Manufacturers face many challenges beyond making great products. Managing sales, forecasting demand, and keeping customers happy take a lot of coordination. That’s why having the right manufacturing CRM software makes such a difference.
CRM for manufacturing industry is not just a typical customer management tool. It’s built specifically for the needs of manufacturing businesses. It helps connect your sales efforts with production schedules, improves inventory tracking, and makes it easier to meet customer expectations. Using the right CRM software can help your business run smoother and grow stronger.
This article covers what manufacturing CRM is, why it matters, key features to consider, and the 8 best software options available this year. Whether you’re picking your first system or thinking about an upgrade, you’ll find useful insights to guide your choices.
What is manufacturing CRM
Manufacturing CRM is customer relationship management software designed just for manufacturing companies. It helps with something many CRMs don’t—linking sales and customer management closely with production and inventory.
So, how is manufacturing CRM different?
Handles complex sales cycles: Manufacturing often involves longer sales processes and more complex product setups. A manufacturing CRM offers tools to manage detailed quotes, contracts, and multi-step approvals tailored to these needs.
Connects orders to production schedules: It directly links customer orders with production timelines and inventory data. This coordination helps avoid delays, production errors, and keeps customers updated.
Integrates with ERP and MES systems: By syncing with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), manufacturing CRM provides teams with a complete view of both manufacturing operations and customer relationships.
Built-in after-sales support: Features like warranty tracking, spare parts management, and service scheduling are included, making it easier to provide ongoing customer care.
Automates manufacturing workflows: Automated processes handle quote approvals, production change requests, and customer notifications efficiently, saving time and reducing mistakes.
With these features, manufacturing CRM breaks down barriers between sales, production, and service. It creates a smoother process for everyone and helps keep customers happy.
Why manufacturing industry needs a CRM software
Manufacturing is a demanding business that involves many moving parts. Managing customer relationships, coordinating production, and handling sales pipelines can quickly become overwhelming without the right tools. This is why a powerful CRM for manufacturing industry is so important.
A specialized CRM for manufacturing helps unify your sales, operations, and customer support teams under one system. It solves several common issues manufacturers face:
Disjointed data across departments: Without a CRM that connects sales to production and support, important information often lives in isolated spreadsheets or systems. This can lead to missed opportunities and unhappy customers.
Complex sales cycles: Unlike simple retail sales, manufacturing involves multiple stakeholders, long negotiation periods, and customized products. A manufacturing CRM helps track every interaction and stage with precision.
Inventory and demand gaps: When a CRM integrates with production and inventory data, you avoid costly stockouts or excesses by planning accurately based on real-time sales insights.
Manual, error-prone processes: Automation in manufacturing CRM reduces repetitive tasks like quote approvals, order tracking, and follow-ups, freeing your team to focus on building relationships and growing business.
Customer retention challenges: After-sales services such as warranty management, scheduled maintenance, and spare parts are critical in manufacturing. A CRM helps keep these processes organized and customers satisfied.
Investing in a manufacturing CRM doesn’t just improve sales—it drives efficiency throughout your entire operation. It builds a foundation for better sales forecasting, smoother automated workflows, and stronger customer loyalty. Essentially, it’s the backbone that supports your growth ambitions.
Key features to look for in manufacturing CRM software
When choosing the best CRM software for manufacturing, it’s essential to prioritize features that cater to your industry’s unique demands. Here are some key capabilities to watch for:
1. Sales pipeline and lead management tailored for manufacturing
Look for a system that tracks every lead, quote, and contract deeply, with visibility into approvals, negotiations, and deal stages. This ensures your sales team stays organized and doesn’t lose touch with prospects.
2. Integration with ERP and inventory systems
Manufacturing relies heavily on ERP and inventory management for production planning. The CRM should sync with these systems to provide real-time data on stock levels, order status, and material availability, improving demand forecasting.
3. Workflow and process automation
CRM Automation tools can handle complex tasks such as sending order confirmations, routing quote approvals, and triggering production changes without manual intervention. This speeds up operations and reduces mistakes.
4. After-sales service and customer support modules
Features that manage warranties, maintenance schedules, and spare parts sales help improve customer satisfaction and increase opportunities for repeat business.
5. Reporting and analytics
Look for dashboards and reports that provide insights into sales performance, production delays affecting orders, and customer satisfaction. Advanced CRM platforms offer AI-driven predictive analytics to guide smarter decision-making.
6. Customization and scalability
Manufacturing processes vary widely from one company to another. Choose CRM software that is flexible enough to adapt to your workflows and can scale as your business grows.
