ViviApp- Bespoke CRM for Swiss Beverage Industry
Our expertise lies in developing tailor-made CRM systems for manufacturing companies, built from scratch to perfectly fit their requirements.
How we drove Digital Transformation by implementing ViviApp- A Bespoke CRM
ViviApp is a customized CRM meticulously crafted for a Swiss beverage manufacturing company, developed entirely from scratch.
The CRM drove digital transformation by automating numerous manual tasks and seamlessly integrating them into its system, thereby allowing team members to focus on other crucial aspects of the business.
Its Unique feature is the precise alignment of every feature and function with the company's daily operations.
The CRM caters to the unique requirements of each department, including Sales, Accounts, and Administration. Its adaptability spans from junior staff to the C.E.O., ensuring a seamless fit for all users.
The life cycle of a soft drink is intricate, particularly in Switzerland, where various taxes and recycling fees significantly influence the process. Standard CRM solutions couldn’t accommodate their distinct business processes, spanning production, bottling, distribution, marketing, sales, and taxation.
As a result, our client, a prominent Swiss beverage manufacturing company, tasked us with developing a comprehensive CRM and ERP solution from scratch. The outcome was a cutting-edge beverage business software that effectively streamlined, simplified, and automated the entire value chain.
TECHNICAL CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
Technology Stack
Recycling fee/ Returns and Cancellations
The task at hand was quite complex because it involved calculating invoices for the company’s sales while taking into account several factors. These factors included:
- Cancelled Invoices: Sometimes, customers might request the cancellation of an invoice, which means it should not be included in the final billing.
- Bottle Returns: In the beverage industry, bottle returns are common. Customers return empty bottles, which may have a deposit associated with them, and this needs to be factored into the invoices.
- Swiss Recycling Fees: In Switzerland, there are different recycling fees for various types of containers, such as bottles and cans. These fees are part of the total cost for the customer.
Given these complexities, the company needed a systematic way to generate invoices accurately. To tackle this challenge, several meetings were conducted involving both the Sales and Accounting Teams. During these meetings, the teams worked together to create a comprehensive fee chart. This fee chart outlined the different fees associated with various products and situations.
In addition to the fee chart, a custom script or software tool was developed. This script was integrated into the company’s invoicing system and was designed to automatically calculate and generate invoices in a precise manner, taking into account all the variables mentioned above.
In summary, the company faced a significant challenge when it came to calculating invoices accurately due to the intricacies of their business, and they successfully addressed this challenge by collaborating with their Sales and Accounting Teams to create a fee chart and a custom script for generating invoices with precision.
Abacus Integration
The CRM had to be integrated with the Abacus accounting system. Monthly, the Accounting department produced an XML file containing the sum of all CRM invoices and imported it into Abacus. Abacus had specific rules for numeric data, permitting up to 2 decimal places for most fields, except for therecycling fee, which required 3 decimal places. To resolve this issue, we implemented a sophisticated rounding system that enabled us to generate an XML file compatible with Abacus without impacting the invoicing and recycling fee calculations.
Other Technologies
- 1 Ajax
- 2 JQuery for Frontend
- 3 JavaScript, HTML and CSS
Easy Search based on Geolocation
The Sales Team required an “Easy Search” feature to locate the nearest customer while on the go. We utilized the organization’s coordinates and an automation tool to pinpoint the closest customer within a specified distance of the sales representative. A SQL query then presented the top 10 customer details, leading to faster deal closures and a substantial increase in sales.
Control Raw Material Wastage
We tackled the CEO’s worries regarding sugar and other raw material wastage during production. To enhance efficiency and profitability, we quantified wastage and established automated alerts for the remote admin office when product reorder levels were reached. We crafted a tablet-friendly dashboard with a user-friendly interface to cater to factory managers, eventhose wearing gloves. The system proactively recommended optimal production composition to minimize input, and it transmitted real-time production data to the admin office for better management of raw material consumption and availability
SS4U’s customized CRM and ERP solutions have become the foundation of our Operations and Sales teams, greatly improving our processes. The Sales Team can now efficiently track, follow up on the right leads, and successfully close profitable deals. Furthermore, SS4U’s unwavering availability and prompt technical support have made them a trusted and reliable partner in our business operations.
Camilo Antezana
CEO of Vivi Kola AG
