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The goal for a Fortune 500 industrial supply company with a fifty-year legacy was ambitious but essential: to equip their field sales teams and customer service representatives with a comprehensive, 360-degree view of their customers.
Serving more than 3 million customers worldwide through 598 branches, robust online channels, and 33 distribution centers, they needed a solution that could seamlessly integrate and enhance every customer interaction, ultimately driving more sales and elevating customer service.
As the company embarked on this transformation journey, it quickly became clear that their existing CRM system lacked the high-quality, comprehensive customer data required to meet their ambitious goals. To address this gap, they identified the need for a robust master data management (MDM) solution to serve as the "single source of truth" for all customer information. At the same time, they began exploring new CRM options that could provide their sales and service teams with the actionable insights needed to enhance customer interactions and drive success. With a plan in place, time was of the essence. The entire solution had to be operational by an upcoming sales conference, where end users would receive hands-on training with the new system.
Crafting a Cohesive Strategy for Data Integration and CRM Success
Launch Consulting became the driving force behind this transformation. Already steering the Program Management of the MDM solution's implementation—which included integrating an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) for efficient data updates—Launch took on the challenge of weaving the newly chosen Salesforce CRM platform into the broader initiative. Our comprehensive approach included:
- Program Management, Governance, and Oversight: We managed all workstreams (MDM, ESB, ETL, Salesforce, etc.), ensuring every piece fit together seamlessly for a cohesive execution.
- Agile Coaching: By fostering an agile, iterative approach, we accelerated the project timeline to meet the critical deadline of the national sales conference, ensuring the solution was in users' hands right on time.
- Independent Validation and Testing: We rigorously validated the Salesforce implementation to ensure it aligned with the organization's strategic goals and was built with future scalability in mind.
- Support Strategy and Framework Development: Our team developed a robust support strategy, laying the groundwork for a sustainable system that the client could own and operate long-term.
Delivering a Unified Solution On Time and On Target
Following the successful delivery of a fully integrated solution on schedule, we continued our commitment to organizational transformation by:
- Extending Salesforce to New Users: We smoothly rolled out the Salesforce platform to additional marketing end users, equipping them with rich, actionable customer insights.
- Empowering Client Ownership: By transitioning the support team to the client, we fostered a sense of ownership and self-sufficiency that would sustain the system well into the future.
- Collaborative Growth: We worked closely with the client to build new teams focused on directly integrating customer insights from their data science efforts within the Salesforce platform, enhancing decision-making and customer engagement.
- Ongoing Partnership: Our commitment didn't waver—we provided continuous support on further initiatives within the program for over two years, ensuring long-term success and adaptability.
Through our holistic and strategic approach, Launch Consulting not only met the client's immediate goals but also laid a foundation for enduring success, fundamentally transforming how the company engages with its customers and positioning them for continued growth and innovation.
Launch empowers organizations with Salesforce solutions thatdrive sales and service excellence. Is your team ready to elevate your CRM strategy? Explore our Salesforce partnership HERE.