Chicago-based information technology firm which provides technology solutions to large and small businesses in a variety of industries throughout the United States and abroad.  The company is comprised of a diverse collection of interdependent business units and together, the units offer customers a single source for the development, purchase, finance and implementation of robust IT solutions.

The company embarked on a branding initiative to strengthen competitive positioning which resulted in the consolidation of previously independent businesses under a single corporate brand. The effects of the consolidation were most strongly felt in the sales organization as a single, enterprise sales force was created. As a result, a single repository was needed to maintain customer information and provide views of customer interaction history across the organization. While management wanted to implement a technology solution to help address these issues, the internal IT department did not have available resources to lend to the project.

We (digitalKnowledge) led the company through technology selection, design, build and deployment of a flexible CRM application.  Finding a vendor who provided the necessary application functionality, allowed for customization to support the range of internal audiences, and had experience for serving the mid-market was integral to project success. Once a vendor was chosen, we completed an abbreviated design and build phase allowing various portions of the application requirements to be obtained by deploying to a small group of power users. This focused pilot group tested the initial application and provided direct feedback. Data was consolidated from the over 170 disparate systems into a single repository, providing the organization with its first complete view of all customer information.

As a result of project efforts, the company now has the essential data and tools to position itself for the next stage of growth. The repository of customer information can be accessed by the entire organization via the Internet, offering users complete flexibility. The environment provides users with the ability to manipulate and extract data on demand, as well as facilitate cross-selling and team selling activities with existing customers. Enterprise sales pipeline reports have been distributed to senior executives for the first time, giving them an accurate forecast of sales activities and enhancing their level of certainty around sales data.