Can Microsoft Dynamics AX help manufacturers bridge the customer experience gap?

Market trends show that customers want dynamic and interactive digital experiences. Some of the highest profile consumer business successes of the moment illustrate where the larger market, including manufacturing, is headed.

For someone driving a Tesla, for example, a safety issue can trigger an automatic call to customer service where technicians can load the necessary software immediately upgrades and get the customer back on the road. Uber can deliver a taxi, private car, or ride share within minutes. Its app not only allows you to see the name, photo, and telephone number of your driver, it gives you the ability to communicate with him or her en route. At CitizenM Hotel, customers can register their preferences, including mood, lighting, and music, among other things, at self-servicing units in the lobby.

Speaking today at AXUG Focus 2015, Luciano Cunha, VP Sales at To-Increase, discussed the importance of blending manufacturing trends with social applications and mobility in the session Mobile and Social Tech for Manufacturing. Are Microsoft Dynamics AX users currently meeting their customers' needs?

A showing of hands during the session revealed that few manufacturing attendees have an accompanying app for their ERP. And, for the ones that do, the app is static, rather than engaging.

When your company invests in an ERP system, users now expect optimized apps, user communities, and dynamic interaction, Cunha argued. ERP has moved from legacy mode to a system of engagement. Dynamics AX is flexible enough to bridge the gap between core operations and customer-centric interaction. That's where the conversation really begins.

Viewing ERP from the perspective of the consumer, meaning in the context of other interactive app experiences, makes your system a much more powerful ...