The 10 Most Disruptive CRM Solution Providers 2018 October2018

Rory J. Cutaia Founder, Chairman & CEO

Leveraging CRM for Awakening the Reverence in Businesses

Customeriskinginaworldofbusiness.Inthecommercialworldwelivein,theimportanceof

improvingthetrustofexistingcustomersandexpandingbusinessisabsolutelyessential.The progressofanybusinessisdependentonservingasmanycustomersaspossible.

Thebetterbusinessescanmanagetherelationshipswiththeircustomersthemoresuccessfulbusinesses willbecome.Withoutcustomersbusinessesareofnouse.HappyCustomersarethepillarsonwhich businessesthrive.Businesseshavetoaccomplishthetrustofcustomersbybeingproductiveandefficient indeliveringservicesthataddvaluetothelivesofcustomers.Thisiseasiersaidthandone.Thatiswhere theCustomerRelationshipManagement(CRM)comesintopicture,tofigureouthowtoofferbestpossible servicestothecustomersandearntheirtrustandmanagerelationshipwiththem.

CRMisastrategytolearnmoreaboutcustomers’needsandbehaviorsinordertodevelopdeeper relationshipswiththem.Havingloyalcustomersandsolidrelationshipswiththemisanessentialcondition formaximumsalesandmaximumbusinessgrowth.

ThesoftwareusedinCRMconsolidatestheinformationofthecustomerandtheirdocumentsintoasingle formofdatabasesotheirbusinesswillbecomeeasierforthemtohandle.TheadvancementofCRM technology,withtherightmanagement,helpsdeliveringwhatthecustomerneeds.CRMrunswiththe goalsofbusinessownerstoimprovetheirbusinessrelationships,assisttheretentionofthecustomersand thegrowthofthedrivingsales.

TheessenceofCRMisanallinonetypecentralizedsystemwhicheffectivelymanages,collectsand directscustomerinformation,salesprocessesandmarketingactivitiesoforganization,andenhancing customerexperience.CRMawakenstheaweandreverenceamongcustomersforbusinessesby contributingvaluetothelivesofthecustomers.

CRMmodifiestheirbusinessoperationstoensurethatcustomersareservedinthebestpossibleway Essentially,CRMhelpsbusinessestorecognizethevalueofitscustomersandtobuildonimproved customerrelations.

CompetentCRMadaptsaccordingtothechangingtimesanditdoeswhateverittakestoaddvalueto thecustomersandinturnearnthetrustandconfidenceofcustomers.ThevalueCRMaddstothe industryandbusinessesispriceless.ThemorethebusinessestakeadvantageofanefficientCRMthe morebusinessesarebenefittedingeneralbecauseofthepreciousservicethatCRMofferstothe customersofbusinesses.ThereforeusingCRMinanyorganizationforthesuccessfulbusinessesis prerequisiteforanyorganization.

ConsideringCRM’svitalimportanceintheworldofbusiness,InsightsSuccesshascuratedthelistof “The10MostDisruptiveCRMSolutionProviders2018”whichhaveaddedvaluetothesolutions ofvariousorganizationsandhelpedthemtoofferbestpossibleservicestotheircustomers.

FeaturingasourCoverStory,nFuszisaSaaSapplicationsdeveloperandservicesprovider, marketingcloud-based,interactivevideobusinesssoftwareproducts,offeredonasubscriptionbasis.

ThisissuehighlightstheeffortsofsomedisruptivecompaniesincludingAvertra,aglobalintegration services,productdevelopmentandconsultancyorganizationfocusedontheenergyandutilities industry;Capitanspecializesindevelopingandapplyingorganizationalworkflowsolutionsand servicesforavarietyofconstructional,industrial&commercialorganizations;CirrusShieldisthe plugandplay,extensibleCRMtomanagebusinesses;PipelinersalesInc.isthenext-generation CRMsoftwarethatusesuniquevisualtoolstohelpsalespeopleinteractwithandimprovetheirsales pipeline;SalpoTechnologiesaplatformconnectingpeople,data,processesandsystemstoachieve desiredgoals;SPISoftwarewhichexcelsatsolutionsforkeyplayersinthefurniturebusiness; VoicentCommunications,aUS-basedcompanyaspirestoeliminatethecommunicationgap betweencompaniesanditsmanagement.

