The Challenge
HEPACART struggled to keep track of equipment after it left their production facility. Their existing ERP system tracked total inventory for production purposes but lacked the functionality to serve as a CRM. As a result, equipment often became “lost” once it was shipped, and the company struggled to trace what had been sold to which customers.
This lack of visibility caused a variety of issues, including:
- Difficulty identifying which equipment had been sold to which customer.
- Missed opportunities for upselling related products or maintenance services.
- Inability to provide efficient post-sale support, leading to frustrated customers and extended service times.
Vision for the Future
HEPACART wanted a unified solution that would provide full visibility into equipment across sales, shipping, and maintenance, all while integrating smoothly with their CRM. They envisioned a system where:
- Equipment could be tracked from the production floor through its entire lifecycle, including after it left their facility.
- Sales and customer service teams could easily access equipment details such as purchase date, serial number, and type, improving customer service and upsell opportunities.
- The system could generate segmented marketing lists, allowing targeted campaigns for customers who purchased specific products at specific times.
- The system can generate customer notifications throughout the equipment's lifespan, delivering timely, customer-focused updates for important milestones like recertification, maintenance reminders, and replacement part alerts. This ensures that customers stay informed and proactive, helping them maintain peak performance and extend the life of their equipment.
The Solution
To achieve this future state, HEPACART implemented a custom equipment object within their CRM. This object was designed to hold key information, including:
- Serial numbers
- Equipment type
- Date shipped
- Date purchased
- Any other relevant data specific to each machine
Integration into Workflow:
The custom equipment object was attached directly to the production ticket, which synced back to the deal, company, and contact in the CRM. This provided multiple access points for sales and service teams to find the connection between any piece of equipment and the customer who purchased it.
Key Benefits:
Visibility: Sales and customer service teams could quickly and easily identify which equipment had been sold, to whom, and when, ensuring that no equipment was “lost” once it left production.
Enhanced Customer Service: With easy access to purchase history, customer service could provide faster, more accurate support, knowing exactly what products the customer-owned and when they were purchased.
Upsell Opportunities: Sales teams were now equipped with the tools to identify upsell opportunities based on customer history, enabling them to proactively market related products or services.
Targeted Marketing: With the ability to pull lists of customers based on equipment type and purchase date, HEPACART could run targeted marketing campaigns, driving revenue and engagement.
Automated Object Associations: A workflow automatically updates the object associations between the custom equipment object, deal, company, and contact. This eliminated the need for manual updates, saving time and reducing errors.
The Results
By introducing a custom equipment object in their CRM, HEPACART transformed their inventory tracking process. The solution not only improved internal efficiency but also enhanced the overall customer experience by enabling better post-sale service, more upsell opportunities, and targeted marketing. This transformation allowed HEPACART to stay competitive while delivering greater value to their customers.
