IBM > Case Studies > Cegid Enhances Sales Efficiency with Oracle and IBM

Cegid Enhances Sales Efficiency with Oracle and IBM

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Sensors - Haptic Sensors

Applicable Industries

Oil & Gas
Retail

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development
Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Inventory Management
Time Sensitive Networking

Services

System Integration
Training

About The Customer

Cegid is a leading provider of advanced software solutions to small and mid-sized enterprises. The company offers a portfolio that spans ERP, payroll and HR, finance, reporting, and budgeting. It also develops industry-specific management solutions for hotels and restaurants, retail, manufacturing, accountancy firms, public sector, and more. Cegid employs more than 2,000 people in ten countries and achieved sales of EUR 260 million in 2013. As the company grows its national and worldwide sales, operating in an integrated manner through multiple channels becomes increasingly important. To tune and transform its business practices around client relationships, the company created a business-change initiative called Customer Power.

The Challenge

Cegid, a leading management software solutions provider in France, was facing challenges in harmonizing its sales practices across different verticals and business units. The company was struggling with its existing CRM systems, which were not adequately aligned with its sales process and lacked sufficient multichannel capabilities. The lack of standardization and integrated reporting made it difficult to create accurate sales pipelines and forecasts, impacting Cegid’s ability to direct resources efficiently and profitably. The company aimed to create a new CRM and PRM solution that would enable it to harmonize sales practices across all verticals and business units, promote growth through better knowledge of clients and markets, develop a true multichannel approach to sales, and boost productivity through greater operational efficiency and process automation.

The Solution

Cegid collaborated with IBM Global Business Services to deploy a cloud-based Oracle CRM OnDemand solution for sales and partner management. The solution was aligned with Cegid’s internal sales methodology, Force 8, and Oracle CRM OnDemand Marketing. The deployment took place in three stages, with the first stage establishing the core CRM functionality for sales management, reports, and dashboards. The second stage implemented the marketing functionality, including campaign automation, while the third stage localized the solution to meet the needs of 11 different countries. The solution provided a true 360-degree view of each account and its associated ecosystem, shared by all business units and sales channels at Cegid. This helped ensure better collaboration between sales teams working on the same account.

Operational Impact

The deployment of Oracle CRM OnDemand has helped Cegid to optimize its sales processes and align them fully with its Force 8 methodology for both internal users and external partners. The solution provides a dynamic view that shows only the relevant information to each user, ensuring that they get the information they need quickly and effortlessly. The integration of leads from multiple channels accelerates response and boosts productivity. The solution also enables better targeting of marketing campaigns, resulting in a smaller number of highly appropriate messages being sent to customers. This has led to a significant improvement in the lead-to-conversion ratio. The solution has been well-received by users, with a majority stating that it helps them save time and work more effectively.

Quantitative Benefit