Successful sales thrive on experience, personal customer knowledge and established relationships. However, it is precisely these strengths that present many medium-sized companies with new challenges at some point: Information has grown over the years in Excel lists, emails and individual filing structures – and is therefore difficult to use centrally. Transparency, traceability and efficiency are coming under increasing pressure.
Schmidt-Gevelsberg also had a strong technical sales team. At the same time, there was a growing awareness that a modern, digital basis was needed for the next development steps – a solution that would make day-to-day work easier, pool knowledge and enable better decisions. Together with primeone therefore launched a project that was not only intended to digitize processes, but also to further develop the entire way of working in sales.
The right basis: Dynamics 365 in the existing Microsoft environment
An important factor in the system decision was the existing IT landscape. Schmidt-Gevelsberg had already relied on Microsoft technology, which meant that Dynamics 365 Sales fitted perfectly into the overall picture. Familiar interfaces, a consistent user experience and seamless integration with Outlook ensured that the solution fitted naturally into the daily work routine right from the start – and was not perceived as an additional expense.
From an information silo to a genuine 360-degree view of the customer
The CRM implementation focused on one central goal: to bring together all sales-relevant information in one place and make it usable for everyone involved. Emails, appointments and activities are stored directly from Outlook in the CRM, customer histories are built up automatically and summarized in a meaningful way using AI-supported functions. Step by step, this creates a genuine 360-degree view of the customer – for field service, office staff and management alike.
A lean start that quickly makes an impact
In order to make the start as pragmatic as possible, we relied on our SMART START approach. Instead of an oversized project, we deliberately started lean and focused on the really relevant sales processes. The employees were involved at an early stage, were able to work productively quickly and experience initial successes directly in their day-to-day work. It was precisely this rapid benefit that was decisive for the high level of acceptance of the new solution.
Standardized processes instead of individual Excel logic
The joint analysis clearly showed how strongly previous processes were tied to individual people and their working methods. The introduction of Dynamics 365 Sales offered the opportunity to establish clear, standardized processes – from lead capture and opportunity management to structured customer and contact management. This has made many Excel spreadsheets superfluous; information is now centralized, up-to-date and can be found at any time.
A real game changer in field service
A particular milestone in the project was the digitalization of field service visit reports. What used to be a time-consuming and paper-based process is now carried out directly on the customer’s mobile device. Notes are recorded by voice input, automatically structured and saved in the CRM. The back office is involved in a targeted manner, tasks are not lost and customer contacts are fully documented. For Schmidt-Gevelsberg, this process is a real game changer – both in terms of time savings and data quality.
High acceptance through proximity, training and trust
Close support for employees during the introduction was a key success factor. Training sessions, open question and answer sessions and personal support gave them confidence in using the new platform. The feedback from the sales department clearly shows that the system noticeably supports daily work and is perceived as real added value.
Looking ahead: sales as part of an overall digital strategy
The journey is far from over with the introduction of Dynamics 365 Sales. Further expansion stages are already planned, for example in the area of marketing automation with Customer Insights – Journeys and the automation of quotation processes with dox42. The aim is to create a consistent, digital lead-to-quote process that integrates sales and marketing even more closely.
Conclusion: More than just a CRM project
The project at Schmidt-Gevelsberg impressively demonstrates that a CRM implementation can be much more than just the introduction of software. It is the starting point for a sustainable further development of sales – with more transparency, better collaboration and a future-proof digital basis.