In many companies, the decision-makers may not handle the day-to-day product data management and thus, may not understand the pain points that their colleagues experience. They may be too busy to devote time to researching the issues of product management and how PIM can solve them. If you have recognised the need for a PIM in your business but you are worried you might not be able to convince your boss of the benefits, then hopefully this article can give you some selling points from the manager's perspective!
Productivity for the whole business:
The greater efficiency between departments, the simpler processes for staff and the automation of time-consuming tasks means that the entire business benefits from a PIM system. This means that huge amounts of resources and time are saved on tedious processes and these can be re-invested elsewhere in the business. Productivity greatly increases but without worrying about sacrificing the quality or accuracy of product data.
Improve interdepartmental efficiencies and relationships:
With all departments having access to the same data, it makes life easier for everyone. Communication and collaboration can be enhanced between other departments. The technical team can edit the technical data, and the marketing team can come in and edit the marketing descriptions right away using one single source of product data. With permissions settings set up correctly, nobody will edit anything they're not supposed to. Something also won't be changed in one place and not be communicated to everyone else. If everyone is working together more efficiently it creates stronger relationships and involves fewer disagreements!
Can act as a unique selling point for the company's products:
With many businesses so poor at managing their product information, managing it well can act as a unique selling point and provide more marketing opportunities. Customers love buying from companies that have detailed information about their products. This will act as a competitive advantage over your rivals if that is what you provide.
Tackles employees' huge pain points:
The employees who actually regularly handle the product data, whether it be the datasheets or the website, etc., will see huge relief with the adoption of a PIM system. The automation of repetitive and monotonous tasks, as well as the lack of stress involved with making sure that each source of data is accurate and up-to-date, will mean a happier and more productive workforce.
Quicker time-to-market and better ROI:
While employees' pain points may not be all that quantifiable, these are two significant KPIs that your manager cannot ignore and they are very measurable. Of course, if the processes involved with getting a product's data ready for launch are made more efficient, then the time-to-market will decrease. Being quicker to market can also increase ROI. Huge amounts of resources are also saved throughout the process with a PIM system, further increasing ROI.
Departmental decision makers:
If the decision maker is the head of a department then you may need to customise your sales pitch of PIM systems to an extent. A marketing manager will see much richer product marketing content and have access to a powerful digital asset management solution built in. A data manager will see great increases in speed and accuracy due to automation and validation rules within the PIM. And so on...
Great from a customer service perspective:
With a significantly lower risk of mistakes leading to more reliable product and safety information, customer complaints are likely to drop significantly too. Furthermore, an easily accessible source of updated and accurate product data means customer service agents can respond quickly to customer requests and inquiries.
If you think PIM is a good solution for your company, try our free data review now and have a video to present to your boss!