The AV Group Case Study

Temporary accommodation comes in all shapes and sizes, but the AV Group goes further by supplying hired temporary accommodation that delivers all the comforts of home. Whether it’s a single ‘cabin’ or an entire village, their depots across the UK deliver a flexible, efficient and cost–effective service. Sage SalesLogix CRM Standard was originally installed by DMC in 2005 and since then everything seems to have been plain sailing.

Company name: The AV Group
Company site: http://avgroup.co.uk
Product: Sage SalesLogix
Date: 14/09/09
Region: Manchester
No Of Seats: 25

Situation:

“Nothing’s changed!” is the first comment that the AV Group’s Vickie Hazeldine makes with reference to the smooth‐running of the SalesLogix software over the past 3 years. “The reason we had it installed in the first place was to replace ACT! which had been fine when we were smaller. But as an expanding business with depots up and down the country upgrading to SalesLogix was the next logical move. And we’ve been delighted with it ever since.”

Looking back the choice of reseller had also been a logical move. “We looked about and DMC was always the name that came up as recommended, so we called them in. They turned up when they said they would, arrived with the information we’d asked for and had obviously done their homework. They also had a good relationship with our IT supplier which was encouraging, too.

“On top of this DMC asked intelligent questions about what we wanted, why we wanted it and what we expected to do with it. They knew what we had set our sights on, but needed to be sure this was the right solution for us. So the decision was made – to go with SalesLogix and with DMC.” Following a successful demo, installation took place seamlessly. DMC provided full training and support, even offered to take over the handling of the Group’s hardware suppliers to make the process more straightforward. As Vickie points out, "So many other companies just want to make a sale. DMC was different – and they still are.”

Solution:

3 years on Vickie explains that “SalesLogix is still great and DMC are always great with whatever we need them for, though to be honest we find we don’t need them much!” Primarily, the Group uses SalesLogix to streamline campaign management. “We do an awful lot of mailshots,” Vickie says. “These are sent out to lots of different groups, new prospects as well as existing customers, covering hire accommodation from each of our different depots – from Wolverhampton to Manchester.

“What SalesLogix does is enable us to know precisely which people require information on which product. It then tracks all communications so we know exactly what’s been sent out and followed up, and by which depot or individual. The result is that we can build lasting and more profitable customer relationships with effective, timely marketing initiatives across all our sales channels. And yes, I’d definitely say it’s helped to boost sales considerably.” Although the AV Group seems delighted with the original SalesLogix solution and little has changed in the interim, DMC have been brought in now and again to make a couple of customisations.

“Simple stuff, really,” explains Vicke. “We needed a mechanism that would ensure certain fields needed to be completed before new account forms could be submitted. DMC were happy to sort this out and it’s worked fine for us ever since. But that’s what I’d expect from DMC.”

Benefits:

Vickie insists that their SalesLogix solution is “just a really easy system to use”. She’s also impressed by the way they don’t have to invest hours training up new recruits. “It’s not rocket science, basically, and not having to spend ages training really does have bottom line benefits.”

Will the AV Group continue to use DMC in the future? “Yes definitely,” says Vickie. “If you’re comfortable with a supplier, there’s absolutely no reason why you’d want to change.” She adds: “Really, we’re so content with what we have that we don’t need to contact DMC that often. It’s just the peace of mind of knowing they’re always there on the end of the phone if we do need them. I know that I can just phone up and nine times out of ten they’ll be able to answer my question there and then.

“What I especially like about DMC,” Vickie concludes, “is that they’re just nice, normal people to deal with. They don’t fill your head with a load of technical jargon and they’re always cheerful and pleased to sort things out. That’s what I want from after good sales and support – and that’s exactly what we’ve been getting from DMC for the past 3 years.”