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Service Innovation Group UK (SIG UK) is a specialist provider of strategic outsourcing solutions for major blue chip manufacturers, brands and retail multiples. It leads and manages high-performance sales, merchandising and tactical field marketing activities that secure brand distribution, promote products, builds sales volumes and audit competitor activity on behalf of clients.
Founded in 1980, SIG UK has established a strong reputation for innovative solutions, complemented by its superior delivery and execution of programmes. An effective end-to-end field sales service is dependent on achieving seamless integration with clients, taking responsibility for the maintenance of client customer and prospect data while accurately recording, analysing and reporting on every contact and communication with both prospects and customers.
Since 2000, SIG UK has run a business-to-business programme for Toyota Fleet. The strategic partnership was launched with an integrated campaign based on classic customer relationship management (CRM) principles. After an initial data acquisition exercise, information on 20,000 contacts was fed into a central CRM system that powers direct mail, telemarketing and face-to-face sales activities.
SIG UK’s professional field sales team, supported by its dedicated Toyota Fleet call centre, undertakes appointment making, lead qualification and data cleansing and direct business-to-business sales activity across the UK. The sophisticated and highly consultative business programme delivers a significant contribution to Toyota’s sales volumes and reputation in the corporate fleet market
In 2000, SIG UK took over full management of Toyota Fleet’s database system. Representing significant development investment, SIG UK had tailored the GoldMine CRM system to fit Toyota Fleet’s constantly evolving business model, accurately recording, analysing and reporting on every contact with customers and prospects.
However, the implementation of a new Windows XP platform across Toyota GB business units 18 months ago served to highlight system limitations, as Tim Willett, SIG UK Account Director for Toyota GB, explains:
“GoldMine’s database structure offers limited flexibility - and in a fast moving business such as this, we need the ability to implement new enhancements almost weekly,”
Smooth Migration from GoldMine to Sage CRM MME
Undertaking the seamless migration from GoldMine to Sage CRM MME, without impacting key business processes including sales, marketing and a nationwide vehicle demo programme.
CRM Integration with External Systems
Robust interfaces with Toyota GB’s data warehousing system and vehicle registration data system, plus integration with McKenzie Myers’ in-house Fleet management system.
Reduced Support Costs
User profiles, security and access rights are now managed centrally. A web-based architecture enables the instant and automated distribution of system updates. Support call volumes are lower and user productivity is up.
Enhanced Responsiveness
Data capture and exchange is faster and more accurate, delivering improved market intelligence that enables sig UK and Toyota Fleet to respond better to changing customer needs.
Service Innovation Group as a European service group specialises in leading and managing high-performance sales, marketing, merchandising and tactical teams on behalf of major blue chip brands and manufacturers in all European core markets.
Ongoing support costs were also escalating - installed on every laptop PC, GoldMine had to be synchronised daily to ensure database integrity. With a distributed team of 50 personnel (most of whom are based in the field), maintaining up-to-date versions on individual PCs required significant logistics resources.
“Data is the life blood of a fast moving business like this, and the timely and effective monitoring of customer interactions was ultimately being restricted by the system,”
“The success of what we do depends on being able to react immediately to the needs of Toyota’s customers. And the ability to constantly evolve Toyota Fleet’s CRM system is paramount to making it easier for customers to do business with them.”
SIG UK needed a CRM solution that could support a broad range of activities for Toyota Fleet, incorporating customer relationship management, as well as supplier and partner management.
The logistics supply chain supporting Toyota’s demonstration fleet is integrated into the system, allowing users to track progress from initial customer bookings to vehicle allocation, delivery and collection.
“We will use the CRM system to analyse the return on investment Toyota gains from its demonstrator fleet. We will report on a huge variety of parameters, including the uptake on new vehicles, through to specific details on individual models and mileage,” explains Willett.
