portatour > Case Studies > REMMERS and the portatour route planner: Enhanced Sales Calls and Reduced Mileage

REMMERS and the portatour route planner: Enhanced Sales Calls and Reduced Mileage

Technology Category

Sensors - Autonomous Driving Sensors
Sensors - Haptic Sensors

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Applicable Functions

Maintenance
Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
Vehicle Telematics

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Remmers Group is an independent family-owned company founded by Bernhard Remmers in 1949. The company specializes in the manufacture of chemical construction products, wood paints and coatings, and industrial lacquers. It employs around 1,600 highly qualified experts. The field sales team at Remmers plays a crucial role in the company, maintaining personal relationships with customers, which is the lynchpin of the whole business relationship. The company operates in large territories, making it challenging to maintain regular contact with all customers.

The Challenge

Remmers, a family-owned company specializing in the manufacture of chemical construction products, wood paints, coatings, and industrial lacquers, relies heavily on its field sales team. The personal relationships they maintain with customers are crucial to the business. However, maintaining these close ties requires structured sales route planning and regular contact, which can be challenging in larger territories where customers can easily fall off the radar. Remmers had previously used portatour for route planning but had put the project on hold after integrating a new CRM system, SAP C4C, which included a sales route planner. However, the new route planner lacked the range of features that the field sales team was familiar with from portatour.

The Solution

In response to the challenges faced by the field sales team, Remmers decided to reintegrate portatour into their operations. At the end of 2020, Remmers, portatour, and an external service provider began setting up automatic data exchange between SAP C4C and portatour via the API. With the technology in place, the relaunch kicked off with a smaller group. After an acclimatization phase, the field sales team was productively on the road with portatour. The system provides a proposed sales route for several weeks at the touch of a button, factoring in pre-agreed customer meetings and suggesting calls to customers whose locations fit the route and are due for another call based on specified intervals. portatour also made it easier to document post-call reports, with many users dictating a report right after the call using their smartphone.

Operational Impact

The reintroduction of portatour has significantly improved the daily working life of Remmers' field sales team. The system's ability to generate a proposed sales route for several weeks at the touch of a button has been well-received, even by those who usually struggle with technical and digital tools. The route plan not only factors in pre-agreed customer meetings but also suggests calls to customers based on their location and the frequency of contact. This has resulted in more efficient planning and increased customer contact. Additionally, portatour has simplified the process of documenting post-call reports, with many users now dictating reports immediately after a call, saving time and improving the continuity of customer relationships.

Quantitative Benefit