Innovative CRM tools for agricultural consortia
Providing the sales force with the right tools for customer management significantly increased the conversion rate of business negotiations.
THE CHALLENGE
An important agricultural consortium in the Friuli region was looking for a system that would provide the sales network in the area with all the strategic information they needed to carry out their sales, advisory and service activities with their customers.
The system also had to be able to retrieve and correlate various types of data from its own ERP system and make it available to the sales force for mobile use.
Another aspect that was considered strategic was that this iteration should be bi-directional, to ensure an automatic flow of collected data in future developments. Finally, the timetable for the implementation of the solution had to be strictly defined and adhered to, within an agreed period of six months from the start of the work.
THE CHALLENGE
An important agricultural consortium in the Friuli region was looking for a system that would provide the sales network in the area with all the strategic information they needed to carry out their sales, advisory and service activities with their customers.
The system also had to be able to retrieve and correlate various types of data from its own ERP system and make it available to the sales force for mobile use.
Another aspect that was considered strategic was that this iteration should be bi-directional, to ensure an automatic flow of collected data in future developments. Finally, the timetable for the implementation of the solution had to be strictly defined and adhered to, within an agreed period of six months from the start of the work.
THE SOLUTION
The creation of a mobile app, designed, customised and developed to the client’s exact specifications, provided a solution that met the needs of the sales staff and agents in the territory. Developed on both Android and iOS platforms and with different access profiles (management, internal staff, agent, agency and customer), numerous functions and company information were made available. Management of customer, lead and supplier master data, creation of sales checklists, collection of non-compliance, advanced CRM management, but also consultation of sales, turnover, account statements, price lists, inventory, absence management and order collection via the shop are the functions that provide the user with everything he or she needs to effectively face the challenges of the market. An application with a functional, intuitive design and a successful user experience contributed to the success of the project by significantly reducing the learning curve for users. Customers have also benefited from the ability to submit service requests and make purchases directly from the app, which also offers a wide range of services provided by the company.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS AND RESULTS
There were three main reasons for the success of the project. The automatic connection to the ERP system used by the company (AS400) allowed the complete provision of the database required to meet user needs. The bi-directional flow also allowed full operability, with the definitive elimination of manual processes. The agile approach to the project allowed the customer to be constantly and continuously involved in the design and development phases, which was essential to meet the expectations and objectives set. In the end, the customer’s timeframe for field testing and go-live of the final project, although ambitious, was met. Thanks to this solution, Consorzio Agrario Friuli Venezia Giulia has been able to achieve significant efficiency gains through the mobile delivery of all strategic information to staff who are constantly in contact with customers. This has led to greater customer loyalty, with a significant increase in the number of sales promotions carried out and an increase in the conversion rate of proposed negotiations.
TECHNOLOGIES IN USE IN THE PROJECT
The key tools that EUROSYSTEM2000 used to successfully complete this project are: