Vilton

Remote, Web & Smartphone Access improves Vilton’s infrastructure

Based in Holland, Vilton develops and manufactures products for the construction, infrastructure and concrete industry. As a company experiencing rapid growth, Vilton saw the need to improve their processes and access to customer information in order to maintain their growth and sustainability.

The Challenge

Vilton found that poor access to their customer data was slowing their business processes down. With over 50 remote workers, staff were having to collect and store information while out on the road, and subsequently load the information into their database when back in the office or at home. This was driving business productivity down and proved to be a long, difficult process.

They were also finding that it was difficult to maintain customer data with their ERP/Finance system. Account Managers were being handed monthly sales figures on paper, and there was various contact details all over their network rather than from one single source. They needed something that was more robust, reliable and dynamic in its approach. With the latest advancements in technology, Vilton decided they wanted a system that they could access remotely via the web or their smartphone to reduce down time and increase productivity. 

Decision Process

Vilton undertook a lengthy decision process. As a growing company, it was paramount that they got their CRM project right, ensuring they had the right software to grow with the business, offer flexiblity and provide the new processes they wanted to install.

Vilton trialled both MS Dynamics and Superoffice before allowing Maximizer business partner Systony to demonstrate Maximizer CRM. When Systony presented Maximizer CRM the benefits were immediately apparent. The All Access licencing of Maximizer and easy deployment options meant that all of their remote workers would be able to access data with ease, which would drive business productivity and improve employee performance.

Due to the many successful relationships that Systony hold with their clients, Vilton were able to consult and discuss CRM implementation with an existing client of Systony so the experience, knowledge and recommendation of Systony could be validated.

In addition to this, Vilton liked the price transparency of Maximizer CRM and the services that could be provided by Systony. Maarten Zwarter, Division Manager at Vilton states “There was no hidden costs in the proposal. We were going to get exactly what we had been looking for and it was all laid out in black and white with a fixed price for the project.”

The implementation process for a company of Vilton’s stature only took three months, including data conversion, technical and functional implementation along with comprehensive training. Vilton had decided that they needed 60 licences to disperse among the company, along with additional user licences for MaxMobile and MaxExchange for remote access.

Benefits

One of the main benefits to be seen straight away was the flow of real time data from their remote workers. Account managers, project leaders and architects were some of the Vilton employees that primarily spent time out of the office on business. Now equipped with MaxMobile, they were able to access customer records, sales forecasts, project plans, and other documents in real time. Vilton were able to increase customer face time and increase field productivity to ensure their projects were delivered on time. “The solution is used in the office, but I can use it through the application for the Blackberry. That way we can practically plan and manage our schedule while creating quotes and following up” effuses Maarten.

The introduction of Maximizer CRM has also seen Vilton streamline their processes and increase productivity in their offices as well as in the field. Integration with their ERP/Finance solution, along with standard integrations to Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel, has improved the company’s overall efficiency and effectiveness. Staff were able to manage daily tasks and ensure all actions and deliverables were completed on schedule.

This immediate improvement highlighted the professional services provided by Certified Solution Provider Systony. Vilton were provided a training and implementation program that would not disrupt current business activities to provide seamless integration, and a program that would help users easily adapt to Maximizer CRM. Systony provided 5 training sessions, each unique to the responsibilities and roles of the staff. The training programs helped address critical business processes and how the implementation and use of Maximizer CRM will enable staff to work more efficiently. To highlight the effect of the improvements made, Maarten Zwarter explains “Systony integrated with Unit4 Multivers, our ERP/Finance system. On a daily basis Unit4 Multivers offers Maximizer users turnover/invoice data (financial) so those figures can be seen without having to log in to Unit4 Multivers at the office. This has made life so much easier.”

Another improvement that was experienced through installing Maximizer CRM was the enhancement to their customer communications. With the built-in Campaign manager, Vilton were able to consistently send out campaigns and measure their success through ‘open and click’ statistics. These statistics helped them target clients and understand what their customers wanted. Vilton were able to generate new leads as well as increase customer satisfaction while cleaning their existing database. “The contacts with customers, suppliers and relationships are key to our success and we want to maintain this. Maximizer CRM brings information from all parts of our organisation together, making the latest information of our customers immediately at hand” explains Maarten.

Their communications also improved by being able to add related entries to each company. This allowed Vilton a complete overview of any interaction with a company. “We could see who was involved in what project and how they were related to one company. Every interaction was at our fingertips so we don’t miss anything” says Maarten.

For a company of Viltons size and structure, having good visibility of all operations is paramount to their business success. Through the dashboards offered in Maximizer CRM, managers throughout Vilton were able to view real time snapshots of department and company performance. Being able to effectively measure the output of their staff and evaluate KPI’s, managers were able to report and respond to business activities to ensure they were always on track. “With Maximizer’s dashboards, we were able to adjust resources quickly so we could always make the most out of a good upturn in business, and change tactics quickly if forecasts weren’t being met” explains Maarten.

The future

Vilton is the daughter company of Vlint, who have several companies under their wing. Vlint are experiencing growth and have exciting times ahead. The successful application and acceptance of Maximizer in Vilton and in its sister company NedFilter has opened the door for Vlint and their other companies to introduce Maximizer to offer sustainability and improvements in business processes. “Systony has been responsive to our needs, and customised our CRM where possible” concludes Maarten.

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