Rebecca Thompson
Project Lead
Recently Rebecca joined the Fullcrm team as a project lead and has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience around supply chain and logistics.
For the last 13 years, Rebecca has implemented and supported Pronto ERP solutions for many organisations across various industries – particularly in the manufacturing and distribution space.
Whilst working at Fullcrm, Rebecca is also completing the final subject of an MBA specialising in Supply Chain and Logistics.
Rebecca is passionate about helping customers identify their business problems and how technology can be utilised to solve them.
On 10th November, Rebecca and the Fullcrm team will be hosting an industry round table to discuss how integrating Pronto ERP with Salesforce can make sales and operations planning and process more efficient.
We sat down with Rebecca to pick her brain on the manufacturing and distribution industry and how they can grow and succeed in this current environment.
Please meet Rebecca Thompson:
How have long have you worked in the Salesforce Eco-System?
Only 3 months so I am still very much getting used to the ecosystem, but I am surprised at how much information and support is available and how integrated the Salesforce ecosystem is.
What did you do before this?
I was a business and pre-sales consultant for a Pronto reseller for over 13 years. Customers we supported during that time came from retail and wholesale distribution, manufacturing, mobile service, local government, telecommunications and construction industries, so my experience has given me fantastic insight into the issues that many companies experience and opportunities to solve them.
What attracted you to work at Fullcrm?
Having worked with Helen previously on a large Pronto project, I had a fair idea of what the Fullcrm culture would be like. Fortunately, I have not been disappointed. Fullcrm really does care about seeing their customers succeed, and every project is seen as an opportunity to continuously improve what we do in support our customers.
What do you like about the Salesforce platform?
I like the ease with which you can customise the Salesforce platform to your unique business requirements and the way that Salesforce partners connect, to grow and compliment the solution.
What do you think are the biggest challenges Australian manufacturers and distributors are facing today?
Being able to adapt to change. The volatility of the market is making it difficult to efficiently run operations. Cost reduction has long been a consideration of manufacturers and distributors, but with revenue down in so many industries, businesses need to be able to quickly see where they can get savings without affecting customers or revenue.
What do you see the benefits of integrating Pronto with Salesforce?
Now more than ever, manufacturers and distributors really need to know what is happening with their customers to ensure they can meet the market and adjust accordingly when sudden changes in demand occur. But using Salesforce to enable your sales and account management teams to do this, is only half the solution. By integrating, you get that flow of information going quickly through from customers to other parts of the business so that operations also know quickly what changes are occurring. By integrating the systems, you are also integrating the primary activities of your business.
What is a piece of advice would you give to a manufacturer and distributor to grow and succeed in this environment?
Work smarter, not harder. A study conducted by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) screened 1500 of the most competitive manufacturing companies around the world to identify any similarities in the way they succeed. The study found that the most successful manufacturing companies in the industrialised world have adopted similar strategies to remain competitive: they exhibit advanced knowledge, advanced processes and/or advanced business models.
In the advanced knowledge space, they suggest higher information communication intensity which essentially means any form of IT relating to communication such as business system integration or communication between systems in a supply chain will create advanced knowledge. These companies are also more collaborative with other companies, such as within the supply chain.
In the advanced processes characteristics, they exhibited more automation and smarter inventory management.
This study confirms that it’s not about what manufacturers sell that makes them successful, it is how they run their business. Which is why I would recommend manufacturers utilise technology to work smarter, not harder.
What do you do in your spare time?
I have just started my final subject of an MBA, specialising in supply chain and logistics. I had lots of experience in this space but felt that I needed the qualifications to support my experience. It has been challenging, not just for me, for my family. However, it’s also been extremely rewarding, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
Rebecca is an expert in supply chain and logistics and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Fullcrm team.
Register for our industry round table if you want to hear more from Rebecca and other key Australian manufacturers and distributors, as they share valuable insights on Pronto ERP and the benefits it can bring your business by integrating it with Salesforce.
