figure.  Nearly one in five small businesses that suffered a cyberattack filed for bankruptcy or closed. This isn’t an IT problem; it’s a serious business survival issue.  How AI Changed Business Email Compromise  While ransomware grabs headlines, business email compromise (BEC) operates quietly and is equally devastating. BEC was the second-costliest cybercrime in 2023, with nearly $3 billion in losses.  AI has fundamentally transformed the threat. Attackers compromise an email account and download sent items. Previously, analyzing that information manually took time. Now? “You download that information, you throw it into AI, and then you can ask it questions,” Powell explains.  The AI builds a complete profile and generates emails that perfectly mimic executives’ communication. “Where we used to be able to spot those emails with relative ease,” Powell says, “AI helps the threat actor be a lot more convincing with very little additional work.”  With 73% of reported cyber incidents in 2024 being BEC attacks, and organizations with 1,000+ employees facing a 70% weekly probability of at least one BEC attack, this demands constant vigilance.  Your People: Vulnerability and Solution  “Most of the compromises we see occur because a person takes an action,” Powell says. “But they’re rarely doing it with malicious intent.”  Most breaches happen because employees respond to what appears urgent. “Pretty much every phishing test I have ever been a part of, at least one person has clicked the email, and you only need one.”  The solution lies in changing the culture around reporting threats rather than carrying out punishments. “People shouldn’t feel that if they raise a security threat, the IT team is going to pounce on them,” Powell emphasizes.  “Every person is a sensor,” Powell explains. Train people to recognize what normal looks like, then empower them to speak up. Modern training uses gamification: You click something, and then there’s just-in-time training that shows you why that was good, or why that was bad.”  Building Defenses That Work  Effective defense requires layered approaches that create multiple “tripwires.”  “The more visibility you have, the more chances you’ve got of spotting an anomaly,” Powell explains. Each layer, including endpoint detection, email security, patching, backups, network segmentation, increases the likelihood you’ll catch attacks before they succeed.  But technology alone isn’t enough. Organizations need clear procedures. Powell shares an example of a company with excellent technology but no response plan: “Person A looks at person B, they don’t know who’s responsible. Can we turn the system off? We don’t know who approves that.”  His advice: “If you don’t know who to inform in case of a breach, find out.” Conduct tabletop exercises revealing gaps. “Have people sit around a table and practice what they would do if a ransomware email came in.”  Where to Start  Powell offers a straightforward evaluation framework:  Evaluate what you have. “There are so many times I’ve gone into an organization where they’re paying for something, but they’re using less than 10% of it.” Understand current capabilities before buying new solutions.  Define risk tolerance. What’s acceptable downtime for different systems? Document thresholds in advance.  Conduct regular audits. Most insurance carriers require annual assessments and often help with scanning.  Leverage available expertise. Your insurance company often provides guidance. If working with technology providers, understand what expertise they have that they could bring to bear in the event of an incident.  Consider cybersecurity as a service. For many businesses, working with a managed security service provider offers specialized skills without building an in-house team. “What they’re effectively doing is delivering the speed, delivering the skills and reducing the cost,” Powell explains.  When evaluating providers, Powell emphasizes fit over features: “Look for the one that suits your business and your processes.” And be sure to verify responsiveness: “There’s nothing worse than receiving a ransomware attempt on a Friday night and then realizing that the partner says they’ll deal with it Monday morning.”  And be sure to check references. “Try to find an organization they’ve worked with and talk to that organization. When you’re buying into cybersecurity as a service, you’re buying into trust.”  Moving Forward with Confidence  Understanding that attacks follow patterns, defenses can be layered effectively, and preparation dramatically improves outcomes will put you in a stronger position. With 86% of cyber incidents involving business disruption, the question isn’t whether to invest in security, but how to invest wisely.  Take the Next Step  Net at Work helps organizations build resilient security strategies that balance protection with practical business needs.  For a limited time, we’re offering complimentary assessments:  IT Infrastructure Assessment: Comprehensive evaluation identifying vulnerabilities and opportunities  Email Security Assessment: In-depth analysis of your email security posture—the primary attack vector for both ransomware and BEC  Don’t wait for a breach to discover where your defenses fall short. Contact Net at Work today to schedule your assessment and start building security that protects your business without compromising operations.  Ready to strengthen your security? Contact Net at Work to claim your complimentary assessments and speak with experts who understand your challenges.    Key Takeaways  Understand the timeline: Ransomware attacks involve 30-90 days of reconnaissance before encryption. Early detection is everything.  Prepare for double extortion: Even with backups, data leaks trigger legal obligations and reputational damage.  Take AI seriously: BEC attacks now use AI to perfectly mimic writing styles, making traditional detection nearly impossible.  Build culture, not just controls: Encourage reporting without punishment. Every employee is a sensor who can spot anomalies.  Layer your defenses: Multiple security controls create “tripwires” that increase chances of catching attacks early.  Rehearse your response: Tabletop exercises reveal gaps and build muscle memory for critical decisions.  Leverage external expertise: Insurance carriers and managed security providers offer prohibitively expensive skills and resources.   Sources  TechTarget, “Ransomware trends, statistics and facts,” 2025.  Check Point Research, “Q1 2025 Global Cyber Attack Report,” May 2025.  Spacelift, “50+ Ransomware Statistics for 2025,” July 2025.  Fortinet, “Ransomware Statistics 2025,” 2025.  The SSL Store, “Business Email Compromise Statistics,” March 2024.  Hoxhunt, “Business Email Compromise Statistics 2025,” March 2025.  LastPass, “Protect against business email compromise in 2025,” May 2025.  Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, “Extortion and Ransomware Trends,” April 2025.   

