Euremis at Cloudforce London on the 7 April 2009
"Thanks to CRMobile we gain one visit per week per sales representative. This adds up to a total of 50 extra visits per week, which is an impressive return." said Laurence Tengrootenhuyse
Unilever is one of the most important manufacturers of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) in the world, with a strong local presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. It is a worldwide market leader in many of the categories in which it is active. The Benelux division of Unilever, with 1.100 employees in total, has a powerful portfolio with famous brands such as Amora, Andrélon, Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry’s, Bertolli, Calvé, Conimex, Dove, Glorix, Knorr, Lipton, OLA, OMO, Rexona, Signal, Sun and Zwan.
When Unilever’s three divisions merged in 2006, this FMCG leader was looking for a coordinating automatic CRM solution for its external sales staff, for reasons of coherence. Every division had its own application, but none of these complied with Unilever’s requirements regarding efficiency and user-friendliness.
“As a strictly temporary alternative, we had decided to expand one of the three systems to the other divisions," says Unilever’s Customer Development Operations Director, Laurence Tengrootenhuyse. This software would be installed on PC’s only and Unilever wanted to provide its sales employees with as much ergonomic comfort as possible, by means of a lighter and more compact PDA appliance. Furthermore, this provisional solution only possessed basic functionalities and was much too complex in use.
During Unilever’s search for a sustainable application, VP Customer Development Dominique Leroy got word of Euremis in a positive sense. “Even though, as a multinational, we are always required to examine several options, we were quickly convinced of the competitive edge we would gain with CRMobile.”, Ms Tengrootenhuyse says. “Two characteristics were crucial in determining our distinct preference for CRMobile. First of all, the extensive flexibility of the solution was very appealing as it combined a well-tried basis with ample possibilities for personalising modules and functionalities.”
Unilever also was convinced by Euremis’ strong focus on permanent and accessible support. “It was very important to us that our CRM supplier would satisfy our need for an efficient and permanently accessible helpdesk.”, says Laurence Tengrootenhuyse. “Furthermore I was persuaded by Euremis’ professionalism and decisive dedication to innovation. As it happens CRMobile is a very “rich” application, well-founded upon years of experience within the FMCG sector, but it continues to evolve on the basis of general technological evolutions and on the feedback from its clients,” she continues.
The personalised developments and the ensuing implementation of Euremis’ CRM-solution have been accomplished in 6 months time. Then followed a 3 weeks test phase with 6 test subjects. After a few minor adjustments, CRMobile was fully operational by the end of April 2008. “Because it is such an intuitive solution, a basic training of only one day was sufficient to initiate everyone.”, says Ms Tengrootenhuyse.
Today about 60 external employees and about 30 internal supporting staff members benefit from Euremis’ Sales Force Automation application. The external sales team of Unilever uses the PDA’s for widely different goals. First of all it allows them to dispose of the crucial client database and product information on a 24/7 basis. They can list prices, monitor products, place orders and consult promotions in a fast and uncomplicated manner. The PDA is also used as a camera, in order to photograph displays and product stands.
When the mobile staff synchronises, all adapted information is sent through a GPRS-network (General Packet Radio Service) so external as well as internal employees have the most recent and relevant data at their disposal almost in real-time. “In order to pursue an efficient sales policy, it is essential that all available information is up to date at all times," Ms Tengrootenhuyse states.
The internal employees, in their turn, use CRMobile for analytical purposes. Euremis’ solution allows them to filter strategic Business Intelligence from the data they receive from the field staff. Among other things, they analyse how much time a sales person spends per client visit and per commercial chain. Based upon these reports, the action of sales personnel is adjusted, so they can optimize their performances.
“Euremis has tailored the order module and the module for the registration of the product selection to our specific needs and working methods, in order to register and process requests more effectively, Ms Tengrootenhuyse says. “We were the very first FMCG client who needed a follow-up system for its freezer division. I was pleasantly surprised by the speed and the quality with which the consultants of Euremis were able to develop and integrate this system.”
Furthermore, CRMobile perfectly fits Unilever’s philosophy of respect for sustainable development. Not only does it bring the FMCG leader a lot closer to his ultimate goal of the ecologically sensible “paperless office”, but this mobile application also allows for enhancing the comfort of the sales team’s working conditions. The simplicity and efficiency of this software and the fact that they do not need to produce double administrative work (registering on paper during the day and transferring to the PC in the evening), saves them a lot of time they can spend subsequently on fundamental issues.
“The system allows for setting-up a priorities list in a simple and clear manner, which is very cost-effective," Ms Tengrootenhuyse says. “The information in the PDA is not only passive, it actively draws guidelines for our mobile team to perform in an optimal manner and to organize their time efficiently.”
“If we add up all the benefits of Euremis’ solution, we have calculated an effortless payback in 12 months’ time,” Unilever’s Customer Development Operations Director affirms. “The unique aspect is that we gain 1 visit per week per representative, thanks to CRMobile. This comes down to 50 extra visits per week in total, an impressive return.”
In the future, Unilever plans to integrate an extra module for merchandising. “We will also further exploit the BI possibilities of the application and it is our goal to use the PDA even more frequently during meetings in order to avoid any redundant printing of reports," Laurence Tengrootenhuyse explains. “To me, this is a definitive plus: CRMobile is so flexible it can evolve with the changing needs and circumstances of a company."
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