The itmX CRM Suite
Which problem should the software/application solve?
Very often there is talk about preparation and follow-up. The in-between – the sales or consulting discussion as such – is practically always left out. Why? Because this is where the employee in particular uses his or her charm, rhetoric and sales talent. And every now and then there is also the feeling of being monitored.
With this tool created by itmX, the employee is perfectly supported to advise and sell even more successfully. He can concentrate almost completely on active listening, the objections of the counterpart or on his own arguments.
In a nutshell, we wanted to show
How to prepare a visit simply, meaningfully and comprehensively and – most importantly – how to carry it out efficiently, how to support the salesperson in the best possible way in the conversation, how to present or directly sell products/services and how to record the order directly. This is how to shorten the conversation itself! Also the follow-up work and the time until others are informed about the course and contents of the conversation is reduced.
Which contents were in focus?
- Documentation of the visit
- Transparency for the colleagues, what was spoken, shown, rejected, ordered.
- Uniform language, argumentation, product presentation as well as presentation of the contents across all employees in one CI
- Guided Brand- and Solution-Selling and Consulting à Consulting instead of selling
- Avoid jumps between the objects, instead the conversation follows a defined dramaturgy
- Simple, complete order entry
The itmX crm suite also allows very special applications, not only the classic CRM:
For example, the “Check the Rack” application, which is a typical process for Fast Moving Consumer Good (FMCG) manufacturers, when the employees at the supermarket or discount store check whether there are enough goods on the shelf and the reorder can be placed immediately.
Is everything set up correctly? Are all products available? What accessories and products could be added and refilled?
Self-service store concept: How exact are the use and process? Small stores with a small area, but as many products as possible presented live as samples. The product catalog is then used to present the variants and details. Appointments can be made in advance or spontaneous purchases can be made spontaneously.
The itmX product solves a special problem at trade fairs: Trade fair employees (such as those at Miele) can set up shopping baskets for the respective conversation before the trade fair. The usually short trade fair conversations must be kept short. It is therefore advantageous if as much as possible has already been prepared. The usually time-consuming recording of conversations or the triggering of sample or product deliveries are perfectly supported by this.
Who is the target group, for whom is the product suitable?
The target groups are clearly B2B companies with sales or field sales or service employees as well as employees in technical sales or service,
A special target group are the rack jobbers of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMGC) manufacturers who support the retail trade.
The assessment in detail
1) Surface / Look / Feel / Usability
The surface and the look and feel are clear. Everything is clearly arranged and does not look playful at all. Nevertheless the UX designers worked with colors and shapes. Users are guided intelligently, important aspects are visualized, the screen layout is kept clear. The eye of the user is wonderfully guided by fixation points. A deepened/supplementary user guidance, e.g. through traffic light system or opportunity cake display, makes the whole UX complete. (à pictures?)
An intuitive “wipe navigation” for Apple or Win10 makes working and navigating easier. The arrangement of the topic or object columns follows the users’ wishes. The dashboard, the order of the displayed objects, forms and fields of the visit report can be customized by each customer according to his needs.
A clearly arranged map for geographical representations and control of regional sales activities completes the excellent toolset.
Clever is also e.g. the following:
The employee is shown the “number of updates” – that is news about a customer. He can then decide for himself when to transfer these updates to his device.
The presentation was conducted with a Dell Inspirion. The screen size is automatically adjusted during use and is not only optimized for one screen size. The app also adjusts automatically with scaling adjustments (100% – > 125%). Many then also use the Surface from Microsoft or the iPad from Apple.
Our interim conclusion:
The users have an incredible amount of information at their disposal. But on the screen, all information, images and lines are always perfectly tidy and displayed in accordance with the course of the conversation.
If the conversation is successful, the mobile order entry system takes over:
The order entry takes place on the move. But with all the possibilities and refinements of a desktop system, which is normally only available in the office. Why?
The itmX user has the complete access to all conditions and rules “with you”. This usually does not work in a classic CRM or store system in this level of detail on the tablet.
Therefore, no post-processing of an order is necessary. This is especially important when travelling and in the future, with the increase of home office and the difficulties of a stable online connection.
The function “Fast Order Entry” allows a very uncomplicated entry via various search/entry options (first letters of an item description or item number). If necessary, this can also be done immediately including a digital signature.
2) Benefit / added value for users (effect / efficiency; time, money, quality, security)
The innovative method of Visual Storytelling and Selling, Visual Presenting on a whiteboard as well as a multimedia presentation shows its advantages. These functions are also available offline.
