Logistics company boosts sales, reduces costs, and aligns international operations with joined up customer information and greater automation

PostNord connects millions of people across the Nordics region with world-class communication and logistics solutions. The organisation was formed when Swedish postal organisation Posten AB merged with its Danish counterpart, Post Danmark, and delivered five billion letters and 130 million parcels in 2015.

“Globalisation and digitalisation are revolutionising the way the world does business,” said Anders Mittag, Vice President and Head of Sales at PostNord. “We need to keep up with the changing demands of our customers, and that has meant transforming from a local postal service to a customer-centric international logistics company.”

To deliver seamless services across borders, PostNord needed to bring together its Swedish and Danish operations. “All regions have a common goal: to offer the best possible service to our customers,” said Mittag. “And right now, regardless of region, we need to offer customers greater control and more choice. They want to decide how and where to pick up their package, and engage with us in different ways.”

But with disparate systems, PostNord struggled to be consistent. “We needed to align processes across countries, enable new services, and take out overheads to stay ahead of the international competition – we needed a new approach to CRM,” said Mittag.

In January 2014, PostNord launched Salesforce for its Danish operations following an extensive public tender exercise. “We didn’t want to build something from scratch, we wanted a solution that already had sales and service best practices built in,” explained Jimi Mejlfort, Sales Manager, PostNord Denmark.

PostNord now has 850 Salesforce users in Denmark, with another 850 users in Sweden going live on the solution in early 2017. “Both the implementation and user adoption have been fantastic,” said Mejlfort. “It’s been one of the most successful projects I’ve ever been involved in.”

With the Salesforce solutions, PostNord has been able to unify sales and service. “Reliability and quality have always been key values for us, and with Salesforce they’re easier to deliver on,” said Mejlfort. “It’s hard to explain exactly where sales stops and service starts, as with a 360-degree customer view it’s pretty seamless.”

Sales support staff and the pricing committee can all access customer and sales data too, enabling a more joined-up approach and more informed conversations. “Our colleague interactions are more evolved than they were three years ago: we're working together on a different level,” said Mittag. “We don’t have to talk about process and validate data anymore, so there’s more emphasis on sales leadership and coaching.”

For example, sales reps can check outstanding service issues at the click of a button, rather than having to wait three days for a report from the service team. They can also view and update details while on the road by using the Salesforce Mobile App on their smartphones and iPads, which means that travel time is around 30% more productive.

As Salesforce is an open technology, it integrates easily with PostNord’s telephony systems. If an incoming number if recognised, the relevant customer information will automatically appear on-screen. The system also automatically dials leads for the telesales team. “With less admin and easier access to customer and opportunity data, my sales team can prioritise more effectively, which has helped reduce the sales cycle,” said Mejlfort. “They can also spend more time talking to customers, and identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities.”

Sales managers and individual reps now have a real-time view of performance, which means both challenges and successes can be identified and handled quickly. “We have a wall of fame and a monthly hero, which helps keep sales teams motivated,” added Mejlfort.

Customer service teams are also more motivated, and up to 25% more productive, as Salesforce provides greater automation and better information. “With a full customer history, we don’t have to ask customers to repeat themselves, which makes them happier and our job easier,” explained Mittag. “We also have a library of knowledge articles around frequently asked questions, so even the newest service rep can respond to customer queries rapidly and accurately with minimal training.”

PostNord is starting to take steps towards digitalisation, with customers now able to get in touch via Twitter, Facebook and an integrated app as well as phone and email. “We’re opening up new engagement channels, with self-service next on the agenda,” said Mejlfort.

The efficiency gains made in both sales and service are contributing to significant cost savings for PostNord.

To ensure it has the highest levels of support in place for its Salesforce solutions, PostNord has taken advantage of the Premier Success Programme since 2013. With Premier Success, PostNord in continuous conversation with Salesforce and any issues are dealt with at lightning speed. With trusted advisors and Cloud Accelerators, which are personalised work sessions around specific challenges, it’s helped PostNord optimise its use of the Salesforce solutions and maximise user adoption.

PostNord’s evolution and growth will continue with Salesforce solutions at the heart of its ability to be agile, profitable and customer-centric. "Customers remember good service, and that's why they'll keep coming back to PostNord," said Mittag. "With shared goals, values, and Salesforce solutions uniting our teams across the Nordics, we can provide competitive international services and establish ourselves as a leader in global logistics.”