Shrusti

MP Guru
Acco Brands, one of the world's largest suppliers of office products and the parent company of brands like Day-Timer, GBC, Quartet and Swingline, turned to Model Metrics as it sought to increase efficiencies, enhance operations and leverage technology to gain competitive advantages. Its rollout of Salesforce CRM in the United States, completed in September 2009, is the first phase of a three-stage global deployment of Salesforce CRM. The remainder of North America and the other nations around the world where Acco Brands operate will go live during the second and final stages.

As a result of the launch of Salesforce CRM, Acco Brands management now has increased visibility into the sales pipeline and performance of the direct sales group, comprised of inside sales, field sales and strategic accounts. Each of the three teams within the direct sales group follows consistent functional processes yet has its own customized unit-specific processes, and salesforce.com is customized to provide fields and data to fit the specific needs of each team. All the information rolls into a single, central dashboard where senior management can keep a detailed watch over performance and make strategic business decisions based upon real-time knowledge.

Model Metrics also integrated Salesforce CRM with Acco Brands' existing Oracle financial system, giving management a more comprehensive view of each customer and incorporating the respective histories and profiles, providing a better window into forecasting and selling decisions.

As Model Metrics managed the rollout process for Acco Brands, it focused on three fundamentals of CRM success:

* Change management, ensuring that users were aware of the business case for the project so they understood how it would affect them, and providing them the opportunity to share feedback both before the project was finalized and after it went live;
* Keeping it simple during the initial stages of the project, not overwhelming users and management with minutiae and details that could impede success; and
* Monitoring and support throughout the launch period, making adjustments and customizations in real time.

"Model Metrics demonstrated the highest level of expertise in implementing salesforce.com," said Tom Brown, Manager, U.S. Direct Sales for Acco Brands. "It showed patience and skill in getting us where we needed to be with our sales force automation implementation. The project was completed in just 10-weeks, our users embrace the new system, and the entire experience surpassed our expectations."

"Our strategic and best practice insights had a major impact on the overall success of this project," said Adam Caplan, Chief Executive Officer of Model Metrics. "Sales force automation projects like this are at the heart of our business, the kind of projects on which we built our success. We're delighted to see Acco Brands embrace technology so effectively and gain new insights and efficiencies with Salesforce CRM."

About Acco Brands Corporation

ACCO Brands Corporation is a world leader in select categories of branded office products. Its industry-leading brands include Day-Timer®, Swingline®, Kensington®, Quartet®, GBC®, Rexel, NOBO, and Wilson Jones®, among others. Under the GBC brand, the company is also a leader in the professional print finishing market.


Most companies have at least one system or process that could really use an upgrade – the workarounds have become SOP, and the emphasis is on keeping the system running rather than proactively using it for company advantage. But the day comes when the company realizes that something needs to change – for GBC (General Binding Corporation), that day came in 2005 when it decided to invest in upgrading its legacy service system to better support its Full Circle Service™ business. GBC discovered Vertical Solutions, Inc.’s (VSI) CRM - Field Service system, and made the quantum leap from aging technology and information to a more real-time, proactive customer support system.

For more than 50 years, Northbrook, IL-based GBC has been an industry leader in document communication and finishing solutions for businesses worldwide. GBC’s vast binding and lamination equipment offerings are supported with on-site technical service. Its 175 field techs handle more than 100,000 requests for service a year, and manage more than 30,000 service contracts. These techs were using a legacy service system that consisted of an internally developed software solution coupled with two-way pagers. Communications were spotty and limited in scope, and techs could not access important information, real-time at their customers’ sites.

GBC recognized it could improve customer relationships and service levels with more information at the techs’ reach. In addition, its legacy application software and hardware were becoming obsolete and future support was a concern. And, GBC’s communications infrastructure was shrinking, not expanding. The company decided it had an opportunity to not only revamp its technology infrastructure, but to improve its entire CRM process. GBC took a holistic approach to field service so that it could incorporate CRM in the inherent function of two-way/customer-supplier communications.

“I was unable to communicate with our techs in the field by phone, email, or any method other than text message to the pager – that is a lousy way to communicate,” says Tim Spencer, Vice President, Technical Service & Support, GBC. “We needed real-time, effective, and meaningful communication between the home office and the techs, and between the techs and the customer.”

GBC reviewed more than 10 solutions before it chose VSI’s CRM - Field Service application. This solution runs on a combination pocket PC/pager/cell phone unit that provides meaningful, real-time communications between GBC and its techs in the field while lowering overall communications costs. The web-based solution was easily deployed and integrates with standard database applications including GBC’s ERP software. VSI’s CRM - Field Service software also enables GBC to capture data on customer calls and categorize them in specific ways, including by cause, repair, and product class.