7. Mobile access and collaboration tools
A CRM system with mobile-friendly interfaces and in-built communication tools helps your teams stay connected and responsive, whether they are on the shop floor, in sales meetings, or at customer sites.
Choosing a CRM for manufacturing companies with these features means you invest not just in sales software but a comprehensive solution that supports nearly every facet of your manufacturing business.
Top 8 manufacturing CRM software solutions
Choosing the right manufacturing CRM provider can feel overwhelming with so many options available. Each service offers different strengths, so knowing which ones fit your business needs is key. Here’s a curated list of the top 8 manufacturing CRM systems, highlighting what makes each unique and how they support manufacturing sales, operations, and customer service.
Lark: Best for collaborative manufacturing teams needing an all-in-one solution
Nutshell: Best for small to mid-sized manufacturing sales teams
Creatio CRM: Best for manufacturers wanting process automation and CRM
SugarCRM: Best for mid to large manufacturers needing customization
Freshsales: Best for small manufacturers seeking simple sales management
Salesmate: Best for manufacturers needing affordable and user-friendly CRM
Nimble: Best for relationship-focused manufacturing sales teams
Insightly: Best for manufacturers wanting integrated project and sales management
1. Lark
Overview
Lark is a unified collaboration and communication platform that integrates messaging, video conferencing, cloud documents, and calendar features into a single workspace. It’s designed to help manufacturing teams work more efficiently by breaking down silos between sales, production, and customer service.
Key features
Centralized contact and lead management
Lark’s CRM consolidates all customer data into rich profiles accessible directly alongside chat and video calls. This ensures manufacturing sales and support teams always have the most accurate, up-to-date information for quotes, orders, and service follow-ups.Visual sales pipeline and deal tracking
With Lark Base’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface, manufacturing teams can customize pipeline stages to reflect their complex sales cycle—from RFQs and quote approvals to production scheduling and final delivery, all integrated with real-time messaging and notifications.
No-code/low-code automation workflows: Manufacturers can automate repetitive tasks by Lark Task such as follow-ups, order confirmations, internal reminders, and approvals without requiring technical skills. This minimizes manual errors and accelerates production-to-delivery timelines.
Unified communication channels: Lark combines team chat, video conferencing, shared documents, and calendars in one platform, enabling manufacturing teams and customer support to collaborate instantly without switching apps.
Customizable approval workflows: Streamline internal processes with configurable approval routing specific to manufacturing workflows, such as quote sign-offs and change order authorizations, reducing bottlenecks and improving responsiveness.
Embedded customer service integration: Support teams can engage customers through embedded chat and video linked to customer records, enabling personalized service and quick resolution of warranty claims or post-sale inquiries.
Custom analytics dashboards: Manufacturers receive tailored reports and dashboards spotlighting sales performance, order status, and customer engagement KPIs, empowering data-driven decisions across departments.
Pre-built manufacturing CRM templates: Lark offers ready-to-use templates designed for manufacturing needs, including lead tracking, contract management, and customer visits, enabling fast onboarding and immediate productivity gains.
Pricing:
Free plan: Includes 11 powerful products, supporting up to 20 users, 100 GB storage, 1,000 automation runs and unlimited AI translation in chats, docs and email.
Pro plans: $12/user/month, supporting up to 500 users. Includes unlimited message history and 50,000 automated Base workflow executions per month.
Enterprise plan: Custom pricing.
👉Try Lark’s Savings Calculator: Switching to Lark’s Pro plan can lead to significant cost savings— for example, a 100-employee company using Slack, Google Workspace, and Airtable could save approximately $25,200 annually by consolidating their tools with Lark.
Best for
Manufacturers looking for a collaborative CRM solution that simplifies team communication and integrates CRM functionalities within one platform.
2. Nutshell
Image source: nutshell.com
Overview
Nutshell is a user-friendly CRM platform tailored for small and mid-sized businesses, including manufacturing firms, aiming to simplify sales processes and enhance team collaboration. It offers an intuitive interface that helps manufacturing sales teams manage leads, track deals, and improve customer relationships without steep learning curves.
Key features
Manufacturing-focused sales pipeline management: Nutshell provides customizable pipelines that align with manufacturing sales cycles, allowing teams to track stages from initial inquiry through quotes, production scheduling, and final delivery.
Lead and contact management: Keep all manufacturing customer and prospect data centralized, with detailed profiles, communication history, and activity tracking, ensuring teams stay informed and responsive.
