Business Situation
Given the competitiveness of the market, NEC Computers decided to review how well its internal IT systems could respond to new demands within their business strategy. With respect to optimizing their business approach, NEC’s CRM solution was no longer meeting expectations. After 5 years of use, the system had become out-dated. NEC wanted a more reliable and high-performing solution that not only simplified the activities of sales engineers, but also allow improved guidance for the sales force and more accurate sales projections.

Solution
At the end of 2005, NEC Computers started an assessment on the implementation of a CRM tool and launched a call for bids. Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 was the preferred solution. Many criteria guided NEC’s choice, such as the potential to personalize the software package with respect to their business, integration with the existing mail service and to the Outlook® mail service client. To carry out the implementation and deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, NEC Computers decided to engage the services of Avanade.

On the functional side, the initial scope of the project covered the implementation of sales components, or SFA (Sales Force Automation), and marketing, which involved a total of 200 user workstations. The first phase involved users from the sales force, which could access CRM data remotely from their laptops, giving them permanent access to marketing.

Results

• Aided decision making
• Interaction with Microsoft Outlook: facilitated adoption
• Personalized solution
• Reinforcement of sales force management resources
• Single international tool for use in all of Europe