Every quarter, executives approve customer relationship management (CRM) investments based on a fundamental miscalculation. They’re measuring license costs against projected revenue lift but missing the biggest variable in the equation: human behavior.  The standard pitch sounds compelling: “CRM investment of $150K equals $500K in projected revenue.” But six months later, adoption lags, forecasts miss targets, and sales managers retreat to their familiar spreadsheets. This isn’t a software failure; it’s a measurement problem.  In this article you will learn:  Why traditional CRM ROI calculations ignore the biggest variable: human behavior  The three hidden costs that can dwarf your initial CRM investment  How to calculate the real productivity impact of clunky CRM processes  Four better metrics for measuring actual CRM success  Why meaningful interactions matter more than login counts  The competitive advantage of prioritizing behavioral outcomes over technical features  How to shift from measuring costs to measuring usage effectiveness  Why simple, adopted systems outperform sophisticated unused platforms  The Industry’s Blind Spot According to Kate Legget, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester, CRM adoption rates appear high on paper, but user satisfaction remains stubbornly low. This disconnect between implementation and actual business impact is well documented across the industry. Forbes Council research identifies five primary reasons companies struggle with CRM implementations, while additional industry analysis reveals that poor CRM satisfaction is a systemic problem.  Five Reasons Companies Struggle with CRM Implementations (Forbes Council) Lack Of Executive Support and Employee Buy-In Automating Broken Processes Keeping The Same People in the Same Seats on the Bus Overcomplicating the Minimal Viable Product (MVP) Neglecting Data Quality Yet most organizations continue using the same flawed ROI calculations that ignore the human element entirely. Traditional CRM ROI models focus on easily quantifiable metrics: license fees, implementation costs, and theoretical productivity gains. What they miss are the hidden costs of poor adoption that can dwarf the initial technology investment  “Traditional CRM ROI models focus on easily quantifiable metrics…What they miss are the hidden costs of poor adoption that can dwarf the initial technology investment.” The Real Cost Formula The true economics of CRM involve three invisible cost centers that traditional ROI models completely ignore:  1. Behavioral Friction Costs  When sales representatives lose 15 minutes daily to clunky CRM processes, that translates to 65+ hours per year of lost productivity per person. Industry research shows that resistance to sales framework adoption creates significant productivity drains across organizations. Multiply this across a sales organization, and the opportunity cost becomes staggering. Yet most ROI calculations treat user experience as irrelevant to financial outcomes.  2. Process Misalignment Costs  Implementation challenges consistently emerge when CRM systems don’t align with existing workflows. When updating a single prospect requires navigating multiple screens and dozens of fields, critical information simply doesn’t get captured. The downstream impact on forecasting accuracy and pipeline management represents millions in lost opportunity for enterprise organizations.  3. Management Disengagement Costs  Perhaps most critically, when CRM systems don’t provide managers with reliable, actionable insights, leadership stops reinforcing their use. Technology adoption research demonstrates that without early majority buy-in, systems fail to integrate into daily work patterns. This creates a negative feedback loop where poor data quality leads to management skepticism, which further reduces team adoption.  The Measurement Gap Forward-thinking organizations are beginning to recognize that traditional metrics miss the point entirely. Instead of measuring seat counts and feature utilization, they’re asking fundamentally different questions:  What percentage of sales activities are actually being captured in the system?  How quickly can managers access trustworthy pipeline data?  Are sales representatives spending more time on data entry or customer interaction?  Can leadership make strategic decisions based on CRM insights, or do they rely on external reports?  Toward Better CRM ROI Metrics The most sophisticated organizations are developing new frameworks for measuring CRM success that prioritize behavioral indicators over technical specifications:  User Engagement Frequency: Rather than measuring logins, track meaningful interactions such as record updates, opportunity progression, and proactive data entry.  Data Completeness Rates: Monitor the percentage of critical fields populated across different user groups and sales stages.  Process Compliance Metrics: Measure how consistently teams follow defined sales processes within the CRM environment.  Time-to-Value Indicators: Track how quickly new information flows from initial contact to actionable insights for management.  The Competitive Implications Organizations that crack this measurement code will gain significant advantages in the coming years. While competitors struggle with adoption and data quality issues, companies with genuinely adopted CRM systems will have superior forecasting accuracy, faster sales cycles, and more predictable revenue growth.  The irony is that the technology itself matters less than how effectively people use it. A simple, well-adopted system will consistently outperform a sophisticated platform that sits largely unused.  Looking Forward By 2027, the most successful organizations won’t be asking “What did our CRM cost?” They’ll be asking “How well does our team actually use it?” This shift from measuring technology investments to measuring behavioral outcomes represents a fundamental evolution in how we think about sales technology ROI.  The companies that figure this out first and build measurement frameworks around human behavior rather than software features, will have a significant competitive advantage. They’ll make better technology decisions, achieve higher adoption rates, and ultimately generate more predictable revenue growth.  The CRM ROI conversation is overdue for disruption. It’s time to stop measuring the wrong things and start focusing on what actually drives results: how people interact with the tools we give them.  Frequently Asked Questions What is CRM ROI and why are most companies measuring it wrong?  CRM ROI traditionally measures license costs against projected revenue lift, but this ignores the biggest factor: human behavior. The real costs come from poor adoption, which creates behavioral friction, process misalignment, and management disengagement that can exceed the initial technology investment.  What are the three hidden costs of CRM implementations?  Behavioral friction costs occur when sales reps lose productivity to clunky processes (15 minutes daily equals 65+ hours annually per person). Process misalignment costs arise when CRM workflows don’t match existing practices, leading to incomplete data capture. Management disengagement costs happen when leaders stop reinforcing CRM use due to unreliable insights.  How do you calculate the true productivity impact of poor CRM adoption?  Start with time lost per user daily, multiply by working days annually, then scale across your entire sales organization. For example, 15 minutes lost daily equals 65+ hours per year per sales rep. Multiply this by your team size and average hourly cost to quantify the true opportunity cost.  What metrics should replace traditional CRM ROI measurements?  Focus on user engagement frequency (meaningful interactions, not just logins), data completeness rates across critical fields, process compliance metrics, and time-to-value indicators that track how quickly information becomes actionable for management decisions.  Why does user adoption matter more than CRM features?  A simple, well-adopted system consistently outperforms sophisticated platforms that sit largely unused. The technology itself matters less than how effectively people use it. High adoption leads to better data quality, more accurate forecasting, and more predictable revenue growth.  How can companies gain competitive advantage through better CRM measurement?  Organizations that measure behavioral outcomes instead of technical specifications achieve superior forecasting accuracy, faster sales cycles, and more predictable revenue growth while competitors struggle with adoption and data quality issues.  What questions should executives ask about CRM success?  Instead of “What did our CRM cost?” ask “How well does our team actually use it?” Focus on the percentage of sales activities captured, how quickly managers access trustworthy data, and whether leadership can make strategic decisions based on CRM insights.