Themagazinealsofeaturesworthreadarticlesfromsomeindustryleadersandourin-houseeditorial team.Don’tmissthemaswell.

Let’s flip, shall we?

Kedar Kulkarni

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal

Managing Editor

Executive Editor

Anish Miller

Kedar Kulkarni

Contributing Editors

Assistant Editors Bhushan Kadam

Jenny Fernandes

Abhishaj Sajeev Hitesh Dhamani

Visualiser David King

Art & Design Director Amol Kamble

Associate Designer Nagesh Tembhekar

Co-designer Sapana Shinde

Art & Picture Editors Belin Paul

Khanna Jayant

Senior Sales Manager Passi D.

Business Development Manager

Peter Collins

Marketing Manager John Matthew

Business Development Executives

Steve, Joe, Alan, Vishal

Sales Executives

David, Kevin, Mark, Manish

Technical Head Jacob Smile

Technical Specialists Amar, Pratiksha

Digital Marketing Manager Marry D’Souza

Online Marketing Strategists Alina Sege, Shubham, Vishal

SME-SMO Executives

Prashant Chevale, Uma Dhenge, Gemson, Prasad

Research Analyst Patrick James

Circulation Managers Robert, Tanaji

Database Management Stella Andrew

Technology Consultant David Stokes

sales@insightssuccess.com

Corporate Ofces: October, 2018

Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States

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Follow us on : www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/ www.twitter.com/insightssuccess We are also available

nFusz:

Assisting Businesses Achieve Their Sales & Marketing Goals

nFusz’s notifiCRM application creates new customer engagement while other CRMs only track existing customer engagement.

Rory J. Cutaia Founder, Chairman & CEO

Intoday’sbusinessenvironment,competitionfor customershasneverbeengreater.Inordertocompete forcustomerseffectively,businessesneedanedge. Theyneedtodistinguishthemselvesfromthecompetition byadoptingastrategythatnotonlyallowsthemtostandout,butdoessoinawaythatisengaging.Gonearethe dayswhenbusinessescouldcommunicatetheirvalue propositionthroughlengthy,detailedemails,letters, brochures,orthroughcoldcalling.Toengagecustomers today,youneedtocommunicatewiththeminthewaythat theyprefertoconsumeinformation–notjustyour information–butallinformation.Andthat’sthroughvideo. Videohasbecomethepreferredmethodofconsuming information,includingsalesandmarketinginformation.In fact,businessesthatarenotusingvideointheirsalesand marketingaretrulymissingout.Yet,thecustomer relationshipmanagement(CRM)softwareprogramsonthe markettodaydon’tutilizevideointheirplatforms–thatis, allexceptone:notifiCRMbynFusz,Inc.

AnInteractiveVideo-basedCRMPlatform

nFusz’sflagshipproduct, notifiCRM,isaCRMapplication thatisdistinguishablefromotherCRMprograms,asitnot onlyincorporatesandleveragesthepowerofvideo,but takesittoanentirelynewlevel.notifiCRMutilizes interactivevideoastheprimarymeansofcommunication betweensalesandmarketingprofessionalsandtheir respectivecustomersandprospects.notifiCRMallowsits userstocreate,distribute,andpostinteractivevideosthat containon-screeninteractiveicons,buttons,andother elements,thatwhenclicked,allowtheircustomersand prospectstorespondtoitsusers’calltoactioninreal-time, inthevideo,whilethevideoisplaying,withoutleavingor stoppingthevideo.Userscanevenaddinteractiveelements totheir existing salesandmarketingvideosquicklyand easily.notifiCRMusersreporthigherengagementratesas wellasincreasedsalesconversionratescomparedto traditional,static,non-interactivevideo.Andunlikeother

