Checkpoint Systems Case Study - "Achieving Immediate Benefits through Wireless CRM"

Background

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. is a US $818 million multi-national manufacturer and marketer of technology-driven solutions to protect people and assets and facilitate the merchandising, tracking and securing of consumer goods at key checkpoints in the supply chain. The company is also the leader of radio frequency (RF) based loss prevention systems to the $1 trillion global retail industry.

Checkpoint Systems sells and distributes its products (which range from Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) systems to intelligent library systems) through a worldwide network of sales, service and manufacturing operations in 30 countries.

The Wireless CRM Challenge for Checkpoint Systems’ Sales Team

Checkpoint Systems’ wireless business and technology challenge derived from the company’s sales team and the need to access critical information remotely. Currently, Checkpoint Systems employs 70 sales representatives from its U.S. headquarters in Thorafore, New Jersey. The sales representatives are charged with working closely with Checkpoint Systems’ partners and customer service representatives to help initiate, implement and communicate sales processes as well as provide fast and accurate pricing, quotes, licensing requests, and a myriad of additional sales information to facilitate an effective sales cycle.

Given that the security and sales industry requires sales representatives to conduct frequent on-site visits given the continual opening and remodeling of stores, sales representatives find that status verification and on-the-spot troubleshooting are crucial to shortening sales cycles and accurate sales forecasting. Delays could not only impact sales, but also cause a gap in supply chain productivity and downgraded customer service.

In addition, it is critical that sales and customer service representatives within Checkpoint’s global offices are kept abreast of sales progress and that critical customer and competitive information is leveraged across the entire organization. The U.S. offices use a centralized Notes-based desktop CRM system, iExtensionsCRM from iEnterprises, to capture, store and follow up on sales leads and opportunities.

Sales representatives at the company are frequently on the road, using their RIM BlackBerry handheld devices for email to stay in contact with their headquarters, their customer service representatives and on-site managers. However, they lacked real-time access from their BlackBerry to important contact and customer information, which meant status calls were often made and call reports were logged whenever they were back to the hotel or when they returned to the office—not when an update has been immediately realized. Given sales trips were frequent and could be lengthy, logging of information was sometimes inaccurate or delayed.

Employing Mobile Edge as a Wireless CRM solution Yields Immediate Benefits

Checkpoint Systems decided on using a wireless CRM application to extend their iExtensions CRM system to the sales representatives’ BlackBerry devices. They tapped iEnterprises due to their long-term Notes-based expertise and the extreme configurability of their product, Mobile Edge. Also important to Checkpoint was the fact that Mobile Edge is an open standards-based solution that uses a Web Services interface to extend existing applications to wireless devices. Mobile Edge proved to be extremely flexible and cost effective, and because it worked with Checkpoint’s existing CRM system, did not require end-user training.

In January 2007, iEnterprises deployed Mobile Edge to Checkpoint IT executives to trial Mobile Edge. Checkpoint Systems’ IT department immediately recognized the value to their mobile sales force and found the application easy to use. Consequently, they rolled out Mobile Edge to their 70 sales representatives; remarkably, the deployment took just one week.

Within one month of the Mobile Edge roll out, Checkpoint Systems achieved 100% adoption among its sales representatives. Benefits were quickly realized on two very important fronts. First, the sales team was able to be more productive and effective when they were out of the office as they were able to access mission critical information such as customer contacts, opportunities, activity reports, and log call reports within seconds. This occurred wherever they happened to be-- at the customer site, store, library, at airports, or in between meetings. Everything is at their fingertips. Additionally, the quality and quantity of call reports logged dramatically increased, giving the team a more accurate and timely picture of each sales engagement. Sharing of information resulted in faster and more targeted responses to customers and channel partners which help shorten sales cycles.

Second, Checkpoint was able to fully utilize their existing Notes CRM investment as well as their wireless CRM infrastructure. Mobile Edge has encouraged sales representatives who had different sales styles (such as recording information in notebooks or MS Excel spreadsheets) to consolidate information into the organizationally shared iExtensions CRM system. This helped enhance collaboration and ensure that issues were addressed across different business divisions.