Is your CRM software helping your sales team while holding back the rest of your business?  In many manufacturing companies, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software lives in a clearly defined box. It’s where the sales team tracks leads, manages pipelines, and closes deals. Marketing might use it for campaigns. Perhaps customer service logs support tickets there. But this narrow definition may be costing you opportunities you don’t even know you’re missing.  In this article you will learn:  How market-leading vendors have shaped a narrow definition of CRM that limits what manufacturers think is possible  Why disconnected systems create specific risks to margins, cash flow, and customer experience in manufacturing operations  How modern relationship management (CRM) platforms can serve as connective tissue across sales, marketing, finance, operations, customer service, and supply chain  What capabilities distinguish truly integrated CRM platforms from sales-focused tools with add-on modules  Which cross-functional workflows can be automated to improve efficiency and customer experience simultaneously  According to the most recent Outlook survey conducted by the National Association of Manufacturers, only 55% of executives have a positive outlook for their companies. This represents nearly a 15-percentage point drop from Q1 and marks the weakest sentiment since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With rising raw materials costs, growing skills shortages, and significant regulatory uncertainty, manufacturers face intense margin pressure that demands efficiency improvements across every function. Yet many are overlooking their most powerful tool for creating these efficiencies because they’ve been trained to think about it too narrowly.  The Hidden Cost of Conventional Thinking  The dominance of a few major CRM vendors has created something subtle but significant in the manufacturing world: a failure of imagination. When a small number of players capture the lion’s share of any market, they gain the power to define the category itself. Their language becomes the industry’s vocabulary. Their feature sets become the boundaries of what’s considered possible.  This market concentration has shaped perception for decades, implicitly communicating that CRM is a pipeline management and sales automation tool rather than enterprise-wide infrastructure. The very vocabulary used to describe these platforms suggests they weren’t built to help finance, operations, customer service, or supply chain teams. This perception creates blind spots that can directly impact your bottom line.  When you think about relationship management broadly rather than customer relationship management narrowly, a different picture emerges. Nearly everything a manufacturing business does involves relationships: with customers certainly, but also with prospects, employees, vendors, partners, and financial backers. Each interaction across these relationships represents an opportunity to create value or an inefficiency waiting to happen.  The Opportunity Hidden in Plain Sight  There are five reasons organizations invest in business software:   Increase revenue  Decrease costs  Decrease risks   Improve customer experience   Improve employee experience  A modern relationship management system delivers on all five simultaneously, but only when stakeholders stop thinking of it as sales software and start viewing it as connective tissue that unifies operational and business processes at enterprise scale.  The disconnected systems that plague many manufacturers create predictable problems. When customer service, sales, and marketing teams don’t access the same information simultaneously, efficiency suffers across all three functions. When front office and back-office systems aren’t integrated, production plans get made without considering the entire sales pipeline or late-stage opportunities, creating critical misalignment between sales forecasts, actual orders, and inventory planning. And when supply chain and vendor management operate separately from procurement and quality assurance data, sourcing decisions become ill-informed and compliance risks emerge.  These challenges can become margin killers in an environment where profits are already under attack.  What Modern Manufacturing Actually Requires  Today’s manufacturing business models demand more customer collaboration than ever before.   “Manufacturers who want to be able to add more value for their clients are helping them develop new products or formulations by leveraging the manufacturer’s in-house R&D expertise,” explains Samantha Marshall, Sage X3 Practice Director with Net at Work. “This requires a much more collaborative process than the traditional workflow in which a pre-produced product was sold for a fixed per-unit price, demanding more interactions with customers across more parts of the business than ever before.”  This shift creates an opportunity that conventional CRM thinking can’t capture. When a customer calls support with a question about their invoice, resolving it immediately instead of transferring them to sales creates a measurably better experience. When a shipment will be delayed, proactively reaching out with alternative solutions before the customer notices the problem turns a potential relationship damage point into a loyalty builder. When returned materials are immediately accounted for in inventory systems while simultaneously triggering support team workflows, you’re capturing efficiency that disconnected systems make impossible.  The capability to orchestrate these interactions exists right now. Modern CRM platforms built with true integration at their core can connect sales, marketing, customer service, project management, ordering, invoicing, and ERP data into unified business logic. But capturing this value requires rethinking what CRM is for.  “Today’s CRM isn’t just about customers,” says Bill Hoffman, CRM Practice Director at Net at Work. “It’s about prospects, partners, vendors, internal stakeholders, and frontline employees. A relationship management solution can provide business process automation and activity and task management capabilities that layer across all departments. It can be the glue that holds everyone together.”  Practical Benefits Across the Manufacturing Enterprise  Unlike Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, which was designed mainly to handle core financial and operational functions, a modern CRM can present key information on customer needs to support, sales, service, production, and finance teams. Whereas ERP was designed to give the front office visibility into operational and financial flows, CRM software can contain invoices, orders, service-level agreements, warranties, and information about customer preferences along with opportunities, leads, and marketing campaigns. When integrated bi-directionally with ERP, CRM software provides a truly holistic perspective.  