CRMproductsonthemarkettodaythatonly‘track’ customerengagement,notifiCRM’sinteractivevideosales andmarketingtoolactually‘creates’customerengagement.

nFuszdevelopedtheproprietaryinteractivevideo technologythatservesasthebasisforitscloud,Softwareas-a-Service(“SaaS”)productsandservices,whichitoffers onasubscriptionbasis.Andwithpricingpackagesstarting aslowas$9.99permonth,notifiCRMisaffordablebyany salesormarketingprofessional.Theirproductsare accessible,andthevideosareviewableandclickableonall mobileanddesktopdevices,andnodownloadisrequired.

Introducing… ‘AugmentedSalesIntelligence’

AugmentedIntelligenceor“AI”isbecomingmorethanjust aphrasepermeatingcurrenttechvernacular.Moreand morebusinessleadersarerecognizingthecompetitive advantagesAIwillprovide,especiallyinthecontextof customercommunications.Attheleadingedgeof technologicalinnovation,nFuszhasnotonlycoinedthe phrase Augmented Sales Intelligence,buttheyhavebuilt tools,featuresandfunctionalityintotheirnotifiCRM productthattrulyacttoaugmentandenhancetheskillsof anysalesperson,whetheranexperiencedprofessionalora novice.notifiCRMusershaveaccesstodetailed,yeteasyto understandanalyticsdataintheapplicationdashboard.The dashboardreflectswhenthevideoswereviewed,bywhom, howmanytimes,forhowlong,andwhatinteractive elementswereclicked-oninthevideo,amongotherthings. Throughthissimpleandeasytounderstanddashboardthat

identifieswhichclientsorprospectswatchedthevideos, notifiCRMusersareabletofocustheirsalesandmarketing effortsonthoseprospectsthathavedemonstratedaninterest inthesubjectmatterofthevideo.

Moreover,inmanycasestheinteractivevideos,with clickable“buy-it-now”buttonsrightinthevideos,actually dothesellingwithlittletonointerventiononthepartofthe salespersonrequired.Asaresult,salesandmarketing professionalsareabletoproduceandclosemoresalesand generatemorerevenueinlesstime.Businessesreportlower attritionrates,lowerrecruitmentcosts,lowerclient acquisitioncosts,lowertrainingcosts,andheathierbottom lines.

UpcomingversionsofnotifiCRMwillincludeadditional augmentedsalesintelligencefeaturessuchastheabilityto deliverfollow-upvideosandotherinformationto customersandprospectsautomaticallybasedontheway theyinteractandengagewiththevideos,includingsuch innovationsastracking,recording,andanalyzingwherea viewermayhavepaused,orevenhoveredtheirmouseina video,andapplyingalgorithmstothatdatatopredict viewerbehavior,includingtheabilitytopredictthe likelihoodofclosingthatparticularlead.

ThenotifiCRMplatformcanaccommodateanysize campaignorsalesorganization,anditisenterprise-class scalabletomeettheneedsoftoday’sglobalorganizations. nFuszoffersstand-aloneversionsofitsnotifiCRMproduct onasubscriptionbasistoindividualconsumers,sales-based organizations,consumerbrands,marketingandadvertising agencies,aswellastoartistsandsocialinfluencers.Italso offersnotifiCRMthroughanetworkofpartnersand resellersthatincludeOracle/NetSuite,Marketo,andOdoo, amongotherswhooffernotifiCRMtotheirrespective clientsandcustomersasanupgradeoradd-ontotheir existingsubscriptions.Thecompanyisactivelydeveloping integrationsofnotifiCRMintootherpopularmarketing, CRM,andEnterpriseResourceManagement(ERP) platforms.

