Access Displays Exhibition Company Boosts Orders by 38 Per Cent with Customer Relationship Management Tool

Access Displays rolls out Microsoft Dynamics CRM to dramatically reduce paper-based processes and streamline customer-focused activity.

Access Displays is one of the largest exhibition and display companies in the United Kingdom. The business was recently restructured: one part builds large exhibition stands—it is an official contractor for the Rugby World Cup, for example—and the other part sells exhibition consumables such as literature stands and showcases. The company has more than 3,000 product lines and about 20,000

Microsoft Dynamics CRM has increased our volume of business by 38 per cent. Peter Bowen Executive Officer Access Displays

Founded in 1990, the company is growing rapidly, but until recently, paper-based administration slowed it down. An order for a single item costing just £100 (U.S.$205) required 12 separate pieces of paper to process, including a quotation, an order, a job sheet, an invoice, and a delivery note. And employees had to complete each task manually. The error-prone process took a long time. It was also demoralising—nobody looks forward to a day filling in forms.

An Integrated, Cost-Effective Solution
In April 2007, Peter Bowen, Executive Officer at Access Displays, turned to Microsoft® Gold Certified Partner Alliance Systems. Alliance Systems recommended Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM business management software, and tailored the solution to suit processes at Access Displays.
 
Although Access Displays examined alternative CRM packages, it chose Microsoft Dynamics CRM because it was attracted to the value of off-the-shelf software combined with the flexibility of a customised program. Microsoft Dynamics CRM seemed to offer the best of both worlds. Bowen also wanted to continue working with Alliance Systems. “Quite simply, we trust the Alliance Systems team,” he says.

David Oxley, Managing Director of Alliance Systems, says: “We’ve looked after Access Displays’ IT needs for seven years and I knew that Microsoft Dynamics CRM would be a good match for its needs.”

Greater Sales, Better Service
Already, the new technology has made a significant impact on sales for Access Displays. “Microsoft Dynamics CRM has increased our volume of business by 38 per cent,” says Bowen. “Looking at our sales figures, it’s clear that this increase has been constant since the new software was installed earlier this year.”

Due to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, sales people can provide a quotation instantly, e-mailing it directly to the customer before they’ve finished the phone call. This means that enquiries are converted into orders faster and more consistently. The system even lets them attach images of items to the quotations, as well as provide more accurate responses to enquiries. “What differentiates us from our competitors is not price,” says Bowen, “it’s about speed of response and giving customers what they want, when they want it.” 

Boosts Marketing Strategy
The software supports marketing as well as sales. For example, the company recently sent direct mail to 20,000 customers. Microsoft Dynamics CRM let Access Displays target the letters to the most

Looking at our sales figures, it’s clear that this increase has been constant since the new software was installed earlier in 2007. Peter Bowen Executive Officer Access Displays

In addition, errors are reduced dramatically. Product names are consistent throughout the system and sales people always quote the right price, for the right product, from the right supplier—first time. Paperwork has also been reduced because orders are only entered into the system once.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM has had a positive impact on Access Displays. Sales are up, customer service has improved, and employees, including senior staff, spend less time on paperwork and more time expanding the business. Bowen concludes: “Microsoft Dynamics CRM has been a real winner.” 

Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of integrated, adaptable business management solutions that enables you and your people to make business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics works like familiar Microsoft software such as Microsoft Office, which means less of a learning curve for your people, so they can get up and running quickly and focus on what’s most important. And because it is from Microsoft, it easily works with the systems that your company already has implemented. By automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship, and supply chain processes, Microsoft Dynamics brings together people, processes, and technologies, increasing the productivity and effectiveness of your business, and helping you drive business success.
 
For more information about Microsoft Dynamics, go to:
www.microsoft.com/dynamics 

For more information on People Ready Business and how it can help your business please visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/business/peopleready

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published November 2007