Business buyers, from procurement agents to repair personnel, are increasingly connected to the Internet, whether through their smartphones or smartwatches. And manufacturers say that is changing how they deliver service, and even how they price their products, according to a recent survey by Salesforce.com Inc., a provider of Internet-based customer relationship management software.

92% of executives say their organization needs to adapt its customer service model to keep up with customer needs regarding product and service delivery and ordering. 90% of respondents list improving field service as a top priority for their organization in 2016.

Salesforce.com based the study, the “2016 Connected Manufacturing Service Report,” on a February 2016 poll of more than 200 executives at U.S. companies conducted by digital marketing agency Harris Interactive Inc. Study respondents included managers of field service reps and information technology departments across manufacturing industry groups, including: consumer products, heavy industrial equipment, construction supplies, agricultural machinery, automotive products and petroleum.

Manufacturers say new Internet-based technologies are driving this change. 68% of executives say they believe such wearable devices as web-connected watches—designed to receive alerts about product restocking and service needs from Internet-based sensors embedded in products sold to their customers—will help them drive more services business.

And as companies use such devices to get alerts on their customers’ need for services, manufacturers will be more likely to sell their products at low prices in order to win the service business that follows. 74% percent of executives say that within the next 10 years at least some of their products will become loss leaders that generate business for primary revenue drivers like maintenance and other services, the study says.

“We are living in the age of the customer, so ensuring service departments are equipped with the latest technology provides a massive opportunity for companies in the manufacturing industry to drive growth,” says Cindy Bolt, senior vice president of Salesforce Industries, Manufacturing and Consumer Goods. “Companies that bring together customers, connected devices and service employees with a single platform will not only be able to deliver a seamless customer experience, but create new sources of revenue as well.”

The following percentages of respondents agree with the following statements regarding field-service operations:

Organizations need to adapt their service models in order to keep up with customers’ needs, 92%;

Improving field service performance is a top priority for my organization, 90%;

Focusing on real-time information collection and storage is key to keeping customers, 89%;

It is important that my company invests in field service technology, 87%

Wearable devices will play and important role in the future of service operations, 68%;

My company is hesitant to incorporate new field service technology, 48%

Following percentage of respondents agree that, within 10 years, products will become loss leaders, that generate business for maintenance and other services:.

Strongly agree, 31%

Somewhat agree, 43%

Somewhat disagree, 22%

Strongly disagree, 2%

This is already the case, 2%

78% of respondents say they are investing in technology in 2016 to update their method for capturing customer data, information and order history.

The following percentages of respondents say they track customer information with the following methods (respondents could choose more than one):

Spreadsheets, 61%

On-premise CRM system, 60%

Internet-based CRM system, 51%

Paper-based system, 37%

Other, 1%

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