ThinkingOutsidetheCRMBox

Thepowerofinteractivevideoforsalesandmarketing applicationsisundeniable,butnFuszhasnotonlyidentified applicationsforitstechnologybeyondsalesandmarketing, ithasalreadydevelopedinnovativenewproductsforthe healthcareandeducationsectors.ItsnotifiMEDapplication isdesignedforphysiciansandotherhealthcareprovidersto createmoreefficientandeffectiveinteractive

communicationswithpatients.Patientsareabletoavoid unnecessaryandinconvenientvisitstotheirphysicians’or otherhealthcareproviders’officesbyviewingand respondingtointeractivevideosthroughin-video,onscreenclicksthataredesignedtoassessthepatients’need foranofficevisit.Ifthepatient’sresponsestothe interactivevideoindicatethatanofficevisitiseither necessaryordesirable,thepatientcanscheduletheoffice visitthroughthevideoinrealtime.Patientscanalso downloadandprintprescriptioninformation,care instructions,andotherphysiciandistributeddocuments rightfromandthroughthevideo.

ItsnotifiEDUapplicationisdesignedforteachersand schooladministratorsformoreeffectivecommunications withstudents,parents,andfaculty.notifiEDUallows

teacherstodeliverinteractivelessonstostudentswhichare bothmoreengagingandmoreeffective.Italsoallows teacherstocommunicatewithstudentsthroughtheirmobile devicesandlaptopcomputerstodeliverlessonsand tests/quizzesonthescreenandinthevideo.Theanalytics capabilitiesofnotifiEDUavailableonthedashboardofthe teacherorschooladministratorallowsthemtotrackwhich studentswatchedthelesson,when,forhowlong,howmany times,andtrackandreportontest/quizresults.

nFusz’snotifiTVandnotifiLIVEproductsarealsopartof itsproprietaryinteractivevideoplatform.These applicationsallowviewerstointeractwithpre-recordedas wellaslivebroadcastvideocontentbyclickingonlinks embeddedon-screeninpeople’sattire,insponsors’ products,andotherobjects,graphics,orsponsors’signage inthevideo.Viewerscanexperienceinteractivecontentand capabilitiesofnotifiTVandnotifiLIVEonmostdevices availableinthemarkettodaywithouttheneedtodownload specialsoftwareorproprietaryvideoplayers.

ExemplifyingtheSpiritofInnovation

We’ve redefined what engagement means in today’ s video-centric business and social environment. ‘‘

RoryJ.Cutaia,Founder,ChairmanandCEO,isthe visionarybehindnFuszwithanimpressivetrackrecordof disruptingestablishedindustriesthroughtechnological innovation.Rorybeganhiscareerasanattorneyatamajor NYClawfirm,representingworldrenownedentrepreneurs. Roryleftthepracticeoflawtochangethelandscapeofthe telecomindustrythroughatechcompanystart-uphe foundedcalledTelx.Overthecourseofonly6years,Telx becametheinternationallyrecognizedleaderinthedata center/carrierinterconnectionsectorbycreatingthe de facto standard,stillusedeventoday,bywhichtheworld’s telecomcarriersinterconnecttooneanothertodistribute andsharedatatrafficglobally.Telxwassoldformorethan $200MilliontoaprominentPaloAltoprivateequityfirm afterahighlycompetitivebiddingprocess,inwhichRory returnedmorethan18timesinvestedcapitaltohis investors.Telxwasrecentlysoldagainfor$1.9Billion. RorybringsthatsameinnovatorspiritanddrivetonFusz. OneofRory’squotesthatveryaptlysumsuphisapproach toinnovationis “To deliver true innovation, we must focus not on what is possible - but on what is not yet possible.” Roryencourageshismanagementteamtothinkbeyondpreconceivedboundariesandnotsimplyacceptthingsasthey are,butinsteadenvisionthemastheycanbeandthen developandexecuteaplantomakeitso.Histeamis encouragedtoexploreanddeveloptheirownotherwise unknown,unrealizedpotential,rewardingthemfor demonstratedinitiativeandinnovation,whilekeepingthem

keenlyfocusedonthecompany’sbusinessplansand objectives.

