Salesforce and Solutions Connect
Komatsu experts improve visibility and control with Salesforce and Solutions Connect
A Customer Success Story
Project background
The client
Kedgeworth is an independent, family-run business with over 39 years of experience working with Komatsu Ltd, manufacturers of plant and equipment for the construction, mining, foresting, energy, and other industries.
Renowned for their extensive technical knowledge and hands-on experience, Kedgeworth have established themselves as leading experts in the supply and service of Komatsu products.
Greater financial control
The challenge
To reduce their dependency upon manual processes and paper-based systems, Kedgeworth had already upgraded from Sage 50 to Sage 200. With the consolidation of key business systems now a priority, the next phase would require investment in a class leading CRM solution. The challenge would then be integrating these key components to provide centralised visibility and control.
As the business continued to grow, it became more important than ever to provide staff with a single source of truth. Through the CRM interface, customer facing users would need to refer to historical transaction data for context when building proposals and responding to customer queries.
Previously, the team recorded client data in their own personal diaries. This lack of central visibility created inefficiencies and made it difficult for them to provide a high level of customer satisfaction.
Kedgeworth also wanted to establish a 360-degree view of their business including financial transactions, plant and equipment movements, and evolving customer relationships. Their existing processes meant that some people within the business lacked visibility of this information and the company also needed a solution that could provide a comprehensive audit trail of its operations.
The adoption of Sage 200 provided the business with a truly scalable platform upon which to manage its resources. It was important for them to choose a CRM solution that was equally capable of supporting their accelerated growth. The solution also needed to possess the ability to handle substantial volumes of data without encountering system failures as transaction frequencies increased.
An innovative approach
Our solution
Kedgeworth’s Financial Controller, Sharon Christopher, conducted thorough research and identified that Salesforce’s customisation and “easy to use” functionalities made it a strong contender for the business.
After exploring Solutions for Accounting and CRM’s website, a consultation was organised with Nicola Saville, Head of Sales at Solutions, who confirmed that Salesforce along with ‘Solutions Connect’ aligned well with the company’s needs, as it could help provide the increased flexibility Kedgeworth required in their plans for future expansion.
When discussing why she chose Solutions for Accounting and CRM Sharon said:
We were really pleased with the advice and support that we received from Solutions. Your team were incredibly open and very friendly. It was clear from the start that you understood our wants and needs as a business and were able to offer valuable guidance through our selection process.
Sharon Christopher, Financial Controller
As previously noted, a key challenge that Kedgeworth aimed to address was to improve the accessibility of their data. By implementing Salesforce and the Solutions Connect module, the company could utilise a centralised data platform, providing instant access and visibility to their client information.
Extending the conversation beyond centralisation, Solutions helped Kedgeworth to understand how an integrated system would also be able to monitor and forecast cashflow, revenue growth and budget management. Furthermore, real-time access to key performance indicators would support operational decision making and strategic planning.
The implementation would also help eliminate the need to switch between disparate systems to access information, providing staff with immediate access to financial and stock information via a common interface. Additionally, the elimination of duplicated data entry would streamline their operations. The removal of iterative processes would at the same time reduce the risk of manual errors.
By integrating Salesforce and Sage 200, Kedgeworth could enhance order and customer traceability, optimising business processes and elevating customer experiences. Leveraging batch and serial number traceability, Sage 200 utilises Actual Costs for precise stock valuation and profit calculation, enabling the business to monitor stock movements and trace orders more efficiently.
The seamless synchronisation of sales orders from Sage 200 to Salesforce, would also allow Kedgeworth to easily determine buying trends, review past product details and access customer information quickly. Having this information readily available would ensure that the team could understand what their customers want and be more proactive, resulting in higher customer satisfaction.
Kedgeworth also noted that they were seeking a CRM solution that could offer scalability equal to their financial management software. With its cloud-based infrastructure, Salesforce would provide security and anywhere-access whilst supporting increased users and data volumes without threatening software performance or reliability.
Streamlined and efficient
The outcome
After the adoption of Salesforce and its integration with Sage 200, Kedgeworth has been able to harness the power of a robust solution to support its aspirations. The software implementation has automated much of the company’s quote-to-cash process and empowered team members to provide a higher level of customer service.
When discussing how the solution has benefited their customer service, Sharon had this to say:
The system has been transformational for us. Having everybody working on a single centralised system with common access to all interactions and emails means that we can provide our customers with a consistent experience, whoever they speak with.
Sharon Christopher, Financial Controller
Since implementation, Kedgeworth have been able to develop customised reports and invoice templates for international clients which has greatly aided them in managing multi-currency transactions.
Kedgeworth have now been able to embrace the “slick features” and easy navigation offered by this modern platform and the company identified Salesforce’s customisation capabilities as a critical advantage, allowing them to tailor the software to their requirements without altering their established workflows.
Discovering Salesforce with its Sage 200 connector through Solutions for Accounting was a hidden gem moment. With its modern interface and seamless integration, it transformed our data chaos into streamlined efficiency. Thanks to Solutions for Accounting, we found the perfect fit for our needs. A game-changer for our business!
Sharon Christopher, Financial Controller
If you are interested in finding out more about Salesforce, or about integrating Salesforce with Sage 200 or Sage Intacct, then please contact our experts today.
