Forecasts help businesses determine how best to allocate resources - what sales activities to undertake, which deals to pursue, what products to manufacture, which risks to mitigate, and more.
Getting forecasts right drives revenue, gets costs low, makes teams happy, and supports business growth.
Inaccurate forecasts can be costly - businesses miss out on sales opportunities, distribute resources poorly, manufacture too much or too little of products, frustrate prospects and customers with delays, all of which have a negative impact on the bottom line.
Unfortunately, inaccurate forecasts are quite common. When we look at manufacturing, a study shows that only 10 percent of manufacturers feel confident in their forecasts, 25 percent are not confident at all, and the majority fall somewhere in between. There are many factors at play - the complexity of data (and multiple sources required), the different teams that all contribute to that data, and the tools available to manage all the data effectively.
For the majority of businesses, forecasting remains a significant challenge.
Forecasting cannot be performed in a silo, disconnected from the rest of the business and its various data systems. It needs to be done collaboratively across teams in a unified setting. However, the ability to work together on forecasts is entirely dependent on the usability and functionality of the tech available.
Collaborative Forecasting: Unifying Processes to Support Accurate Predictions
Forecasting remains one of the biggest operational challenges for businesses today.
Today, sales projections, complex quoting, forecasting, and other revenue operations are often carried out independently of one another, siloed from one team to the next, in different systems/places. While platforms like Salesforce are designed to handle many of these functions, its usability is restrictive. Its users often resort to managing data in offline spreadsheets for ease of use, which diminishes data accuracy (in any centralized system), transparency for the business, and the ability for teams to work together.
Manufacturing forecasting typically happens in separate ERP systems, with high volumes of data getting moved around from CRMs (or spreadsheets), updated, and then plugged into the ERP to build the forecasts. Not only is this process time consuming, it is also highly prone to human error.
Take all of it together, and you have a lack of accuracy across a number of revenue areas because data is difficult to effectively manage under one roof.
Achieving true collaborative forecasting requires an integrated data management approach that unites data and workflows. With solutions like Salesforce Manufacturing Cloud and Valorx working together, however, businesses can take a huge leap forward in building and maintaining accurate, reliable forecasts.
Enhancing Salesforce's Forecasting Capabilities with Valorx Fusion
Valorx Fusion connects Excel spreadsheets to live Salesforce data and other data sources, to manage data within a spreadsheet interface. This provides organizations the ability to use spreadsheet tools (bulk editing, formulas, macros, etc.) to work with high volumes of complex data with a high degree of flexibility in a single place.
In other words, it provides organizations with a consistent, universal, user-friendly interface to view and manage business data. With this integration, teams can work with any number of projections and forecasts in a single environment, without moving the data out of their online systems (Salesforce, ERP, etc).
Why Industry Leaders Rely on Fusion to Drive Collaborative Forecasting in Salesforce
Major manufacturers and industry leaders choose Valorx Fusion because it accelerates decision-making without disrupting existing workflows/processes, enabling organizations to streamline operations quickly (and get a competitive edge).
Here’s how Fusion delivers measurable benefits:
- Boost forecast accuracy: Fusion empowers users to edit Salesforce data efficiently within Excel, ensuring that forecasts are accurate and up to date. This capability leads to smarter decisions on resource allocation, sales strategy, and market positioning - ultimately reducing risk and improving business performance.
- Accelerate forecast cycles: With Fusion’s real-time updates, manual data transfers become a thing of the past. Fusion speeds up the forecasting process and empowers leadership to act on insights faster.
- Handle complex forecasting variables: From multiple product lines to different regions or customer segments, Fusion’s multi-dimensional capabilities allow for far more comprehensive views and data editing capabilities.
- Enhance efficiency with ease: Fusion streamlines bulk data updates, overcoming Salesforce’s technical limitations to deliver faster, more responsive forecasts that align smoothly with your business operations.
Business Outcomes When Salesforce and Fusion Come Together
The impact of Valorx Fusion extends beyond the forecasting process - it drives key outcomes for the entire business:
- Predictable revenue growth: Fusion enhances visibility into the pipeline and improves forecast accuracy, empowering businesses to achieve and exceed revenue targets with confidence.
- Operational efficiency: Fusion eliminates manual data entry and reduces errors, allowing your team to focus on high-value tasks that boost productivity and streamline workflows.
- Enhanced agility: By shortening the forecasting cycle, Fusion enables faster adjustments to strategy, helping your business stay ahead of competitors.
- Optimized resource allocation: Accurate, timely forecasts lead to smarter resource deployment - whether managing territories, planning investments, or scaling sales support.
Don’t let outdated processes keep your business from achieving its full potential.
If your organization is ready to move beyond manual forecasting processes, Valorx Fusion is the solution. By integrating the flexibility of Excel with the power of Salesforce, you’ll streamline your forecasting process, drive accuracy, and make faster, smarter business decisions.
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