Powering into a new era working closely with Serversys, SIG UK and Toyota Fleet defined its requirements for a new CRM solution. After an extensive review process, the decision was taken to move to Sage CRM MME. The objective was to gain a platform that would enable both organisations to take service delivery to a new level.
Alongside scalability, Sage CRM MME gave SIG UK the highly functional but customisable architecture it needed to support Toyota Fleet’s responsive and fast moving business model. Capable of supporting highly complex processes, Sage CRM MME also offered a wealth of campaign management features together with comprehensive reporting metrics.
“Designed specifically for small enterprise scale operations, Sage CRM MME gave us all we needed in terms of feature rich performance,”
“Its superb integration features would also secure our ability to work cohesively with partners.”
The new CRM solution would enable SIG UK to integrate seamlessly with Toyota GB’s data warehouse and Toyota Fleet’s vehicle registration database, as well as systems in operation at demonstrator fleet management partner, McKenzie Myers.
Sage CRM MME’s architecture would also enable web delivery and remote access. The CRM system would be implemented in a ‘connected’ fashion as a web service interface. This meant SIG UK could undertake system customisation on the server and achieve instant distribution to field personnel and other users.
Scoping the system requirements was undertaken by SIG UK and Toyota Fleet in conjunction with Serversys. Using a Rapid Application Development technique, Serverys was able to prototype and refine the system design prior to implementation.
“The implementation process undertaken by Serversys has been second to none,”
“The transition from GoldMine to Sage CRM MME was business critical - all our sales and marketing processes depend on robust systems being in place and operational. Any disruption would have had severe repercussions on Toyota Fleet’s competitive advantage, impacting brand value in the eyes of customers.”
Today, a centralised CRM database drives Fleet Sales activities as well as those of the Fleet Support Centre. Alongside support for all marketing activities, the system delivers comprehensive and detailed reporting on key performance indicators for the business. In addition, the vehicle demonstration programme is fully automated and seamless - customers can simply ask their Fleet contact to arrange a demo at the touch of a button.
“The new CRM system gives us even greater leverage to drive the business, making fast moving adjustments to processes that further enhance customer relationships,”
“The imperative was to ensure the transition was invisible to customers and Serversys helped us ensure we achieved that, and more.”
“We work with enthusiasm and commitment on behalf of our customer, Toyota GB - through a strategic partnership we leverage our respective skills and expertise to generate measurable sales and market share gains for Toyota in the corporate fleet sector. Serversys proved their approach exactly matched our own and that of Toyota Fleet. Their ‘can do, will do’ attitude was essential in supporting us to quickly define and enable a powerful CRM solution - Serversys also made the transition to a new, highly functional CRM application both seamless and unproblematic.”
In just four months, the benefits of making the move to Sage CRM MME were clear.
“We’ve already achieved significant support cost savings and improved integration across the business,”
Users have quickly embraced the new system, impressed with its user-friendly interface and the enhanced productivity it delivers.
“With GoldMine it could takes weeks to implement a revision to a process, and now we can initiate changes in just minutes,”
Improved functionality, together with 100% uptime has been a further gain. Reporting is more detailed and accessible than ever before and data fields can be revised or refined with ease. In addition, data is imported and exported faster and more accurately than previously, rejuvenating the ability of the strategic partnership to respond quickly to changing market and customer needs.
“In this first phase, our primary objective was to replace GoldMine without any untoward impact on the business, and Serversys extended themselves to ensure we achieved just that,”
“This had the potential to wreak major upheaval on our entire national operation and yet the implementation went smoothly, and has delivered enhanced functionality for all system users.”
The strategic partnership is now preparing to implement further enhancements. The inherent functionality contained in Sage CRM MME has inspired a wealth of new creative ideas and concepts for taking the CRM model forward.
“This whole process has re-invigorated our belief and view of what you can achieve with a powerful, flexible CRM database,”
“Working in harmony with Serversys has helped open a window onto a new era of working that ultimately should enable us to generate further innovative services for Toyota Fleet’s customers.”
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