Wales puts customers first

Organising contacts efficiently has become an essential element of good business practice.

The Welsh Development Agency (WDA), which was established by the UK government in 1976 to regenerate the economic prosperity of Wales, handles contacts with overseas organisations that are keen to establish operations in Wales.

The Agency provides general assistance and access to government grants that are designed to encourage investment and job creation. It also supports overseas businesses once any investment has been made.

The WDA had traditionally used a variety of paper-based and electronic systems for client management tasks. And Dr Tim Raby, e-Business Director at the WDA, says the Agency realised it needed a new system to improve customer service.

'If we were to retain the support of clients as well as attract them, we needed to manage client accounts more effectively. Our senior management team also needed faster access to information in order to make better-qualified decisions,' says Raby.

So the WDA spent three years implementing a £500,000 bespoke CRM system to manage overseas business contacts.

The Aspective CRM package is based on the provider's Sales Studio application and it supports over 200 users across a range of locations, including overseas, mobile workers and office-based support staff.

Once initial contact is made, WDA's CRM technology builds a database and profile of the interested business. This in-depth profile building allows the WDA to provide up-to-date client support.

'The system helps our staff see the whole picture when looking for information on our key clients. This improves our decision-making and vastly expands our capability to work effectively with our clients,' says Raby.

'Given the range of products and services the WDA offers, it is important to track our delivery to these clients and ensure that we are doing the best for them.'

The CRM application also ensures that information is shared within the agency, so relevant departments can provide the necessary input to secure that investment.

'These features are very important to us and ensure that our whole organisation is aware of activity as much as possible, while allowing designated project or account managers the freedom to liase directly with the client as they see fit,' says Raby.