Direct Visual Case Study
Customer Relationship Management with Sage Integration
Client Profile
Direct Visual is the UK’s leading independent supplier of videoconferencing and audio visual applications, covering design, installation, support and integration services. With an impressive portfolio of world leading suppliers and world renowned customers, Direct Visual can now boast the most comprehensive offering of professional services in the UK’s audio visual industry.
The Problem
Direct Visual needed a replacement for their existing contact management applications and was looking for an enterprise-wise CRM application that would facilitate process improvement across their Marketing, Sales, Finance and Customer Services teams.
An area of particular concern for Direct Visual was the creation of client proposals. This was an extremely time consuming and manual process and a system was needed that would reduce the amount of effort required to produce the documents, while improving the professionalism of the formatting. User adoption of a new system was also a concern for Direct Visual so the system of choice would also need to be simple and intuitive to use to ensure end user buy-in.
Records from the existing systems had to be migrated into the new system, which would also need to integrate with their Sage Line 50 application to manage products, quotes and invoicing.
The Solution
Microsoft Dynamics CRM was identified by BlackLight Software as the best solution to solve Direct Visual’s problems. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a highly customisable CRM application that BlackLight could further develop to match the business needs and support the processes already in place at Direct Visual.
To solve the issues with proposal generation, BlackLight developed a Proposal Compiler within Microsoft Dynamics that enables the instantaneous creation of detailed and professional proposals via a simple point and click tool.
A two-way connector between Microsoft Dynamics and Sage Line 50 was created by BlackLight, allowing the integration of these separate systems. A new quote generator was also built by BlackLight, enabling Direct Visual to compile quotes from the product information stored in Sage, with the formatted quote then appended directly to Word, Excel or HTML.
The Benefits
Direct Visual have been able to improve their sales, marketing, finance and customer service through Microsoft Dynamics. Through configuration and customisation of Microsoft Dynamics Direct Visual has a solution in place which mirrors and improves their existing business processes. The Proposal Complier has greatly reduced the time it takes for the sales team to produce proposals, by using a simple point and click tool.
The two-way connection between Microsoft Dynamics and Sage Line 50, with its ability to read business critical information has massively reduced account administration, duplication of work and increased productivity and time to market within the sales team.
