Healthcare equipment firm goes mobile

Huntleigh Technology installs mobile CRM system

Healthcare equipment provider Huntleigh Technology has given its sales force a shot in the arm with the roll out of a mobile customer relationship management (CRM) system.

The company worked with integrator Pythagoras to develop a tailored SalesLogix solution that provides sales staff with critical information such as visit history, customer information and order details in real time, using Blackberrys and GSM-enabled laptops.

Huntleigh has an annual turnover of more than £230m and employs over 700 sales and service staff worldwide, more than a third of them mobile workers. Although the company operates globally with both public and private-sector healthcare clients, the bulk of its business is in the UK and its biggest customer is the NHS.

Paolo Beato, the company's group IT director, says because many different people within the NHS are involved in a single purchasing decision, it was previously very hard for Huntleigh's sales staff to keep track of prospective sales, particularly when on the road.

'The new system enables them to have more productive meetings that are beneficial for all the stakeholders involved,' he said.

The system was rolled out to Huntleigh's entire UK sales force in January and Beato says the company is already starting to reap the rewards.

'We are seeing the benefits of enhanced reporting capabilities and access to real-time information which allows us to be more proactive in our customer relationships,' he said.

Beato says the system has also cut the company's reliance on office-based telephone support staff and reduced duplication of effort.

'We anticipate that we'll be benefiting from a full return on our investment over the next 12 months across the entire group. Indications so far are very positive and we are on track to achieve that payback as well as enjoying the intangible benefits of outstanding customer care and cost savings internally,' he said.

So far, the programme has cost £250,000 and, as well as going live in the UK, implementation is well under way in Australia, New Zealand and the US. The next phase will see the system installed throughout Europe, almost doubling the total size of the project.

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