Resco > Case Studies > Hoffmann Group reduces sales reporting time by 60 minutes a day with Resco Mobile Sales

Hoffmann Group reduces sales reporting time by 60 minutes a day with Resco Mobile Sales

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

Europe

Country

Germany

Product

Resco Mobile Sales for Dynamics 365

Tech Stack

Microsoft Dynamics 365
Microsoft Exchange
Google Maps

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Productivity Improvements
Customer Satisfaction

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - API Integration & Management

Applicable Functions

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Remote Asset Management
Predictive Maintenance

Services

System Integration

About The Customer

Hoffmann Group, founded 101 years ago, is a family of companies active in the trade and manufacturing of professional quality tools and factory equipment. They also offer associated consultancy and services. As Europe’s market leader in the field of manufacturing tools, Hoffmann Group has a global presence in more than 50 countries with over 3500 employees. It offers more than 85,000 products from 500 of the world’s leading manufacturers. Hoffmann’s product portfolio includes hand tools, cutting tools, workstations, and storage options. The company is headquartered in Haberlandstraße 55 812 41 Munich Germany.

The Challenge

Before switching to Resco, the Hoffmann Group had been using Microsoft Outlook Client with a local SQL database, which had many limitations. The biggest one was the lack of offline functionality. Sales reps couldn’t efficiently synchronize data collected in the field. They could only do it in the evening, once they returned to their office or home. If they needed to quickly forward information, for example to the Inside Sales team, they had to make phone calls. Moreover, the synchronization process was slow – it took about 15 minutes to switch from offline to online mode and back, and even more if the Internet connection wasn’t strong enough. They soon realized they need a new mobile solution – one that allows sales reps to perform their tasks offline, right in the field. One that allows them to forward information in real time, leading to increased productivity. And one that would not only directly connect to their Microsoft Dynamics 365, but also integrate with Microsoft Exchange as well.

The Solution

After researching several possible solutions, the easy and user-friendly handling of the app made Resco Mobile Sales the ultimate solution for Hoffmann Group. The company’s system admins were also excited about the flexible customizing and administration capabilities of Woodford, as well as the direct Dynamics 365 integration. The customization of all entities used in Dynamics 365 and Resco was initially done by an implementation partner, Cosmo Consult, with whom they were working on the project at the time. Google Maps is integrated in the app to ensure efficient navigation, while the app’s Map view assists users in planning sales routes. By using the Calendar and Exchange integration, sales reps can easily add appointments and send invitations to their contacts.

Operational Impact

Thanks to the app’s offline capabilities, sales reps can easily check the account information they need (e.g. activity history, sales report figures) shortly before an appointment, even if there’s no internet connection.
The sales team utilizes Resco Mobile Sales for all aspects of their customer visits: planning, execution, reporting, documentation, and tracking. They also use it for route planning, quote tracking, activity and contact management, as well as data analysis.
While the Hoffman Group’s main user group is the Sales team, they are planning to further customize and distribute the app to other departments as well – namely to Marketing and Internal Sales. The latter even found it easier to work with Resco than with the Dynamics 365 web client.

Quantitative Benefit