When relationship management software serves as enterprise infrastructure rather than departmental tooling, the specific opportunities that emerge can include:  Manufacturing teams gain visibility into the full sales pipeline, enabling more informed production planning that accounts for probable future orders rather than just current commitments. Finance teams can automate invoice reminders while simultaneously alerting sales to overdue payments from key accounts, turning accounts receivable into a collaborative process rather than a handoff. Customer service can resolve issues in a single interaction because they have immediate access to order history, invoicing details, and account preferences without switching systems or escalating to other departments.  Procurement and vendor management connect with quality assurance data, enabling smarter sourcing decisions that account for the full cost of supplier relationships rather than just unit pricing. Return material authorization, waste tracking, and recall management become coordinated processes that protect both consumer safety and brand reputation while ensuring accurate inventory accounting.  These benefits are the natural result of treating relationship management as core infrastructure rather than departmental software. The automation capabilities in modern platforms can trigger these cross-functional workflows automatically. When a customer’s last payment is overdue, the system can both send automated reminders and alert the account manager. When production delays affect shipments, customer support can receive automatic requests to reach out proactively.  “Immediate access to the right information at the right time makes immediate resolution possible,” Hoffman notes, “but it also makes it possible to build business process automation that will save enormous amounts of time.”  The primary function of modern CRM should be to make it easy for employees to use. It doesn’t need to show every field of data from receivables, payables, purchase orders, and the production line. Instead, the information presented to each end user should facilitate ease of use without triggering overwhelm. Employees shouldn’t have to toggle between multiple dashboards or systems to access the information they need most often, but they also shouldn’t be burdened with data that’s not important to them.  What to Look for in a Modern Solution  Not every CRM platform can deliver these capabilities. The key differentiator is whether the software was built from the ground up to integrate sales, marketing, customer service, project management, ordering, invoicing, and ERP data into its fundamental business logic, or whether these capabilities were added later through acquisitions and bolt-ons.  Essential capabilities include unified architecture that doesn’t require users to toggle between different modules or interfaces, embedded AI and automation that can orchestrate cross-functional workflows, true bidirectional integration with ERP systems, and flexible low-code or no-code approaches that let you adapt the system to your processes rather than forcing you to adapt your processes to pre-built modules.  Additional must-have capabilities include high availability to ensure business continuity, fast and effective deployment to minimize disruption, and industry-leading security, data governance, and reliability to protect sensitive customer and operational data.  The implementation approach matters as much as the technology. This transformation represents a mindset shift as much as a software upgrade. Success requires change management that helps people across the organization understand how their roles fit into the broader ecosystem of relationships the business depends on. “People across the entire organization have the opportunity to serve customers,” Hoffman emphasizes. “It’s really in the business’s DNA.”  Moving Forward in Uncertain Times  Today’s manufacturers must navigate geopolitical uncertainties, inflation, skills shortages, and an accelerating pace of technological transformation. The right tools and solutions can help them become more agile and resilient, strengthening their ability to communicate with, respond to, and evolve alongside their customers. A modern CRM can and should play a central role in the future of manufacturing, but stakeholders will need to open their minds to new possibilities for integration, automation, and collaboration.  “We’re not introducing a new breed of technology,” Hoffman says. “We’re introducing a new mindset. When manufacturers begin thinking cross-functionally, the entire organization becomes better able to serve everyone, customers, prospects, partners, employees, innovate and succeed.”  Key Takeaways  Narrow definitions create invisible costs. When you think of CRM as sales software rather than relationship management infrastructure, you miss opportunities to eliminate inefficiencies across finance, operations, customer service, and supply chain management.  Modern manufacturing demands cross-functional collaboration. Today’s business models require more customer interaction across more departments than traditional workflows supported. Disconnected systems can’t meet these demands.  Integration is the foundation, not a feature. The platforms that deliver enterprise-wide value were built with integration as core architecture, not added through bolt-ons and acquisitions.  The five drivers of software investment all apply. Modern relationship management platforms simultaneously increase revenue, decrease costs, decrease risks, improve customer experience, and improve employee experience when implemented with enterprise-wide thinking.  Automation multiplies the benefits. The real power emerges when cross-functional workflows operate automatically, resolving issues in single interactions and preventing problems before customers notice them.  Ease of use determines adoption and ROI. Modern CRM should present relevant information to each user role without overwhelming them with unnecessary data or requiring toggling between multiple systems.  Ready to discover what modern CRM can do for your manufacturing operation? Download the complete white paper, “Not Your Father’s CRM: Transforming Manufacturing Operations with AI-Native Workflow Automation and Enterprise-Wide Connectivity,” to explore how leading manufacturers are rethinking relationship management to compete in today’s challenging environment. 

