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Brief
As Koozai experienced rapid growth—adding high-profile clients such as University of Cambridge, Mobile Phones Direct, and diversified technology company 3M—the firm had increasing difficulty tracking customer interactions across sales and marketing. Previous deployments of Salesforce.com and Microsoft Dynamics CRM didn't provide Koozai with the flexibility it needed to meet industry-specific requirements. “We went from Salesforce to Microsoft due to escalating costs,” recalls Rob Arkell, Koozai’s Sales and Marketing Director. “But when we looked at Microsoft it wasn’t user friendly and it wasn’t very customizable. Plus, we couldn’t easily extract the data we needed for reporting purposes.
The company understood what it required of a CRM solution: scalability, maturity, support, flexibility, and ease of use. And during Koozai’s research, SugarCRM reached the top of its short list.
Strategy
Koozai needed Sugar to help the firm manage its accelerated growth. But, for a growing company, technology solutions also need to be accessible and simple to use for personnel with a wide range of skill sets. Koozai found that Sugar easily met that requirement. “User adoption was really important as soon as we brought the software in,” Norman notes. “Sugar was going to be used by everyone in the business. New employees receive an initial two hour induction which covers the basics of using Sugar CRM. Given the intuitive nature of the product, our new employees are soon up to speed.”
Execution
Company-wide access to Sugar streamlined the launch of the firm’s London office, located two hours from Koozai’s Southampton headquarters. After spending only two weeks at headquarters acquiring the company’s basic culture and operating guidelines, the London office team was ready to go. “As soon as the team was deployed in London, they had access to all the tools they needed,” says Norman. “As a result, we were all singing off the same hymn sheet from day one.
Results
Since deploying Sugar Professional, Koozai has achieved full user adoption and improved its lead management for a more streamlined sales and marketing process. This has resulted in greater efficiencies in communication, and administrative resources that support ongoing business development and growth. More specifically, Sugar helps Koozai maintain its work quality, which in turn results in an impressive 96 percent client retention rate. In fact, Norman and Arkell agree that SugarCRM supports everything the company does. As an example, Norman offers the following observation.
“We are a very professional and successful business, and like any business, we occasionally have our challenges. In a situation where you need a lot of factual data to support, say a previous event, Sugar has been able to provide that information quickly, thereby eliminating any potential for escalation.”
“Sugar gives us immediate access to the key facts at the key times,” concludes Norman. “If you’re a customer on the phone and you’re talking with a sales executive who has every conversation and every fact that was discussed at their fingertips, that comes across as very professional and it fills our customers with confidence. Thanks to Sugar, we can respond fast and effectively and that’s what our customers need.”
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