Automation & workflow tools: Automate repetitive manufacturing sales tasks like follow-up reminders, quote approvals, and customer status updates to save time and reduce errors.
Reporting & analytics: Generate tailored reports to monitor sales performance and customer engagement, enabling manufacturers to make data-driven decisions about production forecasts and order prioritization.
Integrations & mobile access: Nutshell integrates with popular tools and offers mobile functionality, helping field sales and service teams stay productive on the go.
Pricing
Foundation plan: Starts at $19/user/month
Growth plan: Starts at $32/user/month
Pro plan: Starts at $49/user/month
Business plan: Starts at $67/user/month
Enterprise plan: Starts at $89/user/month
Best for
Small to mid-sized manufacturing companies seeking an easy-to-use CRM to streamline sales and customer management.
3. Creatio
Image source: creatio.com
Overview
Creatio offers a low-code CRM platform designed for manufacturing companies that need a flexible, automated solution. Its strength lies in combining CRM with process management, allowing manufacturers to adapt workflows exactly to their unique production and sales needs.
Key features
End-to-end process automation: Automate manufacturing-specific workflows such as quote approvals, order fulfillment, and after-sales service processes.
Sales management tailored for manufacturing: Manage complex deals with detailed tracking of product configurations and multi-stage approvals.
ERP and MES integration: Seamlessly connects CRM data with ERP and manufacturing execution systems for up-to-date production and inventory insights.
Customer support and warranty management: Tracks post-sale maintenance, warranties, and spare parts availability to boost customer satisfaction.
Real-time analytics and AI: Offers predictive analytics to forecast demand and improve production planning accuracy.
Pricing
Growth plan: Starts at $25/user/month
Enterprise plan: Starts at $55/user/month
Unlimited plan: Starts at $85/user/month
Best for
Manufacturers that need a highly customizable, automation-focused CRM platform with deep integration to manufacturing systems.
4. SugarCRM
Image source: sugarcrm.com
Overview
SugarCRM is a highly customizable customer relationship management platform that caters well to manufacturing companies requiring flexibility and deep integration. It helps manufacturers manage sales pipelines, customer interactions, and complex workflows efficiently.
Key features
Customizable sales pipeline: Tailor the CRM stages to fit manufacturing sales processes, including quoting, approvals, and contract negotiations.
Manufacturing workflow automation: Automate key steps like order processing, change requests, and customer notifications to boost productivity and reduce errors.
Integration with ERP systems: Syncs seamlessly with enterprise systems to provide real-time data on inventory, production status, and customer orders.
After-sales service management: Manage warranties, service agreements, and customer support cases directly within SugarCRM to increase satisfaction and retention.
Advanced analytics: Generate reports and dashboards specific to manufacturing sales performance, lead sources, and customer trends.
Pricing
Foundation plan: Starts at $19/user/month
Growth plan: Starts at $59/user/month
Pro plan: Starts at $85/user/month
Business plan: Starts at $135/user/month
Best for
Mid-sized to large manufacturers looking for a deeply customizable CRM that integrates with existing enterprise systems.
5. Freshsales
Image source: freshsales.com
Overview
Freshsales by Freshworks is an intuitive, user-friendly CRM tailored for small to medium manufacturers who want to simplify sales processes without sacrificing power. It integrates contact management, deal tracking, and communication tools in one place.
Key features
Simplified lead and deal management: Manage manufacturing leads through customizable pipelines that reflect production cycles and customer needs.
Built-in communication tools: Email, phone, chat, and activity tracking help manufacturing sales teams keep close customer contact.
Automation workflows: Automate repetitive manufacturing workflows such as follow-ups, order status notifications, and quote approvals.
Integration capabilities: Connect with common ERP and inventory software to align sales data with production status.
Mobile app access: Enables manufacturing reps to manage customer information and deals anytime, anywhere from their phones.
Pricing:
Growth plan: $9/user/month
Pro plan: $39/user/month
Enterprise plan: $59/user/month
Best for
Small and mid-sized manufacturers seeking an easy-to-use CRM with strong communication and basic automation features.
6. Salesmate
Image source: salesmate.io
Overview
Salesmate CRM is designed to help manufacturers streamline their sales pipelines with affordable and efficient tools. It combines simple contact management with automation to keep manufacturing sales teams focused on closing deals.
Key features
Customizable sales pipelines: Adapt pipelines to manufacturing workflows, managing quotes, approvals, and order follow-ups seamlessly.
Automation for manufacturing tasks: Automate reminders, follow-ups, and notifications to reduce delays and human error in order processing.