The heart of GBC’s field service strategy is effective dispatch and scheduling – customer relationships are built and nurtured with efficient and timely on-site support. GBC’s CRM strategy piggybacked on the communication functionality required for dispatch/scheduling – GBC can now capture detailed customer information on-site in addition to service call outcomes. For example, with VSI’s CRM - Field Service software, GBC captures detailed information on products customers are using and can then send targeted information about new products, usage information, and other important updates.

All of this detailed information is accessible to multiple divisions of the company, resulting in more immediate and improved customer support. The variety of data captured – from cause and repair codes to product information – will also help to improve and ensure quality, maximize parts availability, and educate product development and technology personnel. In essence, every aspect of the company benefits from the improved information-gathering capabilities of this system.

Moving forward, GBC will also be able to conduct and track responses of tailored customer satisfaction surveys.

Field metrics also play a role in customer satisfaction. With VSI’s CRM - Field Service technology, the software automatically applies customer-specific Service Level Agreement terms to each service call. System rules constantly monitor performance and notify appropriate managers when SLAs are in danger of being breached. All escalations are logged and available for detailed reporting. This enhanced level of system tracking has resulted in a heightened awareness of attaining customer satisfaction goals throughout the organization.

The deployment of VSI’s CRM - Field Service software has delivered results to GBC. The company has logged a 28-percent reduction in telecom costs since implementing the new system, largely due to discontinuing use of old pagers and replacing them with web-enabled smart-phones. GBC also has greatly reduced documentation distribution costs by the use of Parts Arena on the handheld unit. Instead of heavy paper-based documentation, techs are now sent a stamp-sized SD card pre-loaded with documentation. This also has the benefit of freeing up space in the field techs’ vans, making room for more critical repair parts.

From an operations perspective, GBC is now considerably more nimble and quick to respond to customer needs. Customer data that were previously difficult or impossible to obtain are now available on-demand. System rules and notifications now help GBC head off small problems before they become major customer issues.

But perhaps the most significant accomplishment to date is that GBC has greatly enhanced its customers’ collective perception of the company as a high-tech service organization. When customers see the power and sophistication of the VSI’s CRM - Field Service system, they are immediately impressed. That favorable impression will impact customer satisfaction and retention.
 
Acco Brands, one of the world's largest suppliers of office products and the parent company of brands like Day-Timer, GBC, Quartet and Swingline, turned to Model Metrics as it sought to increase efficiencies, enhance operations and leverage technology to gain competitive advantages. Its rollout of Salesforce CRM in the United States, completed in September 2009, is the first phase of a three-stage global deployment of Salesforce CRM. The remainder of North America and the other nations around the world where Acco Brands operate will go live during the second and final stages.

As a result of the launch of Salesforce CRM, Acco Brands management now has increased visibility into the sales pipeline and performance of the direct sales group, comprised of inside sales, field sales and strategic accounts. Each of the three teams within the direct sales group follows consistent functional processes yet has its own customized unit-specific processes, and salesforce.com is customized to provide fields and data to fit the specific needs of each team. All the information rolls into a single, central dashboard where senior management can keep a detailed watch over performance and make strategic business decisions based upon real-time knowledge.

Model Metrics also integrated Salesforce CRM with Acco Brands' existing Oracle financial system, giving management a more comprehensive view of each customer and incorporating the respective histories and profiles, providing a better window into forecasting and selling decisions.

As Model Metrics managed the rollout process for Acco Brands, it focused on three fundamentals of CRM success:

* Change management, ensuring that users were aware of the business case for the project so they understood how it would affect them, and providing them the opportunity to share feedback both before the project was finalized and after it went live;
* Keeping it simple during the initial stages of the project, not overwhelming users and management with minutiae and details that could impede success; and
* Monitoring and support throughout the launch period, making adjustments and customizations in real time.

"Model Metrics demonstrated the highest level of expertise in implementing salesforce.com," said Tom Brown, Manager, U.S. Direct Sales for Acco Brands. "It showed patience and skill in getting us where we needed to be with our sales force automation implementation. The project was completed in just 10-weeks, our users embrace the new system, and the entire experience surpassed our expectations."

"Our strategic and best practice insights had a major impact on the overall success of this project," said Adam Caplan, Chief Executive Officer of Model Metrics. "Sales force automation projects like this are at the heart of our business, the kind of projects on which we built our success. We're delighted to see Acco Brands embrace technology so effectively and gain new insights and efficiencies with Salesforce CRM."

About Acco Brands Corporation

ACCO Brands Corporation is a world leader in select categories of branded office products. Its industry-leading brands include Day-Timer®, Swingline®, Kensington®, Quartet®, GBC®, Rexel, NOBO, and Wilson Jones®, among others. Under the GBC brand, the company is also a leader in the professional print finishing market.


