Sage CRM Customer Success
MPM trusts Castle to install Sage CRM based on its expertise and indepth knowledge of CRM solutions Customer MPM Software Industry Information technology Location Spain Solution Sage CRM
For the past three months, the 15 members of MPM Software’s Sales, Marketing and Administration teams have been benefitting from solutions provided by Sage CRM, a modular and scalable web based product, selected for its broad functionality and its specification and development tools. The project, which was carried out jointly with Castle CRM Ibérica, has been special for both parties, since it involved close collaboration by two companies specialised in software, MPM being a company dedicated to the development of computer solutions and services for the insurance sector. How did the collaboration come about?
Tomás Molina (T. M.): At that time, our needs had expanded a lot due to our growth. Our needs are now much more complex in all ways, such as management of contacts, for example. We need more functionality, marketing automation and greater user-autonomy. For that reason, we realised that while ACT was a product that worked for us at the time, it was not going to cover future needs. That is why we opted for Sage CRM. What did MPM value about Castle CRM? T. M.: above all, we were clear from the outset that we only wanted to work with a CRM product specialist who had an in-depth knowledge of such products.
Jorge González (J. G.): Two years ago, we had our first contact with MPM, to whom we offered our CRM solutions. However our collaboration was postponed at that time. Then a year ago we resumed discussion in a more focussed way and, above all, focussed on a more complete CRM solution.
‘The introduction of Sage CRM has meant a significant decrease in the work-load for marketing and an optimisation for sales.’ Tomás Molina, MPM Software
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Challenge MPM had five co-existing databases and needed to consolidate them into a flexible tool which would allow them to be self-sufficient and would allow for future customisation.
Solution Sage CRM has allowed for greater independence within MPM’s sales team as well as real-time control of sales, forecasts and sales activities. Results The introduction of Sage CRM has meant a significant decrease in the work-load for Marketing and an optimisation for Sales, with considerable time savings in their work. Each user can easily access the system themselves and customise their view of the CRM. This improves satisfaction with the product.
Sage CRM Customer Success
‘The rollout to date has shown us that Sage CRM allows us real-time control over sales and sales forecasts, the tasks that the sales teams carry out, more control over marketing, unified customer tracking, listings of objectives which the sales force can review, more reliable segmentation of the information... In short, we would say that it allows us a better understanding of our customers.’ Tomás Molina, MPM Software
What needs did MPM outline to Castle CRM?
How many phases did the collaboration have?
M. T.: When implementing the solution, it was very important to take the peculiarities of our internal information management system into account. That is why we needed a flexible product that we could adapt ourselves, that allows us to be self-sufficient and customise it at any time.
T. M.: We are currently in the first phase, which consists of implementing Sage CRM in the Sales Division and we are very satisfied, because we have managed to fully adapt the program to our needs. We are now in a period of consolidation, i.e. we are seeing how, every day, we are resolving problems regarding sales forecasts, sales opportunities.
How would you define the project? J.G.: This has been a unique project, given that MPM, by virtue of its profile as a consultant specialising in software for the insurance sector, has participated in a very pro-active manner. Collaboration was very close and MPM even brought its own resources to the project. Overall, a very positive experience for both parties. How was the relationship between the two companies? J. G.: Very fluid, based on very good technical understanding, given that the client already knew how the product worked. You could say that we spoke the same language. T.M.: Certainly, given the type of client that we are, we posed a level of technical requirement that perhaps other clients would not demand. For example, in our case we had developed a CRM for insurance mediation. Therefore, we are very familiar with this type of solution. How many people collaborated on the project? T.M.: As regards MPM, four people participated: one from management, to define the information which had to be reflected in the CRM and in the sales management processes; two people from marketing, to fully define the cycle for following up on sales leads, the information fields that we needed and the procedures for carrying out sales campaigns; and a development technician for the Sage CRM tool, who is now working on integrating Sage with our intranet. J.G.: As regards Castle CRM, three people were involved: a project manager, a functional analyst and a development and specification resource.