Multi-channel communication: Built-in email sequences, call tracking, and SMS integration keep manufacturing reps connected with customers.
Reporting specific to manufacturing: Provides insights into sales pipelines, deal velocity, and customer retention rates.
Integration support: Syncs with popular ERP and accounting tools used by manufacturers to create unified workflows.
Pricing
Basic plan: $23/user/month
Pro plan: $39/user/month
Business plan: $63/user/month
Best for
Manufacturers looking for a budget-friendly CRM with easy customization and solid automation features.
7. Nimble
Image source: nimble.com
Overview
Nimble is a simple yet powerful CRM focused on relationship management, ideal for manufacturing teams aiming to build lasting connections with customers. It emphasizes ease of use combined with effective communication, helping manufacturers manage contacts, sales, and follow-ups smoothly.
Key features
Unified contact management: Combines customer data from email, social media, and calendars, providing manufacturing teams a 360-degree view of each client for personalized interactions.
Sales pipeline tracking: Supports manufacturing sales workflows by tracking deals and opportunities with stages customized for product quotes, approvals, and order fulfillment.
Workflow automation: Automate follow-ups, reminders, and task assignments to improve efficiency and reduce order processing delays.
Integrations: Works well with ERP and inventory software to keep sales aligned with production and stock availability.
Mobile access and collaboration: Enables remote teams to stay connected and share updates instantly, improving field sales and service coordination.
Pricing
Offers a simple pricing plan starting at $24.9/user/month.
Best for
Manufacturing teams that prioritize relationship-building and want an easy-to-use CRM for streamlined contact and sales management.
8. Insightly
Image source: insightly.com
Overview
Insightly is a versatile CRM platform with strong project and sales management capabilities, suited for manufacturers needing to manage complex sales and production processes in one place. It helps bridge the gap between sales, project delivery, and customer service.
Key features
Comprehensive sales pipeline: Customizable pipelines tailored to manufacturing sales cycles, tracking quotes, contracts, and multi-step approvals seamlessly.
Project and workflow management: Integrates project management into the CRM allowing manufacturing teams to coordinate order fulfillment, production milestones, and customer projects effectively.
Manufacturing workflow automation: Automates tasks such as order confirmations, warranty tracking, and service scheduling to streamline operations.
Deep integration: Syncs with ERP, accounting, and communication tools to unify customer and production data.
Detailed analytics and reporting: Provides insights into sales performance, project progress, and customer history to make informed decisions.
Pricing
Plus plan: $29/user/month
Professional plan: $49/user/month
Enterprise plan: $99/user/month
Best for
Manufacturers seeking an integrated CRM and project management solution for managing both sales and production workflows efficiently.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is manufacturing CRM, and how does it differ from regular CRM?
Manufacturing CRM is tailored specifically for the unique needs of manufacturing companies. Unlike general CRMs, it integrates sales management with production schedules, inventory tracking, and after-sales support to create a single hub that tracks every customer interaction and order from start to finish.
How will manufacturing CRM improve my sales process?
By uniting sales with production data, manufacturing CRM enables your sales team to provide accurate quotes and delivery timelines. It automates follow-ups and approval workflows, reducing errors and speeding up the sales cycle. This also improves transparency and communication both internally and with customers.
Is manufacturing CRM expensive?
Costs vary widely depending on the features, user count, and integrations. However, many CRM providers offer scalable pricing and flexible plans to suit small manufacturers as well as large enterprises. The return on investment usually comes in the form of time saved and increased customer satisfaction.
Can manufacturing CRM integrate with our existing systems?
Most modern manufacturing CRM platforms support integration with ERP, MES, inventory, and accounting systems, making it easier to unify data across departments and eliminate silos.
How long does it take to implement manufacturing CRM?
Implementation time depends on the complexity of the system and your existing infrastructure. Simple setups can be done within a few weeks, while fully customized solutions may take several months.
Conclusion
After researching many options, Lark is recognized as a top manufacturing CRM choice this year. Its integrated communication, collaboration, and workflow automation make it easy to connect sales, production, and customer support teams. This unified approach reduces errors, speeds up processes, and improves customer relationships.
Lark’s flexible pricing and cloud-based platform suit manufacturers of all sizes, ensuring quick deployment and scalable growth. Its mobile capabilities also keep teams productive wherever they are.
Looking ahead, manufacturing CRM will continue evolving with AI, IoT, and deeper system integrations, helping manufacturers become more agile and customer-focused. Choosing the right CRM today sets your business up for future success.