Your ERP system transformed back-office operations, but it addresses only half of your business equation. While ERP excels at post-sale management, it leaves a critical gap in managing relationships that determine customer loyalty versus defection. In B2B manufacturing and distribution, acquiring customers through industry relationships is often straightforward. The real challenge lies in delivering exceptional customer experiences that prevent defection and maximize lifetime value. This article explores how integrating CRM with existing ERP creates a unified customer experience platform protecting your most valuable asset: customer relationships. In this article you will learn: How customer defection costs compound in manufacturing beyond immediate revenue loss The specific operational gaps that fragment customer experiences in manufacturing environments Why ERP systems, despite their operational strengths, cannot address modern customer experience requirements Key integration strategies that transform transactional data into relationship intelligence Measurable outcomes from companies that have successfully unified their customer data systems The Customer Retention Crisis in Manufacturing The Hidden Cost of Customer Defection In manufacturing and distribution, losing a customer extends far beyond losing this quarter’s orders. It represents losing years of relationship investment and future revenue potential. According to the National Association of Manufacturer’s 2025 survey, only 55% of manufacturing executives maintain a positive business outlook, representing the weakest sentiment since 2020. This challenging environment makes operational efficiency and customer retention more critical than ever. Consider these critical realities facing today’s manufacturers: High Switching Costs Work Both Ways: While customers face expensive switching costs when changing suppliers, manufacturers face equally expensive replacement costs when losing established customers. The process of understanding customer specifications, quality requirements, and operational preferences represents significant investments that disappear with customer defection. Relationship Dependency: B2B manufacturing relationships often span decades, making each customer exponentially more valuable over time. Unlike transactional B2B sales, manufacturing partnerships deepen through shared problem-solving, custom solutions, and operational integration. This relationship depth creates compound value that grows with tenure. Referral Impact: One dissatisfied customer can influence multiple prospects within your industry network. Manufacturing industries are typically tight-knit communities where reputation travels quickly. A single negative experience can close doors to entire market segments through word-of-mouth influence. Service Expectations: Today’s B2B buyers expect B2C-level service experiences, even in complex manufacturing relationships. The Amazon effect has raised expectations for immediate information access, proactive communication, and seamless problem resolution across all business interactions. Why Customer Experience Gaps Develop The root cause isn’t poor intentions or inadequate resources. It’s fragmented systems that prevent your team from delivering cohesive customer experiences despite best efforts. Scenario 1: The Service Breakdown Your customer calls with an urgent quality issue affecting their production line. Your service representative can access the complaint history and previous resolutions but cannot see the customer’s current order status, payment terms, or recent interactions with your sales team. Meanwhile, your sales representative remains unaware of the service issues when they call about the next order opportunity. The customer experiences this as poor coordination and questions whether your organization truly understands their business importance. Scenario 2: The Proactive Opportunity Missed Your ERP system clearly shows that a long-term customer’s order patterns have changed significantly. They’re ordering 30% less than their historical average over the past six months. This could signal budget constraints, competitive pressure, changing market conditions, or evolving business needs. Without integrated systems, this early warning signal sits invisible in your ERP database while your customer relationship slowly deteriorates. Your sales team continues operating under outdated assumptions while the customer evaluates alternatives. Scenario 3: The Escalation Failure A customer’s payment is delayed beyond terms, triggering automatic hold procedures in your ERP system. However, your sales team isn’t automatically notified of the credit hold, and they continue promising delivery dates that operations cannot meet. The customer experiences mixed messages and begins questioning your organization’s reliability and internal communication. What started as a simple payment timing issue escalates into a relationship-threatening credibility problem. The True Cost of Disconnected Customer Management Quantifying the Customer Experience Gap Disconnected systems create measurable impacts on customer relationships across multiple dimensions: Service Response Delays: When customer service representatives cannot immediately access complete order history, current shipping status, and previous interaction context, average response times increase dramatically. According to a recent Net at Work white paper, organizations typically achieve a 75% reduction in resolution time after implementing integrated CRM-ERP systems. This improvement directly correlates with customer satisfaction improvements. Missed Retention Signals: Early warning indicators of customer dissatisfaction exist throughout your systems but remain invisible to customer-facing teams. Changed ordering patterns, increased service calls, payment delays, and complaint frequency often predict customer defection months in advance. Without integrated visibility, these signals go unnoticed until competitive displacement occurs. Administrative Overhead: Net at Work’s white paper, “Simplifying CRM Adoption,” reports that customer-facing teams typically spend 12-15 hours per week switching between systems, manually transferring data, and reconciling conflicting information. This represents time that could be invested in relationship building, proactive problem-solving, and strategic account development. The opportunity cost extends beyond efficiency to relationship quality and competitive positioning. Reactive vs. Proactive Service: McKinsey B2B Growth Research reports that “Only 29% of executives actively use CRM data for strategic decision-making, leaving critical customer insights untapped.” Disconnected systems force organizations into reactive mode, responding to problems after customers complain rather than identifying and addressing issues proactively. This reactive posture damages customer confidence and positions your organization as a vendor rather than a strategic partner. The Compounding Effect These individual touchpoint failures compound over time, creating cumulative relationship damage. A customer who experiences one service breakdown might forgive the incident as an anomaly. However, when multiple departments seem uncoordinated and uninformed about their business, customers begin questioning whether your organization truly values their relationship and partnership.  “The solution isn’t replacing your ERP investment. It’s connecting ERP capabilities with purpose-built customer relationship management tools that create a unified view of each customer relationship. This integration transforms transactional data into relationship intelligence.” Why ERP Alone Can’t Deliver Modern Customer Experience ERP Strengths and Limitations Your ERP system excels at operational efficiency: managing inventory levels, processing orders accurately, tracking financial performance, and maintaining data integrity. These capabilities form the operational foundation of successful manufacturing businesses. However, ERP systems weren’t designed for relationship management or customer experience orchestration. ERP Handles Transactions, Not Relationships: ERP systems track what customers buy, when they buy, and how much they pay. However, they don’t capture why customers buy, how satisfied they are with your service, what might cause them to switch suppliers, or what opportunities exist for relationship expansion. This transactional focus misses the relationship intelligence that drives long-term customer value. Limited Customer Communication Tools: ERP systems typically lack the communication tracking, automated follow-up capabilities, and relationship management tools that modern customers expect. They cannot orchestrate multi-channel customer communications or maintain comprehensive interaction histories across touchpoints. Departmental Silos: ERP data often remains within operational teams while customer-facing teams work in separate systems. This creates information gaps at critical customer touchpoints where relationship decisions are made and customer perceptions are formed. The Integration Imperative The solution isn’t replacing your ERP investment. It’s connecting ERP capabilities with purpose-built customer relationship management tools that create a unified view of each customer relationship. This integration transforms transactional data into relationship intelligence. The Net at Work Creatio Advantage: Manufacturing-Focused Customer Experience Why Generic CRM Falls Short for Manufacturers Manufacturing customer relationships require specialized approaches that generic CRM platforms struggle to deliver effectively: Complex Product Configurations: Manufacturing often involves custom specifications, technical requirements, and multi-component orders requiring sophisticated data management capabilities. Generic CRM platforms lack the flexibility to handle these complexities without extensive customization. Long Relationship Lifecycles: Manufacturing relationships span years or decades, demanding different relationship management approaches than transactional B2B sales. The customer journey includes multiple phases: specification development, pilot programs, production scaling, ongoing support, and continuous improvement initiatives. Service Integration Requirements: Manufacturing customers expect seamless coordination between sales, service, and operations teams. They need unified visibility into order status, service history, technical specifications, and relationship context across all interactions. Net at Work Delivers Manufacturing-Grade CRM Integration Net at Work delivers manufacturing-grade no-code CRM workflows with Sage X3 integration. Net at Work’s proven implementation methodology is managed by a team with 25 years of CRM implementation experience. Deep ERP Integration: Our Sage X3 integration provides bidirectional data flow for orders, accounts, contacts, and service requests. Current production deployments demonstrate seamless real-time synchronization, with full workflow automation capabilities available for immediate implementation. This integration eliminates manual data entry and ensures consistent information across systems. Manufacturing Workflow Automation: Pre-built processes for quote-to-order management, RMA handling, vendor relationship management, and service request automation eliminate the manual coordination that creates customer experience gaps. These workflows are based on manufacturing best practices and proven implementation experience. No-Code Customization: When your business processes change or you need new automation capabilities, your team can modify workflows without requiring development resources. This ensures your CRM evolves with your customer needs and business requirements without ongoing IT dependency. Proactive Relationship Management: Automated alerts and workflows help identify and address potential customer issues before they impact relationships. Early warning systems trigger proactive outreach when customer behavior patterns indicate risk or opportunity. Wondering how your team can get ahead of customer defection before it starts? When systems don’t talk to each other, critical signals get lost and relationships suffer. See how leading manufacturers are using integrated CRM to equip their sales teams with the visibility, automation, and intelligence needed to strengthen retention and drive growth. Frequently Asked Questions Q: Why can’t ERP systems handle customer relationship management effectively? A: ERP systems excel at transactional data management but lack relationship intelligence capabilities. They track what customers buy and when, but cannot capture satisfaction levels, relationship health indicators, or communication histories across touchpoints. This creates gaps in customer experience delivery despite strong operational performance. Q: What early warning signs indicate customer relationship risk in manufacturing A: Key indicators include declining order volumes, increased service requests, payment delays, reduced communication frequency, and changes in ordering patterns. When these signals exist across disconnected systems, they often go unnoticed until competitive displacement occurs. Q: How do fragmented systems impact customer service response times? A: When service representatives cannot access complete customer context immediately, they must gather information from multiple systems before responding. This increases resolution time and creates frustration for customers expecting immediate assistance with urgent issues. Q: What makes manufacturing CRM requirements different from other industries? A: Manufacturing involves complex product configurations, multi-year relationship lifecycles, technical specifications, and close coordination between sales, service, and operations teams. Standard CRM platforms require extensive customization to handle these manufacturing-specific requirements effectively. Q: What should manufacturers prioritize when evaluating CRM integration options? A: Focus on bidirectional ERP synchronization, manufacturing workflow automation, service request management, and no-code customization capabilities. The solution should handle complex product data while providing immediate access to complete customer context across all touchpoints. Works Cited McKinsey. (2022, February). McKinsey & Company, The new B2B growth equation. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-new-b2b-growth-equation National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). (2025). 2025 Second Quarter Manufacturers’ Outlook. Retrieved from nam.org: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-new-b2b-growth-equation Net at Work. (2025). Simplifying CRM Adoption. Retrieved from https://www.netatwork.com/resource/simplifying-crm-adoption/?rt=whitepaper  

