InVision Software AG dismisses rigid CRM system with a red card.

Challenge

• Companies which at first appear to be  regular medium-sized enterprises, frequently turn out to have the well-defined structures of a large corporation when you take a closer look. This is because of their strong international orientation.
• The same is true of InVision Software AG Headquartered in Germany, the software house has 13 independent subsidiaries based in Europe, North America and South Africa, and employs well over 230 people worldwide. This means that customer needs also have to be met across borders.
• Due to InVision Software AG's rapid growth, their in-house CRM system was no longer capable of living up to their needs. A new system was to provide a remedy to this, and incorporate all departments at the company, ranging from Marketing and Sales, to Professional Services and the Service Desk, into the CRM process.

Solution

• A multi-stage selection process was to make choosing a CRM solution easier. Three suppliers were invited to attend a workshop. Salesforce.com succeeded in addressing 80 percent of our requirements with their standard solution, while the other suppliers only managed to cover 50 percent on average.
• Both InVision Software AG's core business and their international structure demand a high measure of flexibility when it comes to the querying, customizing and connectivity options provided by a software-based CRM solution, and Salesforce CRM proved to be the perfect tool for this.
• When implementing and customizing the Unlimited Edition, the software specialist combined the knowledge of the company's system administrator with the consulting services of salesforce.com.

Results

• With Salesforce CRM, InVision Software AG now has a web-based systems on-board equipped with flexible reporting functions. Consolidating the sales processes for the regional head offices in the individual countries where they are based now takes place automatically.  
• Clear improvements can also be observed in campaign planning. What previously were manual processes, are now completely mapped in the system. A simple standard report now lets you determine the success rate of individual trade fairs, campaigns and events.
• Customer Services uses the evaluation functions to their benefit. A highly motivating secondary benefit of the web-based solution for Customer Services is that the team now gets informed when a job-ticket is not dealt with immediately.
• And last but not least, the Content Management add-on module now provides InVision Software AG with an online library available across the company. Documents are published, commented upon, and made accessible internally and to selected partners and customers.