Krug + Priester GmbH & Co. KG

Since 2019, Krug + Priester has been relying on SMARTCRM in field and office sales as well as in marketing. The manufacturer of document shredders, cutting machines and air purifiers chose to implement a CRM system to create a central database. Employees were to work using a uniform system across departments and be able to access a common pool of information that was accessible to all. Requirements for the CRM solution included ease of use, a good price-performance ratio and a proven interface to the ERP system Infor LN used by Krug + Priester.

Standard interface to Infor LN

SMARTCRM was able to fulfill all these requirements during the CRM decision. We scored with competent support as well as with the standard interface to Infor LN and our ERP expertise. We were able to set up the preconfigured interface quickly and easily, and to implement all requirements specified by Krug + Priester. Using this connection, addresses, turnover and order backlog positions, open items as well as products are transferred from the ERP software to SMARTCRM. Our CRM solution offers extensive BI functionalities. At Krug + Priester, for instance, the imported figures are analyzed and made available at different levels, per customer or product. This means that today incoming orders, open items or overdue invoices can be presented in a simpler and compacter manner.

Optimal field integration

Before the introduction of SMARTCRM, field service employees had no direct access to the data maintained in Infor LN when working from home. Today, all customer-related information and analyses are available to them centrally in the CRM solution – even without an Internet connection, thanks to SMARTCRM’s offline capability. In the past, they often used Microsoft Excel for reporting, but this has been completely replaced by SMARTCRM. Today, the sales force only works with the CRM system without exception and is always informed about the activities with a customer, about the purchased products as well as sales developments and trends even while on the road.

Visualization in Bing Maps

The sales force is also supported in planning routes. If, for instance, a customer is to be visited, the area search in SMARTCRM enables the simple and practical localization of other customers in the immediate vicinity. The addresses can be then visualized in Bing Maps and the optimal route can be planned. During the transfer back to the CRM system, appointments and planning activities can be conveniently generated at the same time.

Central all-round view instead of local storage

SMARTCRM has also optimized the cross-departmental communication between field and office staff. For instance, e-mails that are automatically imported from Microsoft Outlook are archived in the respective customer file and customer-specific conditions are centrally stored. Before the CRM introduction, sales staff used to maintain customer and prospective customer data as well as visit reports in locally stored Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Today, they document visits in the CRM customer file as well as the complete communication enabling a seamless activity history. Tasks or appointments including due dates and reminders can be created directly in the CRM system. This way, field and office colleagues are always fully informed about who has discussed what and when with a customer at a glance in the CRM system. Locally stored information and time-consuming inquiries with colleagues belong to the past.

Connection to Inxmail Professional

The marketing team works with our CRM solution as well. In particular, the standard interface to the e-mail marketing software Inxmail Professional simplifies many processes and allows them to send personalized mailings and newsletters based on current, central data – free from isolated applications. Using the manifold filter options in the CRM system, employees can first select the appropriate target group and transfer the corresponding data to Inxmail with a single click. Newsletter subscription and cancellation of subscription information is automatically transferred back to SMARTCRM over the interface. Data-protection complying dispatch is made possible by storing all relevant GDPR information.

Thanks to the modular structure of SMARTCRM, Krug + Priester was able to start with the modules that were most important to them and to expand the CRM system step by step. Thus, the needs of the company for the CRM software could – and still can – be checked during ongoing operation, the functionalities could be successively extended accordingly and other departments could be connected step by step. Whereas the focus was previously on the core processes of the departments involved, Krug + Priester now also wants to examine SMARTCRM’s potential applications beyond this. This targeted approach is also reflected in the consistently good acceptance of the employees for SMARTCRM. Especially the field service is very pleased with the CRM support. Krug + Priester is equally satisfied with our support. Thus, the company feels well advised by both project management and support staff.