SAP AwardWorldwide best projectquality

Complex sales environment in fine chemicals

With SAP Sales Cloud, AlzChem creates a completely new quality in customer data and quotation processes in a complex sales environment.

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Complex sales environment

AlzChem: SAP Sales Cloud seamlessly optimizes customer orientation

Nutrition. Renewable energy. Fine chemicals. Agriculture. Metallurgy. Pharmaceuticals. The AlzChem Group AG operates in a wide range of application areas within the highly innovative fine chemical industry. The Group’s areas of operation are as diverse as its customers, which range from wholesalers and pharmaceutical companies to end users in agriculture In order to establish a meaningful, homogeneous and error-free database across all areas in this complex environment, AlzChem decided to switch to the SAP Sales Cloud with Sybit as a CX partner. This cooperation became a prime example of how modern CX technologies can simplify customer-oriented processes and enable sales teams to create compelling customer experiences.

Starting position

The AlzChem Group’s old CRM had simply reached its limits. The corresponding disadvantages were simultaneously the requirements for a new system: better usability with a modern interface; quick, mobile-compatible access to customer data; offline use; standard-oriented, harmonised processes for the customer areas; analysis and reporting; comprehensive cooperation; and integration into the SAP ERP system. The old CRM was not capable of this, and the dissatisfaction was great.

AlzChem wanted a future-proof solution for all company divisions. A central objective was the creation of uniform sales templates to speed up internal processes and ensure a homogeneous image for customers. The SAP Sales Cloud was the ideal solution for these requirements. Together with Sybit, AlzChem quickly integrated the cloud solution using a sophisticated project methodology, not least because the Sales Cloud offered opportunities that had not been previously conceived.

Project details

  • Six-month project duration: start in April, live in October, as planned, within budget, although more was implemented than planned
  • Great improvement in data quality
  • Almost 90% of offers now come from the system
  • System initially implemented in English and German
  • 135 users (DE and EN version, international)
  • Synergies created across all areas
  • Special requirements of the individual company divisions can be implemented via customising without any programming
  • Very close cooperation and communication between AlzChem and Sybit
  • Integration into ERP
  • Solution is used in sales and customer service

Results and highlights

  • Offer form: A new offer process with an offer form has been implemented that can be adapted to each division. Now, AlzChem can quickly create offers with just a few clicks that have a consistent layout but still provide enough flexibility for manual adjustments such as prices, different approval processes, etc. This new process significantly increased efficiency in offer creation.
  • A highlight – master data comparison with the ERP: The comparison of customers and goods recipients now works via the C4C. This bidirectional interface was decisive for automatically reconciling data and keeping it up to date. This has dramatically improved data quality (for example, over 200 duplicates were resolved).
  • Successful mapping of sales contracts: Distribution contracts, such as partnership contracts with external companies, are now mapped in the system, including corresponding confidentiality and contract processes. This ensures high transparency since it is now immediately clear which contracts exist with which customers. Brand licensing contracts can now be processed completely. Users gain real added value here and can search for keywords, for example.
  • Numerous concrete improvements: A phone connection (CTI) creates transparency for calls and notes can be attached directly. Server-side Outlook integration has been implemented, which works across platforms. Thanks to the integration, the outside sales team can now streamline their work with scheduling, email synchronisation and an improved contact search.

  • Central data management is crucial: Sales efficiency has noticeably increased. The mobile application of the SAP Sales Cloud, in particular, has created great advantages for the outside sales team in the agricultural sector.

  • A key point in the project: Migrating the old CRM Genesis World to the SAP Sales Cloud was a big challenge due to the large number plants. The solution was a tool developed by Sybit to enable the quick, large-scale migration of attachments.

  • Marketing success: The SAP Sales Cloud directly enabled the company’s first campaigns with KPI measurement.

  • Unexpected benefits: In the agricultural sector, for example, district numbers can now be updated directly via the C4C.

The right partner

At AlzChem, we are constantly striving to improve both the efficiency of our processes and the satisfaction of our users, all while taking full advantage of the benefits of a modern IT landscape. A CRM system is an important building block here for harnessing the added value of a common knowledge base and the possible uses of artificial intelligence to better respond to specific customer needs. Sybit proved to be the right partner for this challenging and exciting project to introduce ‘Cloud for Customer’.

Michael Hilger, SAP Consultant bei AlzChem

Conclusion/outlook

AlzChem is pushing ahead with the digitalisation of its processes to maintain its competitive position in the long term. For instance, the company is already considering using AI in the CRM system. The company aims to generate knowledge and support users via customer evaluation models, scoring, business card scanning, customer migration forecasts and chat bots, among other measures. The next steps will also chiefly involve establishing additional analytics and reporting functions and further optimising lead and opportunity management.

The Sybit project method

Coaching approach as success factor: The project is carried out from the beginning with a coaching budget. This means that thanks to coaching from Sybit, AlzChem itself was able to develop the features that did not work in the standard.

Decisive factors for the success of the project: AlzChem also chose Sybit as a service provider due to its agile approach. Lessons taught and learned: an AlzChem employee travelled throughout Germany and conducted end-user training at several locations, underlining the importance of the topic. This approach was considered a great success in the project.

 

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Profile

AlzChem Group AG

AlzChem is an international chemical company with around 1,630 employees and annual revenue of over €379 million. Innovative, competent and reliable, AlzChem successfully positions itself with both proven and new products on well-known and future markets in the world of speciality chemicals. A focus area of AlzChem is NCN chemistry, which involves products with a typical nitrogen-carbon-nitrogen bond. A whole range of these products has been developed in Trostberg.

 

Headquarter: Trostberg
Industry: Spezialchemie
Employees: 1.630
Solutions:  SAP Sales Cloud
Web: www.alzchem.com

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