CRUZ Logistics Redefining Logistics with Microsoft Solution Helps Global Logistics Company Prepare for the Future

Gaining a competitive advantage in the competitive logistics market requires extensive knowledge of customers and their requirements. With electronic record keeping fast replacing printed paper reports in their market, the opportunity presented itself to get a jump ahead of the competition. This company, committed to quality and ethical conduct, uses Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 to speed service, grow sales, and cultivate long-term relationships.

Founded in 2010, CRUZ Logistics is the brainchild of logistics professionals with years of experience in ocean freight, air and sea freight, transportation by rail, multimodal transport, trucking, project logistics, railway chartering and customs clearance who came together to create a new level of services and strategic solutions with special focus on transport of oil & gas, mining equipment, oversized and heavy cargoes, and dangerous goods. “We have been handling these for the mining and oil and gas giants of this country,” explains CRUZ Logistics Managing Partner Elvis Roberts.

Dynamics is giving us a lot of space to develop in for the future. We were looking for a product that could give us versatility, flexibility, and at the same time be stringent upon our requirements for quality and documentation. Elvis Roberts Managing Partner CRUZ Logistics

CRUZ Logistics began with automated accounting, along with interfaces to external railroad and other systems. Most record keeping was done using manually prepared Microsoft Word and Excel files. Sales and Operations were all fundamentally manual. While this was consistent with what similar companies did, Roberts knew it was error prone, a very inefficient use of his excellent people, and would not support his team’s vision for the growth and reputation of their company.

Living up to their chosen slogan, “Logistics Redefined” with the goal of growing into a global player required CRUZ Logistics to look ahead of their competition to find ways to deliver better services, faster, and more tightly customized to the unique needs of each of their clients. Realizing that many of their competitors were still dependent upon paper-based processes and reports, CRUZ took the bold step of implementing Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 to automate their operations and streamline their sales process. “Operations are a nightmare in this country,” explains Managing Partner Roberts. Their solution allows them to be the leader in innovative logistics operations, logistics redefined!

Elvis Roberts considers Javed Khan, the Head of CRUZ Logistics’ I.T. Department, to be a critical member of the team. “His input is very important to us,” explains Roberts, “the whole operation is very much dependent upon him and his team.”

Observing that “most of the country runs on Windows,” Khan set out to identify the best software to base CRUZ’s operations on. After doing their due diligence, CRUZ Logistics selected Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. “It provided us with excellent integration for our existing systems,” explains Khan, “with an excellent interface for business solutions. If anything changes by regulation it would be much easier for us to adapt because of the interface and the platform.”

Roberts agrees. “Dynamics is giving us a lot of space to develop in for the future. We were looking for a product that could give us versatility, flexibility, and at the same time be stringent upon our requirements for quality and documentation.” He praises Javed Khan for coming up with the decision to use a product that is Microsoft-based given the ease of integration with Outlook, Office and other platforms already in use.

Javed Khan selected Microsoft Partner RBC Group LLC to develop their Dynamics CRM solution. Speaking of the ease of implementation of their system, Roberts notes with amusement and appreciation that the time it took to discuss the requirements, demonstrate the software, and develop the solution took much longer than the actual time to implement and integrate the system.

While CRUZ Logistics is already using many of the sales, marketing, and service operations functionality available from Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, Roberts observes that they are focused more right now on the operational side. “That’s a nightmare in this country,” he observes. The CRUZ Logistics sales organization has also implemented their side of the solution. Roberts is especially pleased with how CRM gives their head of sales in-depth information about clients, activities, and what percent of the business they do with each of them.

CRUZ Logistics has gained far greater control over their sales process, and can now impress clients with the depth of knowledge they maintain for each of them. Also, their CRM system is completely and smoothly integrated with their accounting and specialized systems for transportation services. Their personnel do their everyday work directly in the system, creating and processing contracts, producing a full range of reports for analysis and control of operations. Perhaps most important has been the extensive use of the workflow capabilities available within Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 to automate and control processes within the operations of the company. According to Managing Partner Elvis Roberts:

• CRUZ is using Dynamics CRM to enforce company policy and assure successful completion of each process

• Even when people are involved, the system assures that every process is executed flawlessly step-by-step

• Errors and omissions have been taken completely out of CRUZ’s operations

• Compliance with governmental taxation and regulation are key concerns for companies like CRUZ Logistics. Dynamics CRM assures them of full compliance

• Dynamics CRM help CRUZ coordinate people, parts, products, and processes to assure profits

• The scalability and extensibility of the Dynamics CRM solution will serve CRUZ Logistics for years to come

• “Financially this is going to be very positive. It is reducing the number of errors in documentation which will definitely create a positive result.”