Add automation to improve efficiency
The right ERP software can teach users a lot about what they do, especially how to simplify it. Because there are many moving parts involved in the manufacture and safe delivery of a product, not every push can be manual, or dealers will be exhausted by over-management.
Automatic notifications are a ubiquitous feature in ERP software that prevents distributors from succumbing to inertia - a more practical process practically guarantees this. While distributors are worried about the physical stuff, their ERP solutions are quick to make a difference. A new sale or return initiates the process and automatically transmits data to the appropriate parties for appropriate follow-up, documenting changes throughout the process, reducing manual data entry efforts, and storing valuable information for later insight. No more wasting time looking for "lost" data or entering information that is already in one system (i.e., finance) but not in another (your CRM system).
Seamlessly connecting with your data and making it accessible and shared across all areas of your business is what ERP enables, meaning your customers aren't asking, "Hey, I've given this information to your sales rep, why doesn't the right hand know what the left hand is doing there?" You need to integrate with your operations, all business units, supply chain and business partners, regulatory and compliance obligations, and (of course) customers and their data.