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Next, we plan to integrate MPM’s various databases. For example, the compiler, which is a database that tells us for what products each of our customers have contracts. Our future ambition is to consolidate the five existing internal databases into a single one. The main result of this integration will be that you will be able to see additional information in the customer’s file in the CRM. In addition, we want to integrate Sage CRM with our web portal and our intranet, where we have already begun to develop a range of our own reports that are accessible to the entire organisation. It must be borne in mind that this type of product is like a overall viewer, a system which, thanks to its specification and development characteristics allows a comprehensive profile of the customer to be built. How long did the first phase last? T.M.: The implementation of Sage CRM took two months, including a first phase in which Castle CRM analysed our needs, compiling a list of requirements, such as the billing system for example. What budget did the overall project require? T. M.: The initial budget was 16,000 euros, comprising the start of the first phase, analysis and installation, training and a small adaptation that we needed to integrate the CRM with our billing system, Sage Logic Control.
Sage CRM Customer Success
How were MPM’s needs identified? J.G.: Through meetings with the heads of the different areas and management. MPM developed a functional requirements document and Castle CRM defined the project, minimising the costs of development and specification and adapting internal processes to the product as far as possible, and not vice versa. Did Castle CRM have to provide training for MPM staff? T.M.: Yes. Some of the staff of MPM, from sales and consulting, as well as marketing and administration underwent a period of training. About ten people in total. J.G.: The training lasted 40 hours, spread over different sessions: two for sales staff, one for Marketing and another for Administration.
How many people currently use the tool? T. M.: As our tool is web-based, it is also used in our offices in Madrid and Portugal. Fifteen people use it in all. How have MPM’s IT needs evolved in recent years? T. M.: Since we contacted Castle CRM for the first time, our IT requirements have evolved significantly, as a result of the company’s growth, the different business areas, managed in different ways, and the differences that exist in the two markets in which we operate, Spain and Portugal.
What every day improvements have you observed with Sage CRM?
At the start, we needed a contact management system, but over time marketing activities and campaigns became increasingly more complex.
T. M.: The rollout to date has shown us that Sage CRM allows us real-time control over sales and sales forecasts, the tasks that the sales teams carry out, more control over marketing, unified customer tracking, listings of objectives which the sales force can review, more reliable segmentation of the information... In short, we would say that it allows us a better understanding of our customers.
As a result, we came to the conclusion that we needed a complete CRM system. In addition, our needs could still evolve, so we looked for a customisable system. When we talk about information databases, we are talking about containers. If Sage CRM allows me to customise a particular container, that reassures us that we won’t have problems as regards information storage.
In addition, the introduction of Sage CRM has meant a significant decrease in the work-load for marketing and an optimisation for sales, with considerable time savings in their work. This arises from having automated internal reports, sales forecasts, actual sales achieved.
J. G.: It must be borne in mind that the Sage CRM product has two versions, Standard and Premium. And, although we are using Standard for the moment, it is likely that the Premium version will be a better fit for MPM’s needs in the medium term.
In addition, we have achieved greater independence for the sales team. Each user can access the system themselves and customise their view of the CRM. This improves satisfaction with the product. At user level, the system can be accessed over the internet, which allows our sales team, for example, to bring the customer database with them on their laptops and automatically update it when they go online.
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Finally, as a future improvement, Sage CRM will allow us to have all the company information in the same system.
About Sage CRM Over 15,000 small and medium sized companies across the globe use Sage CRM every day to accelerate sales, drive business productivity and make every customer interaction count. It is used by enterprising, growing companies seeking new ways to interact with customers, leverage the power of social media and take advantage of the latest mobile developments to further grow their business. When combined with Sage ERP, our customers enjoy better business insight, increased efficiencies and productivity, and gain a single, customer-centric view across their entire business. So whether you’re just starting out or have already grown to several hundred employees, Sage CRM can help accelerate your business success. Accelerate your business success with a free 30-day trial at www.sagecrm.com
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