BY JAKOB HUUS ANDREASEN
In the previous article, we highlighted how structured product data and the integration of PIM, ERP, and DAM systems create a shared data foundation across markets and languages.
In this article, we examine another barrier to scale: orders, inquiries, and confirmations that are still handled manually even though the core systems are in place.
Manufacturing companies operating in global markets often face a paradox.
They produce advanced technology solutions with global demand, yet their back-office processes remain insufficiently digitized. These cumbersome processes prevent the business from scaling.
If every new order requires manual data entry and email exchanges, the business is not truly scalable. The result is an invisible ceiling that limits growth.
The biggest business challenge is not the products or the competition. Production can usually keep pace as well. Manual order entry and email exchanges are often the real bottleneck for a network of dealers and sales agents.
For companies that generate most of their revenue from exports, we call this manual workflow a "growth killer." The more successful the export business becomes, the greater the administrative burden is on headquarters.
The goal is not to do more with fewer people. It is to stop asking skilled employees to move data by hand by copying information from emails and documents into the ERP system.
A logical next step is to automate order intake outside the ERP system. Through a digital portal, sales agents and customers can find products, view relevant prices, place orders, and receive order confirmations. Validated orders are transferred automatically to the company's ERP system and other core systems.
Read how Danish export company TRESU delivers a better purchasing experience through its international customer portal and makes it easier for back-office employees to run the digital business.
Read the caseA digital interface can make information available as reference material and sales sheets. The next step is to add self-service.
With the full data model in place, you can add e-commerce to the customer portal, allowing sales agents and end customers to place orders from any time zone. In many cases, even complex products can be supported digitally through tools such as product configurators and digital quoting workflows.
Standard products and spare parts are often the best place to start.
First, it eliminates a significant amount of routine tasks for customer service.
The journey toward digital self-service shows that manufacturers do not necessarily need a larger workforce to scale globally.
The priority is to build a strong digital foundation that brings international sales agents into the administrative process and makes them active participants in the digital value chain.
This creates the foundation for integrating AI into your business processes.
In the first four articles, we have explained how to build the digital foundation. Once that foundation is in place, your data is structured, and many processes are automated, are you then ready to roll out AI? Have you developed the necessary strategy to ensure that AI does not remain an isolated pilot project?
instead of hours creating orders
touch-free orders
saved yearly on order processing
