CRM Consultants & Implementation Partners in South Bend, IN

Keilman Business Consulting (KBC) is a family-owned technology firm in South Bend, Indiana, established by Steve Keilman in 1997. Managed IT is its central business, but customer relationship management (CRM) software comes up often in how the company describes its support work. KBC looks after the applications its clients depend on, links them through automation, and writes custom software for processes that off-the-shelf products cannot handle well.

How CRM Fits Into the Offering

Anyone comparing providers should note that the company does not name a specific CRM product, a vendor certification or a reseller arrangement. It is better understood as a general IT and development partner that maintains CRM tools as one type of business software, and not as a CRM implementation specialist.

The application support service is built around proactive monitoring, troubleshooting and optimization, with the goal of reducing downtime. KBC notes that sluggish or unavailable software can interrupt client interactions, so CRM is grouped with accounting, project management, document management and communication tools in its materials.

• Monitoring, troubleshooting and tuning for CRM and other line-of-business applications
• Automated workflows that connect separate systems and replace repetitive manual work such as onboarding, approvals, invoicing, document routing and reporting
• Custom .NET applications designed to work with existing technology and unusual client-management requirements
• Managed IT, help desk, server management and workstation support
• Cybersecurity including vulnerability assessments, endpoint protection, identity management and multi-factor authentication
• Network design, implementation and continuing management
• Virtual CIO services that align technology investment with business objectives

Sectors and Compliance

The firm serves many fields, among them accounting, architecture and planning, engineering, healthcare, legal, nonprofit, real estate and construction, financial services and professional services. It also assists organizations working toward CMMC 2.0 compliance. In financial services, its named audience covers banks, credit unions, investment firms, insurers and advisors, whose CRM tools sit alongside portfolio, payment and reporting systems. For professional service firms, CRM support is bundled with project, accounting and document applications.

Working Style

KBC says it learns how each client operates before recommending a technology direction. It emphasizes responsive communication, thoughtful guidance and long-term relationships. Its managed model combines around-the-clock monitoring, routine maintenance and strategic planning, and it describes monthly costs as predictable. Existing clients can start a remote support session with a technician or use a customer portal.

The company began as a small consultancy supporting small and medium-sized businesses in its local community. Over time it expanded into network management, custom programming, cloud infrastructure and security. It now has about 15 team members with more than a century of combined experience, and it reports over 1,200 completed projects for more than 200 clients, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 firms.

Who it suits: organizations that want CRM maintenance, integration and custom development combined with wider IT and security services from one local provider. Buyers who need a platform-certified CRM deployment should ask about KBC's experience with their chosen product before committing.

Paapri Cloud Technologies is a South Bend, Indiana technology consultancy that works only with manufacturers. Its main clients are small and mid-sized producers that want to update their core business systems. The firm is a partner of Oracle NetSuite, Celigo and QBuild. Its CRM work happens inside larger ERP projects, where customer management is built into the same cloud platform that handles operations, finance and inventory. Paapri does not offer CRM as a stand-alone service.

CRM Within an Integrated ERP Approach

For buyers looking at CRM partners, the key point is that Paapri treats customer management as one of several planning areas in an ERP rollout. During consulting engagements, its specialists look at how a manufacturer wins new accounts, tracks leads and prospects, and supports existing customers.

They also look at how the client measures customer satisfaction with its products and services and how it can predict what buyers will need next. The same review covers the supplier side, including how vendors are recruited and benchmarked, how demand forecasts reach them, and how they get access to purchasing tools.

Services

The company offers services for each stage of a system's life:

• ERP evaluation and software selection
• ERP implementation and implementation project management
• Functional and technical ERP consulting, including CRM and supplier relationship management
• Supply chain and inventory management consulting
• Quality management system consulting
• Ongoing ERP maintenance, support and systems support

Its consulting also covers manufacturing finance, such as multi-currency and intercompany transactions, landed costs and commodity price risk. Other topics include setting up work centers, capturing shop-floor labor and machine hours, preventive maintenance, and inventory controls for lots, batches, serial numbers and scrap.

Products and Industries

Besides reselling and implementing NetSuite, Paapri has its own product, PCT Flex. This cloud platform is built from apps and adds manufacturing features alongside NetSuite. The firm says it has worked in many manufacturing sub-sectors, including:

• Job shops and industrial fabrication
• Electroplating and electronics
• Medical devices
• Chemicals, plastics and rubber
• Textiles, apparel and fashion
• Furniture, health and beauty, and food and beverage
• Automotive, recycling and reverse logistics

Background and Working Style

Paapri was founded in 2014 by a few consultants who helped smaller companies evaluate ERP systems. The firm says it now has more than 75 consultants and clients in most major U.S. states. Its headquarters is in South Bend, and it has a second office in Kolkata, India, run as Paapri Business Technologies India.

The company says it works as part of the client's own team and designs each solution around the client's budget. It bases its recommendations on practices it has refined over many manufacturing projects. Its stated values are #Awesomeness, #TeamPaapri and #NoBS, which stress putting consultants first, shared success with clients, and keeping commitments.

Paapri is a good fit for manufacturers that want customer, supplier and production data in one NetSuite-based system rather than a separate CRM tool. Companies that only want a stand-alone CRM deployment outside manufacturing will find that the firm's focus is mainly on ERP and the factory floor.