Additionally,Roryisactivelyinvolvedinmanycharitable endeavors.HefoundedtheUSChapterofInnocencein Danger,aglobalorganizationdedicatedtotheprotection andrehabilitationofchildrenwhohavebeenvictimsof trafficking.HeisalsoaformermemberoftheBoardof TrusteesofTheNewYorkInstituteofTechnologyandthe BoardofTrusteesoftheAmericanShakespeareCenter.

ThePlantoCreateStockholderValue

RorystatesthatasCEO,hisfirstandforemost responsibilityistocreatestockholdervalue.Likemost CEOs,heseekstocreatevaluebyexecutingwell-conceived growthstrategies.FornFusz,itbeganwithitsinteractive videotechnologyanddeterminingthebestwaytoexploitit formaximumvaluecreation.RecognizingthatnFusz’s interactivevideotechnologywasaneffective communicationtool,Rorydeterminedthathecould maximizethevalueofthetechnologybywrappingaCRM applicationaroundit.

RorychoseCRMforseveralreasons.First,theCRMspace ishuge;currentlya$40Billiondollar-a-yearindustryand

growingatmorethan10%ayear,accordingtoGartner.In fact,thisyear,CRMovertookdatamanagementasthe largestsoftwaremarket,andthosethatwerecloud-based SaaS,andhadsubscription-basedrevenuemodels commandedthehighestvaluations.Butnotwithstandingthe sizeofmarketanditsimpressivegrowthrate,Roryfound themajorCRMapplicationstobeoutdated,bloated, complicated,andexpensive.Heandhisteamforesawthat smallandmediumsizedbusinesseswouldbeginto understandtheneedforCRMapplicationstogrowtheir businesses.Yet,thecostandsteeplearningcurvesofmany CRMswereprohibitive.Roryandhisteamalsorecognized thatmostsalesmethodswerebecomingoutdated,andmost salespeoplewereineffectiveatselling.Salespeoplewere eitheruntrained,poorlytrained,orsimplylackedsales skills,includingcommunicationskills.ThenFuszteamalso recognizedthatthewaypeoplepurchasedproductsand serviceshadchanged.Peoplehadbecomemuchmore informedbuyersandbegantoconsumemoreandmore informationthroughvideos.Infact,recentstudiesshowthat retentionratesaredramaticallyhigherforvideo-based communications.Accordingly,Roryandhisteam concludedthattheCRMsector,whichhadnotyetadopted aneffectivevideo-basedcommunicationsstrategy,wasa ripefordisruption.

CompanyName

Avertra avertra.com

VolkerHerrmann ProductsManager

CapitanLtd. capitan.solutions

YakirSabag Founder&CEO

Avertraisaglobalintegrationservices,productdevelopment andconsultancyorganizationfocusedontheenergyand utilitiesindustry.

Capitanspecializesindevelopingandapplyingorganizational workflowsolutionsandservicesforavarietyofconstructional, industrial&commercialorganizations.

CirrusShield cirrus-shield.com

CamilleElHage Founder

CirrusShieldistheplugandplay,extensibleCRMto managebusinesses.

CommenceCorporation commence.com

LarryCaretsky CEO

CommenceCorporationisasoftwaremanufacturerspecializing inCRMandBusinessProcessAutomation.

nFuszInc. nfusz.com

PipelinersalesInc. pipelinersales.com

RoryJ.Cutaia Founder, Chairman&CEO

nFuszisaSaaSapplicationsdeveloperandservicesprovider, marketingcloud-based,interactivevideobusinesssoftware products,offeredonasubscriptionbasis.