Most companies have at least one system or process that could really use an upgrade – the workarounds have become SOP, and the emphasis is on keeping the system running rather than proactively using it for company advantage. But the day comes when the company realizes that something needs to change – for GBC (General Binding Corporation), that day came in 2005 when it decided to invest in upgrading its legacy service system to better support its Full Circle Service™ business. GBC discovered Vertical Solutions, Inc.’s (VSI) CRM - Field Service system, and made the quantum leap from aging technology and information to a more real-time, proactive customer support system.

For more than 50 years, Northbrook, IL-based GBC has been an industry leader in document communication and finishing solutions for businesses worldwide. GBC’s vast binding and lamination equipment offerings are supported with on-site technical service. Its 175 field techs handle more than 100,000 requests for service a year, and manage more than 30,000 service contracts. These techs were using a legacy service system that consisted of an internally developed software solution coupled with two-way pagers. Communications were spotty and limited in scope, and techs could not access important information, real-time at their customers’ sites.

GBC recognized it could improve customer relationships and service levels with more information at the techs’ reach. In addition, its legacy application software and hardware were becoming obsolete and future support was a concern. And, GBC’s communications infrastructure was shrinking, not expanding. The company decided it had an opportunity to not only revamp its technology infrastructure, but to improve its entire CRM process. GBC took a holistic approach to field service so that it could incorporate CRM in the inherent function of two-way/customer-supplier communications.

“I was unable to communicate with our techs in the field by phone, email, or any method other than text message to the pager – that is a lousy way to communicate,” says Tim Spencer, Vice President, Technical Service & Support, GBC. “We needed real-time, effective, and meaningful communication between the home office and the techs, and between the techs and the customer.”

GBC reviewed more than 10 solutions before it chose VSI’s CRM - Field Service application. This solution runs on a combination pocket PC/pager/cell phone unit that provides meaningful, real-time communications between GBC and its techs in the field while lowering overall communications costs. The web-based solution was easily deployed and integrates with standard database applications including GBC’s ERP software. VSI’s CRM - Field Service software also enables GBC to capture data on customer calls and categorize them in specific ways, including by cause, repair, and product class.

The heart of GBC’s field service strategy is effective dispatch and scheduling – customer relationships are built and nurtured with efficient and timely on-site support. GBC’s CRM strategy piggybacked on the communication functionality required for dispatch/scheduling – GBC can now capture detailed customer information on-site in addition to service call outcomes. For example, with VSI’s CRM - Field Service software, GBC captures detailed information on products customers are using and can then send targeted information about new products, usage information, and other important updates.

All of this detailed information is accessible to multiple divisions of the company, resulting in more immediate and improved customer support. The variety of data captured – from cause and repair codes to product information – will also help to improve and ensure quality, maximize parts availability, and educate product development and technology personnel. In essence, every aspect of the company benefits from the improved information-gathering capabilities of this system.

Moving forward, GBC will also be able to conduct and track responses of tailored customer satisfaction surveys.

Field metrics also play a role in customer satisfaction. With VSI’s CRM - Field Service technology, the software automatically applies customer-specific Service Level Agreement terms to each service call. System rules constantly monitor performance and notify appropriate managers when SLAs are in danger of being breached. All escalations are logged and available for detailed reporting. This enhanced level of system tracking has resulted in a heightened awareness of attaining customer satisfaction goals throughout the organization.

The deployment of VSI’s CRM - Field Service software has delivered results to GBC. The company has logged a 28-percent reduction in telecom costs since implementing the new system, largely due to discontinuing use of old pagers and replacing them with web-enabled smart-phones. GBC also has greatly reduced documentation distribution costs by the use of Parts Arena on the handheld unit. Instead of heavy paper-based documentation, techs are now sent a stamp-sized SD card pre-loaded with documentation. This also has the benefit of freeing up space in the field techs’ vans, making room for more critical repair parts.

From an operations perspective, GBC is now considerably more nimble and quick to respond to customer needs. Customer data that were previously difficult or impossible to obtain are now available on-demand. System rules and notifications now help GBC head off small problems before they become major customer issues.

But perhaps the most significant accomplishment to date is that GBC has greatly enhanced its customers’ collective perception of the company as a high-tech service organization. When customers see the power and sophistication of the VSI’s CRM - Field Service system, they are immediately impressed. That favorable impression will impact customer satisfaction and retention.

Well shrusti, many thanks for your help and providing the information on ACCO Brands. BTW, i am also going to upload a document where you can find some useful information and can also included in your report..
 

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