*Overview: The client was in need of a new method or application that could provide a consolidated view of their sales and marketing data.

*Client Problem: The current system being used by the customer was a combination of spreadsheets and several applications, leading to fragmented information sharing. The client required a system that would handle lead management, marketing campaign management, roll-up sales forecasting, and advanced analytics. Because of the lack of unity in their data management, it was difficult to coordinate reports and there was a severe delay in communication between the sales and marketing organizations. The ultimate goal was to use a new, unified Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to reduce the time spent in the sales funnel and improve decision-making.

*The Solution: Astir worked closely with this client in helping them understand the landscape of their current environment. From this assessment, Astir was able to accurately identify the client needs and strategize on the appropriate solution to meet and exceed the clients’ goals. The strategy included an accurate view of the resources needed and the projected cost, and provided a detailed roadmap outlining the CRM functionality they would gain.

A new system was implemented, which consolidated all customer, sales and marketing data into one united repository. Creating one central system allowed for the data to be thoroughly cleaned, ensuring reliability and eliminating redundancies. The marketing and sales organizations now had quick access to correct information, driving a faster sales lifecycle. In addition, detailed analytics tools were built into the CRM system, allowing the client to run queries in a dashboard view. Information could be shared quicker, was more accurate, and could be monitored more closely with this new system.

*Client Benefits: The client needed quicker access to cleaner data in order to augment their sales processes. Moving to a centralized database where information can be thoroughly cleaned provided more reliable information to pass from department to department, increasing efficiency. With the addition of extensive analytics tools, the data and the sales process could be closely monitored and analyzed for improved decision making.

Organizational buy-in was very high, based upon the streamlined set of implementation steps. Even the client technical teams were easy buy-ins to the implementation due to the structured frameworks and methodologies used. The organization now has greater visibility into their data and communication has improved between their marketing and sales organizations.