NHP achieves mobile access to essential data and improves efficiency with Microsoft Dynamics 365
Customer:
NHP Electrical Engineering Products IndustryChallenge:
- To be more efficient, NHP needed a system that provided a 360-degree view of the customer and guaranteed that the information sales reps saw was accurate and timely
- To offer employees mobile connectivity to data
Solution:
- DXC Eclipse implemented Dynamics 365 Sales and Marketing (Dynamics 365) which complemented their existing ERP solution
- Dynamics 365 ability to work on mobile devices was a key reason NHP chose the solution
Results:
- NHP achieved the mobility required for sales staff where essential information needed is available at their fingertips, regardless of location
- NHP has been able to integrate sales and opportunity data in real-time and allowed insightful analytics to be obtained
Challenge
NHP Electrical Engineering Products (NHP) offers more than 75,000 line items across 24 branches located in Australia and New Zealand. NHP relies on 50 years of electrical and engineering industry experience and works with an extensive network of global partners to offer customised, integrated solutions that focus on making electrical systems smarter, safer, more secure, reliable and efficient.
Of NHP Electrical Engineering Products (NHP)’s 800 employees, approximately 250 are sales representatives who rely on the company’s customer relationship management (CRM) system to give them key information about prospects, opportunities and customer data. While NHP were users of a number of Microsoft tools such as Dynamics AX, their existing solution did not provide the level of integration to meet their growing business needs. In addition, the ageing system didn’t offer employees mobile connectivity. Consequently, it was difficult and time consuming for sales representatives to get the accurate information they needed. Robbie Attard, Information Technology Manager, NHP, said, “The CRM system we were using prior to Dynamics 365 added tremendous value to our business but was falling behind and didn’t give our sales reps mobile access to data. They had to find a place to log on to access the system, which wasn’t always easy if they were on the road. “Furthermore, we had multiple data inputs that made access to the right information difficult at times. To be more efficient, NHP needed a system that gave us a 360-degree view of the customer and guaranteed that the information reps saw was accurate and timely.”Solution
As an existing Microsoft user, NHP already had Microsoft Dynamics AX in place as its enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, so it made sense to choose a Microsoft solution to complement the company’s existing environment. Microsoft recommended that NHP work with DXC Eclipse to
“For the first time, NHP has been able to integrate sales and opportunity data in real-time. This has also let us get insightful analytics out of the system where we used to have people manually crunching numbers in spreadsheets."
Outcome and Benefits
After implementing Dynamics 365, NHP achieved the mobility required for its sales staff. The information they need is now available at their fingertips, regardless of their location.
Robbie Attard said, “For the first time, NHP has been able to integrate sales and opportunity data in real-time. This has also let us get insightful analytics out of the system where we used to have people manually crunching numbers in spreadsheets. Previously this would have taken much longer than necessary. Now, reps just click a button and get that information immediately. “The solution has also enabled better collaboration and workflows. For example, when we get a new lead, we can ensure it’s being tracked through the system properly and, if another department such as finance needs to step in, they receive an automatic alert and are seamlessly brought into the process. It’s much more efficient than the way we used to work and it delivers greater visibility throughout the organisation. “Power BI has also been particularly well-received by the team because it gives the reps information that they’ve struggled to get in the past. It puts sales and operational data together and they can access it on their phone, iPad or in the office. We never originally intended to use Power BI but now we’re rolling it out more and more because the benefits it provides are just so strong. “The new Dynamics 365 solution has also empowered NHP’s managers to get the realtime, accurate information they need to make better decisions, faster.” Based upon the success of our Dynamics 365 implementation, NHP is keen to experience more benefits when it comes to cloud based solutions. Robbie Attard said, “We were a little bit wary about using this application in the cloud but it’s been really easy to manage. If we needed a copy in an environment to do testing it has been really simple; we haven’t had to worry about setting up servers or other infrastructure. Not having infrastructure on site is working really well. “Because we launched Office 365 at the same time, the sales force is now truly mobile. We will continue to build on this by rolling the solution out to the field service team as well as unlocking additional functionality such as gamification, where dashboards show a graphical representation of the top sales performers. We will incorporate other areas like case management and digital marketing tools to get maximum value out of the solution.”Working with DXC Eclipse
Working with DXC Eclipse was a positive experience for NHP due to the team’s deep understanding of the full Microsoft offering and ability to provide strategic advice.
“The team was very flexible and accommodating. If we needed to head down a different path at times, then DXC Eclipse simply worked with us to find solutions.”