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The challenge“The existing ERP system did offer some rudimentary marketing functionality, but we needed more. For example, we wanted to be able to share crucial customer information more easily with our internal and external sales people and customer support teams, and the right product for providing this is an integrated CRM system,” says Neal Carter, Head of IT at Polyco.“

“This would allow us to collect important customer data and requirements of end-users of our products whilst enabling us to proactively manage our sales and services using much more information

than we can currently access manually. We looked at various products and decided that Microsoft Dynamics CRM was a good fit with our ERP system and as we already worked with K3 it was natural for us to get the company involved in the project.”

In addition, the company wanted to mobilise CRM functionality outside of its four walls to remote sales staff so that they could use Apple iPads to provide an automated, professional and highly efficient service to clients. Using the iPads, Polyco’s sales people are able to survey customers and prospective customers electronically to determine what they need.

K3 CRM hand in glove with Polyco to drive mobile CRM benefits

Polyco customer case study

Europe’s largest technical glove supplier, Polyco, leads the market in the industrial, medical and consumer sectors. They were already using Microsoft Dynamics NAV enterprise resource planning, and they were keen to gain additional benefits from integrating this with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. This integration would provide a company-wide, unified platform to give a consolidated contact and information management system helping to drive more business through its distribution channels. Equally important to Polyco was taking CRM mobile, and their desire to take advantage of the improved marketing tools that Dynamics would place at their disposal.

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Polyco case study

The solution Integration experts from K3 CRM provided their extensive know-how to Polyco, enabling the company to really get the most out of Customer Relationship Management (CRM).

Already using the Dynamics NAV ERP system, the company wanted a company-wide, unified platform to provide a consolidated contact and information management system to help drive more business through its distribution channels. A K3 CRM integration was the perfect answer.

Polyco’s CRM now enables the company to capture prospect data from exhibitions or from bought-in lists, qualify each contact, identify opportunities to work them and convert the prospects into new customers. In that respect it is very much a high-tech sales support tool.

For example, if a customer calls in to query an order, invoice or payment, delivery/proof of delivery, the quality of a product or products, returns, stock levels, pick errors, product recalls, recommended distributors, pricing, credit application, forecasting or indeed any other issue, they can be dealt with quickly and efficiently.

The CRM system streamlines the creation of new accounts. Sales personnel are able to open up a new account, complete all the basic customer profile details and then the system routes the account to credit management for approval.

This is quick, efficient and benefits both the client and the company, the former – if the account is approved – will be able to take delivery of the order much faster and the latter gains a much broader view of the business to include new sales in the pipeline, which clearly helps with monitoring business growth and performance.

“We have really only just started on our CRM journey and we have yet to discover its full potential for enabling more sophisticated marketing. We know where we want to get to with the business and the system will enable that to happen. As more data is collected by the system we should be able to create marketing campaigns that drill down into every market where we can provide a health and safety, hand-protection solution. It will also help with developing new products that are targeted at specific markets, and help maintain our marketing leading position.” Neal Carter, Head of IT, Polyco

Having a unified system means it is easier to manage and record interaction and communication between field sales, telesales and customer service personnel with existing customers and prospects. And with the iPad mobility solution, surveys taken in the field form an important part of the global view of customers and their individual accounts.

Pointing a finger at the benefits As could be expected from a comprehensive CRM setup like Polyco’s, the benefits are many. That goes hand-in-hand with the flexibility of the system, which allows a lot of customisation to meet the precise needs of the business.

Polyco clearly demonstrates that it has been able to develop a cohesive single source solution to manage the marketing, sales and service processes. This is giving much more visibility of its operations, better communication of business critical information throughout its business, and is enabling new dynamic approaches to sales and service.

“With the CRM system we’ve been able to restructure our sales force. Originally, the majority of our internal activitywas customer service, but now we have virtually a one-to-one internal and external sales approach, with our mobile area managers looking after key accounts, with an office-based ‘buddy’ looking after the rest of the customers. It means now we can really focus on driving the business forward through having greater visibility of detailed customer information,” says Neal Carter.

Importantly, area sales managers now have an all-round view of each and every customer and all interactions with the customer so that they are better prepared for their site visits and telephone calls. They can also use the system to check whether all opportunities have been followed up and

Polyco case study

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whether any potential sales have been missed, which in itself can help determine if further action is required.

By automating the process, productivity has improved across the business. In addition Polyco are actively and demonstrably delivering better customer service because pertinent information, and answers to the majority of queries are instantly available.

The system also enables efficiency savings. It reduces the administrative overhead as there is no longer any need to duplicate data because it all resides in a single database.

Benefits• Provides a unified platform to give a consolidated

contact and information management system to help drive more business through its distribution channels.

• Manages sales and services proactively using much more information than before.

• Mobilises CRM functionality to remote sales staff so that they can use Apple iPads to provide an automated, professional and highly efficient service to clients.

• Captures prospect data from exhibitions and bought-in lists enabling qualification of contacts, identification of opportunities and conversion of prospects into new customers.

• Streamlines the creation of new accounts and enables Polyco to take delivery of the order much faster.

• Provides a much broader view of the business to include new sales in the pipeline, which helps with monitoring business growth and performance.

• Provides better communication of business critical information throughout enabling new dynamic approaches to sales and service.

• Restructure of the sales force in a new one-to-one external and internal sales approach.

• Automation of processes, improving productivity across the business.

• Polyco are actively and demonstrably delivering better customer service.

• Reduces the administrative overhead as there is no longer any need to duplicate data.

“With the CRM system we’ve been able to restructure our sales force. Originally, the majority of our internal activity was customer service, but now we have virtually a one-to-one internal and external sales approach, with our mobile area managers looking after key accounts, with an office-based ‘buddy’ looking after the rest of the customers. It means now we can really focus on driving the business forward through having greater visibility of detailed customer information.” Neal Carter, Head of IT, Polyco

About K3 CRMK3 CRM is a division of K3 Business Technology Group PLC dedicated to the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM across industries, with a focus on the manufacturing, distribution and retail sectors. As a member of Microsoft’s Inner Circle 2015, K3 CRM specialises in the integration of ERP systems with Dynamics CRM, incorporating proven Sure Step methodology and best of class project management to help business drive productivity, increase market effectiveness and deliver amazing customer service through social insight, business intelligence and campaign management.

For an informal initial discussion on how K3 CRM can help you improve your business, please contact us: Telephone: +44 (0)800 0832 382 | Email: info@k3crm.com

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