Delivering exceptional client experiences has been part of Net at Work’s DNA since our founding nearly three decades ago. You’ve experienced our genuine care in your implementations, felt it in our support responsiveness, and seen it in how we define best practices across the industries we serve. It’s why our clients choose us, trust us, and recommend us to others year after year.   Now we’ve made the strategic decision to formalize the most powerful value we’ve had as a company: Client Champion. This represents our commitment to you above all else and our unwavering commitment to putting you at the center of everything we do.  “Working with a true client champion means gaining a partner who understands your business as deeply as you understand it yourself.” We’ve lived this philosophy through our longevity and in how we truly care about you, but formalizing it makes it even more powerful, ensuring that everything about how we operate centers on championing your needs and goals.  More Than Words  Being a Client Champion means that we:  “Relentlessly exceed client expectations. Consistently anticipate needs to deliver valuable solutions and extraordinary outcomes.”  Each word in this value carries meaning for how we approach your partnership:  As our client, you are a long-term loyal customer who we collaboratively work with to help identify and solve your complex and important business problems.  To champion your interests means we take a proactive stance and work diligently to promote and advance progress for your initiatives.  Actioning relentlessly describes our intense, determined, and persistent approach to delivering results.  To exceed expectations requires we significantly surpass minimum requirements to deliver more than what you consider normal or expected.  Operating consistently means we demonstrate uniformity in our delivery for you, with few exceptions, providing dependability and predictability in our actions and behaviors.  To anticipate your needs requires we look ahead with the intent of predicting possible outcomes on your behalf to prepare and take action to improve the outcome of future events.  Our products and services are defined as valuable when they prove to be of great worth to you, creating a sense of wonder and appreciation when the overall value is delivered.  Extraordinary outcomes are special situations with exceptional outcomes and remarkable results.  Working with a true client champion means gaining a partner who understands your business as deeply as you understand it yourself. It cultivates the kind of confidence that only comes from having someone always in your corner, always looking out for your best interests. It’s experiencing a deep, seamless, end-to-end partnership that elevates you to the center of everything we do.  The Partnership You Experience  Riley Sales, a growing HVAC distributor, needed to implement a new ERP with a unique pricing structure. Doing so successfully required a deep understanding of their requirements to build effective customizations. The end result allowed their team to reduce their 22-day book-closing process to just five days.  “Net at Work is an ideal partner for us,” explains Brandi Coats, CFO of Riley Sales. “Their deep knowledge and ability to bring in additional business resources as necessary made this project a success. I see a real commitment to customer service and a true understanding of how to leverage technology to help businesses grow.”  This is what it means to be a client champion. It requires going beyond what’s expected while investing in understanding your industry, challenges, and growth trajectories so deeply that we can anticipate needs before they’re articulated. For Riley Sales, this partnership also enabled the freedom to pursue eCommerce expansion and new market penetration.  Anticipating What’s Next When your trusted ERP support partner suddenly disbands, you need someone who can step in seamlessly and understand your highly customized system. Russell Sigler Inc., a distribution company, faced exactly this challenge after nearly 15 years of relying on Sage X3 for their operations. They needed a partner who could support their complex customizations and integrations while helping them continue their aggressive growth trajectory.  “Net at Work isn’t just a partner, they are the partner,” says Matt Osborne, COO at Russell Sigler. “Their large, diverse team gives us confidence that no matter how we want to grow or adapt, they have the depth and experience to support us.”  This partnership enabled Russell Sigler to grow from $250 million to $1.3 billion in sales while seamlessly integrating new payment processing solutions, eCommerce platforms, and other essential tools. When you have a partner who truly knows your business inside and out, you gain the confidence to pursue ambitious growth knowing your technology will scale with you.  Extraordinary in Every Interaction The extraordinary outcomes you experience with a Client Champion often come through responsiveness, understanding, and guidance that improves the big picture. At Ink, a custom manufacturing company that scaled from handling 300-500 orders monthly to 2,500 orders, the partnership extended far beyond technical implementation.  “Net at Work has been incredibly responsive,” says Daniel Byrum, Systems Development Director at Ink. “I can bring them a problem or an idea, and they’ll walk me through it, help us think it through, and guide us to the best solution. That kind of partnership is hard to come by.”  This responsiveness enabled Ink to achieve 25-30% year-over-year growth while handling five times their previous order volume without proportionally increasing headcount. The technology worked, but more importantly, the partnership approach meant every challenge became an opportunity for optimization.  What This Means for You Formalizing Client Champion as a core value is a testament to our commitment to you. It ensures that every client experiences the excellent quality of service you feel working with a true partner. It ensures that any team member you speak to approaches their work with a client-first mentality, asking both “How do we solve this?” and “How do we deliver results that exceed expectations and set you up for long-term success?”  This approach generates measurable outcomes: compressed processes, increased scalability, and the confidence you need to pursue ambitious growth strategies, knowing you have a technology partner invested in your success.  The Commitment Moving Forward  As we continue growing and evolving as an organization, formalizing Client Champion as a core value ensures this partnership-focused approach remains central to everything we do. This means that every client interaction, whether it’s a quick support call or a complex multi-year transformation, will be handled with the same relentless focus on exceeding your expectations and delivering extraordinary outcomes.  At Net at Work, being a Client Champion inspires who we are. Now it’s officially part of how we define ourselves as well, ensuring that the philosophy that built our success over three decades continues driving every decision we make, forever benchmarking your success as the measure of ours.  

What if the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology your organization invested thousands of dollars in to streamline operations and boost revenue is sitting unused by the very people it was designed to help?   Projects with strong change management and user adoption initiatives are seven times more likely to meet their organizational objectives, yet many organizations treat CRM implementation as a technical rather than organizational challenge. This gap between proven methodology and common practice represents one of the most costly oversights in modern business technology.  In this article you will learn:  Why leadership disengagement hinders CRM success across entire organizations  How AI-driven automation eliminates the administrative burden that drives user resistance  The two leadership strategies that consistently deliver high user adoption rates  How one implementation approach delivers 3x faster ROI than traditional automation-focused methods  The specific framework that transforms CRM from administrative burden to strategic asset  The Leadership Crisis: How Executive Disengagement Kills CRM Value  When executives fail to actively use CRM data for decision-making, they create a cultural message that reverberates throughout the organization: this tool is optional. As Bill Hoffman, CRM Practice Director at Net at Work, emphasizes, “If leaders don’t reference CRM in quarterly reviews, employees won’t prioritize it.”  This leadership gap has measurable consequences. Research demonstrates that projects with strong change management and user adoption initiatives are seven times more likely to meet their objectives. This statistic should concern any executive whose CRM investment isn’t delivering expected returns, as it suggests the problem lies not with the technology but with the implementation approach.  The solution requires two specific leadership interventions that consistently drive adoption. First, executives must lead by example, requiring themselves to use CRM for quarterly reviews and strategic planning rather than delegating this responsibility. This visible commitment signals organizational priority and sets expectations for all levels of the company.  Second, leaders must tie CRM usage to performance metrics. When managerial performance reviews and compensation include team adoption rates as a component, it transforms CRM from a compliance exercise into a competitive advantage. This approach creates accountability while demonstrating that CRM usage directly impacts business success.  The AI Revolution: Eliminating the Administrative Burden That Drives Resistance  The second critical breakthrough in CRM adoption comes from addressing a root cause of user resistance: administrative overload. Traditional CRM systems have long struggled because users perceive them as “just more work.” The most common complaint, as Hoffman describes, captures this perfectly:   “Imagine this: I’m a salesperson in the field. I go around, I talk to customers, I talk to prospects, and then what do I have to do? I have to go back to the hotel room and retype all of my notes into Salesforce.com. That is not a good employee experience.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help address this issue through automated data capture and entry. Modern AI-powered CRM systems can now process calls, meetings, or conversations and automatically transcribe, summarize, and log relevant information directly into the system. This technology shift addresses a fundamental user experience problem that has plagued CRM adoption for decades.  AI-driven transcription can go beyond automatically creating call summaries and follow-up tasks. It can also help generate contextual insights that prepare comprehensive meeting summaries by aggregating emails, past interactions, and purchase history, and automated task creation that generates next steps based on conversation content or customer status.  As Hoffman explains the transformative value:   “I can simply type into AI, ‘Please summarize a quarterly business review for account XYZ for my meeting on Thursday,’ and it spits something out… imagine having to do that from scratch in five different systems versus something getting me 85% of the way there, and then me just tweaking it. It just saved me three hours—three hours I can serve customers.”  This approach fundamentally changes the value proposition of CRM systems. Instead of adding administrative burden, AI-enhanced CRM systems reduce workload while improving data quality and completeness. The result is higher user satisfaction, better adoption rates, and more accurate business intelligence.  The Implementation Framework: Beyond Technology to Transformation  While leadership engagement and AI integration represent the most impactful strategies for CRM adoption, they’re part of a broader framework that addresses the human, process, and organizational factors that determine success. The complete approach recognizes that CRM adoption is fundamentally a change management challenge that requires systematic methodology.  Successful implementations focus on co-creating workflows with end-users rather than imposing top-down processes. This involves service teams in prioritizing quick-access ticket histories over sales-focused pipeline views, introduces recognition systems for achieving CRM milestones, and replaces traditional lengthy training sessions with embedded microlearning approaches.  The process optimization extends beyond basic automation to include role-based dashboards that provide relevant information for each function, integration with existing business workflows to eliminate duplicate data entry, and focus on essential features that deliver immediate value rather than comprehensive functionality that overwhelms users.  Advanced Strategies and Comprehensive Methodologies  Our white paper details additional critical components including specific change management techniques that address behavioral inertia, data quality improvement strategies that create trusted single sources of truth, cross-departmental collaboration approaches that break down organizational silos, and continuous improvement methodologies that ensure long-term success.  These complementary strategies work together to create sustainable adoption that evolves with business needs.   Moving Forward: From Resistance to Revenue  The transformation from CRM resistance to greater revenue generation requires specific leadership behaviors, thoughtful AI integration, and systematic change management that addresses human factors alongside technical considerations.  For organizations ready to move beyond failed implementations, this represents an opportunity to build a foundation for sustainable growth, higher user satisfaction, and measurable return on investment—but only when implementation follows proven methodologies rather than hoping technology alone will drive adoption.  Ready to implement the complete framework for CRM adoption success?   Download the full white paper, “Simplifying CRM Adoption: Strategies for Overcoming User Resistance and Enhancing ROI,” for detailed implementation roadmaps, specific measurement frameworks, change management templates, and step-by-step guides for transforming your CRM from administrative burden to strategic asset.  Key Takeaways for Business Leaders  Change management is the primary success factor: Projects with strong change management and user adoption initiatives are seven times more likely to meet their objectives, making systematic implementation methodology more important than technology selection.  AI transforms the adoption equation: Companies aligning AI with human workflows achieve three times faster ROI by eliminating administrative burden rather than simply automating existing processes.  Leadership engagement drives organizational adoption: Executive modeling of CRM usage and tying adoption to performance metrics creates cultural change that technology alone cannot achieve.  User experience determines long-term success: Addressing the fundamental complaint that CRM creates “more work” through AI automation and workflow optimization directly impacts adoption rates and user satisfaction.  Comprehensive strategies multiply effectiveness: While leadership and AI represent the highest-impact approaches, sustainable success requires the complete framework of behavioral, process, and organizational strategies detailed in our white paper.