The conversations can also be conducted individually, for example, according to purchasing behavior or customer value. The colleagues from itmX can set this up accordingly for the customer. The key user can then parameterize the values himself.
All in all, this means an extreme reduction of paperwork. The field service employee can also take a significantly smaller sample case with him on his trip.
The processing of an order is super fast, the prices shown are final prices because the ERP/SAP calculation is 100% available to the user. All data about the customer (the often-cited 360-degree view) is available off- and online.
Office and field service have the same tools. Sales can cross- and up-sell more easily by displaying a clear product comparison within the visit (possibly screenshot of itmX)
From the visit report, all data is directly transferred to the own CRM. A few minutes later, all updates are visible to colleagues. So colleagues can see what has been discussed and shown. This ensures complete traceability of the respective conversation.
itmX has many more features built in for user satisfaction
The pre-allocation of shopping baskets for trade fair discussions at Miele, for example. Multi-brand sales and product comparisons at the power tool group TTI. The AEG and Milwaukee brands can be offered to dealers and customers separately or in synergy.
Both the selling and the buying center per opportunity can be mapped in the system. We have rarely seen both together in the standard of other providers.
The tool also offers a 100% know-how pool for the employee. A faster training of new employees is guaranteed by the principle of guided selling.
All values and prices are available in detail.
The employee can give bonuses or discounts on the header or position level – depending on the scope. A 4-eyes voting process can be activated for discounts that are higher than allowed. The employee quickly obtains his approval for the changed conditions.
If you have a more complicated sales system, you can also filter by listings. This means that if a dealer has only 20 machines listed in his assortment, the employee will only see these 20 machines on the dealer’s shelf when he visits. So he does not offer unnecessary products. Unless he wants to actively expand the listing.
Integration and interfaces
In essence, the module is part of the main product of the itmX suite. The catalog and store function can be docked to other ERPs and used as a mobile sales and consulting tool.
The itmX Suite has the best connections to SAP ERP S/4HANA and Microsoft Office365. Of course, CMS and PIM, (Outlook), travel planning (customization of travel planning) and much more are integrated. Like for example
- Data from SAP: articles, prices and customer base…
- itmX is open through standards such as BMEcat import interfaces
- In addition, a comparison of the article information supplied from the various data sources takes place in the background. E.g. between SAP, PIM, Webshop. This is a very important contribution to address and data quality!
- And, as already presented at the 1st Virtual Xperience Day, itmX offers an extremely tight integration with the Microsoft world
Summary
The tool shown is an excellent solution for the execution of visits (including preparation and follow-up) – both off- and online.
The complete integration in ERP, CRM, webshop etc. ensures barrier-free use. Which results in a price calculation in real time. And this “without ifs and buts”. The solution is complemented by many Microsoft features that effectively support daily work
The interface is characterized by a clear structure of the objects or topics as well as the availability of all data necessary within a visit.
The intuitive use through Windows or Apple tablet devices is fun and guides the user smoothly. An excellent user experience, in the best sense of the word very detailed, but nevertheless implemented consistently and without frills. All in the interest of the user – a Waoh effect.
A prime example of guided selling with great additional features.
The itmX-Suite is a complete in-house development. You can see the full gas development of the last 3 years under the umbrella of intelligence.
Conclusion
Our assessment of the innovative character: There is probably no other solution that works so well and integrated with SAP. Perhaps not even the CRM solution from SAP itself. In other words, a beacon on the CRM market.
During the audit, we repeatedly had the impression: Great, people are always thinking one or two steps ahead. The understanding of the UX designers and the working power of the itmX team can be seen in the complete in-house development. This is a great result of the last 3 years and can be seen absolutely.
The system is intuitive, simple and convinces with a very structured but flexible presentation.
The USP of the solution is
- direct integration into the ERP
- excellent user experience, very detailed, but consistently straightforward à always in the sense of the user à with Waoh effect
- complete Microsoft integration, the best of both worlds
Outlook
What does the further roadmap for the further development of the itmX suite look like? e.g.
- SnapAddy for building/researching a buying center/decision maker.
Depositing the customer’s typology and then building and implementing a guideline for the interview is currently being implemented - The Müller-Heiman method as well as the definition of certain types of buyers will soon allow individual conversation guidelines.
- UX-optimizations will be defined with Apple and SAP and implemented in the next months. With Augmented Reality (AR) the product presentation is to be perfected.
References
Note: This is a machine translation. It is neither 100% complete nor 100% correct. We can therefore not guarantee the result.
