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"Vedasoft's experts engineered the turnaround of our sales processes.
The introduction of on-line and off-
line sales force automation tools streamlined the order handling
process while providing real-time
information to the sales rep. Vedasoft's timely, affordable and
robust solution has already had a
quantifiable impact on our bottom line."
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CIO, Chemical Manufacturer, Fortune 1000 Company
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sanjeev changed here
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| Sales Force Automation on a Smart Device, PC & Web |
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BUSINESS DRIVERS AND GOALS
A leading manufacturer of chemical products with annual sales of $2 billion
serves over 300,000 customers in North America and Canada, covering a wide
range of industry verticals (see box). The company's sales force suffered from
a high rate of errors and omissions with their customer response and proposal
process due to a legacy client/server and web application that caused 54
percent of the company's sales force to either call or fax an order to a
customer sales representative - the most costly and time-consuming method of
completing a sale.
BUSINESS SOLUTION
Vedasoft designed and implemented a Sales Force Automation solution that
empowered the mobile sales force with real-time or off-line customer and
product information through a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or the web.
Traveling sales representatives can now manage customer information, look up
product and catalog specifications, check or update inventory or shipment
status, and offer flexible pricing via a rules-based pricing engine. Instant
access to the customer's purchasing and product history, as well as an
efficient quote management function empowers the mobile sales representative to
formulate quotes, and fax, print or email all the documents, to their prospects
from their wireless handheld or PDA. Meanwhile, the route management system
ensures that the order reaches the intended destination. Additionally, a
commission wizard calculates commissions instantly, providing incentives to
sell at the optimal volume and price point. |
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COMPANY BACKGROUND:
 3500 industrial cleaning and
maintenance products for professional use (25000
SKU's)
Customers: 300,000
Sales reps: 1,400
Sales per annum: $2 billion
Established: 1937
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
BUSINESS CHALLENGE:
To reduce the transaction costs of order completion while increasing the
agility and productivity of the sales team.
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BUSINESS RESULTS
 Delivered an average savings of $500,000 in the first 6 months of implementation
Reduced cost of executing an order by 78 percent.
Increased measured productivity by 50 percent and
reduced errors and omissions by 90 percent.
Provided 360 degree view of customer and
increased customer retention by 30 percent.
Provided competitive advantage by eliminating
paper and manual work.
Rule-based pricing wizard enabled flexible
pricing and product "up-selling" and "cross-selling".
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IMPLEMENTATION STORY
Using the .NET framework, Vedasoft created a smart device solution that brought
a wealth of information right to the palm of the sales representative in the
field, providing them with a 360-degree view of their entire job function.
XML-web based services and Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) provided
seamless integration between the Salesforce Automation Application and the old
legacy system. Integration with Microsoft office tools and speedy
synchronization made the mobile worker more informed, productive and efficient.
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APPLICATION FEATURES
Modular solutions can be custom-built to any
sales force function, irrespective of
industry vertical.
Software and architecture can be seamlessly
integrated with existing architecture.
Accurate and up-to-date product and pricing
information reduces errors and omissions,
and stimulates product up- selling and cross-selling,
thus increasing revenue.
Access to customer information and intelligence
enables the sales professional to strengthen customer
relationships and foster retention.
Automation increases productivity, and eliminates
time- consuming paper- based
and manual processes.
Speedy synchronization means less time spent on
sending/receiving information from
enterprises, and efficient conflict resolution of data
between devices reduces errors.
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| PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS AND NEXT STEPS |
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The high reliability of the solution led to high early adoption rates of 50
percent among its field sales representatives, with 1,200 orders received
daily, and almost 1.6 million orders received electronically within the second
phase of the solution's implementation. The company has since extended the
solution to two other business groups, and plans to bring its entire
1,400-strong sales force on board during the final phase of the implementation.
Going forward, the company intends to expand Vedasoft Mobile SFA in the
following areas: |
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Expanded Contact Management Function:
With each sales representative servicing an average of 200 customers, the
company intends to expand usage of the Contact Management function to remind
sales professionals to schedule calls, meetings and appointments with their
customers. Added features will include the ability to store personal
information and notes as well as lead management and tracking. These added
functionalities will enable the organization to gather accurate information
about their customer's needs, leading to enhanced customer relationships.
Enhanced Sales Analytic Functions:
The Company intends to expand the PDA's powerful reporting tools to encourage
field sales representatives to report on a range of data points relating to
pricing, products, customer buying patterns, competitive advantage, competitor
information, and customer needs. This will provide valuable intelligence to
Customer Sales Representatives to offer enhanced cross selling and up selling
or products and services, leading to increased revenue and customer
satisfaction. |
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SOLUTION
Empowered the sales force with real-time customer and product information via a
wireless handheld device.
Application Details
Database of 50,000+ customers
360 degree view of the customer
Configurable Product history
Rule-based pricing engine
Catalog management
Commission wizard
Route management
Digital dashboard
Technical
Vedasoft Mobile SFA
Web Serivces, XML amd Soap
.Net platform
PDA, Web and Cell Phone
Wi-Fi, PC-based cable modem, and
Bluetooth-ready
Implementation
Smart Device (PDA) SFA
PC SFA
Web SFA
Network: wireless connection
Contact Information:
Vedasoft, Inc.
Mailing Address:
8140 North Mopac Expressway,
Bldg 1 Suite 130,
Austin, TX 78759
Tel: (512) 346-1400
Fax: (512) 857-6599
Email:
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