NikolausKimla Founder&CEO

SalpoTechnologiesLtd salpo.com

PaulLawrence CEO

PipelinersalesInc.isthenext-generationCRMsoftwarethat usesuniquevisualtoolstohelpsalespeopleinteractwithand improvetheirsalespipeline

SalpoTechnologiesisaplatformconnectingpeople,data, processesandsystemsofassociatedorganizationstoachieve desiredgoals

SPISoftware spi-software.com

ThierryRacinais Founder&CEO

SPISoftwareexcelsatsolutionsforkeyplayersinthe furniturebusiness

Streak streak.com

Voicent Communications,Inc. voicent.com

Aleem Co-founder

Streakisthedeveloperofaneponymouscustomerrelationship managementplatformforGmail.

JoeWu CEO

VoicentCommunicationsisaUS-basedcompanyaspiresto eliminatethecommunicationgapbetweencompanies anditsmanagement

Points to Remember Before Investing in a CRM Software

Inthetoday’ssoftwareindustry,alsoonthedynamic andemergingmarketsit’shardtodecidewhat softwaretousewhenitcomestoCRM.Thereason whyit’shardisbecausemostofthesolutionarenotonesize-fits-allandtobehonestthereisnotsuchsolution,all vendorshavetheirfocusonspecificverticalsorspecific features.

1.Themainthingtokeeppresentwhenmakingan investmentinaCRMsolution,formyopinion,isthe abilitytobeinter-connected.Whatdoesthatmean?It meansthatyourCRMplatformmustbeabletoexchange data,sendingandreceivingtothirdpartyplatforms,for thesimplereason...businessit’sgettingmoreandmore dynamic,whichinitselfistranslatedintohavingmore demandfordifferentsoftwaresolutions,andassuch,you shouldhavetheabilitytoexchangethisdatafromone platformtoanother,soinverysimplewords,yourCRM isyourorchestrator,likethecentralhubofyour company,thisbecausethecustomeristhefirstclass citizenintoyourcompanyandtheCRMdealswith customer’sdata...sotospeak.

2.Anothermajorpartwhichit’simportanttolookat,is theabilityoftheCRMplatformtoadapttothebusiness flowaclienthave.Thisisveryimportanttopicbecause businesschangeveryrapidly,thedynamicsofabusiness

arereallytobeconsidered,assomethingwhichmay worktodayforthebusiness,mightnotworktomorrow, duetomarketingstrategiesorsalesstrategiesare changing,oreventheinternalhierarchyandprocedures arechanging.Iftheclientisabouttoadaptthebusiness totheCRMsolution,thatwon’tmakeanysenseinthe longrun,asitwouldbehardtooperateandcompetein themarket.

3.ACRMSoftwareshouldbeasmuchopenaspossible, sotheclientmightelaboratethedatacominginand goingout,duetothefactthatdataformatsarenot standard,andchannelsfromwheretheinformationis collected,suchasleadscaptureoranyotherformof data,mustbeeasilyaccessiblethroughAPIs.

4.Anotherfeaturewhichmightseemsasmalloneinthe firstplace,butithasextremeimportance,arethe Webhooks.ThisisanewtermintheSaaSindustrybut notanewthing,ithasbeenthereforyears,butrecently widelyusedfromsystems.Anwebhookwouldallowyou tosenddatatoathirdpartyplatformwhenavery specificeventishappening,letsaywhenyougetanew lead,orwhenyougetanewdeal/opportunity.

5.Theabilitytounderstandtheoverallconceptofhow theCRMsoftwareoperatesiscrucial,manyCRM

Eriol Gjergji Founder Flexie CRM

operatesindifferentways,theytreatandellaboratedata differently.SoinordertomakefulluseoftheCRM platform,youhavetounderstandit,ifyoudon’tyou simplywon’tbeabletouseit.Thisisalsorelatedwith thefactonhowfastthebusinessisgrowing,andthere areneededtomakenewimplementationsforallfeatures, whichshouldbeunderstandableinthefirstplace.

6.Salesteamsaretypicallybusyontheirdaytoday routine,subsequentlytheyhavenotimetofrequently checkCRMforupcomingtasksormeetingorphone calls.ItshouldbetheCRMitselfremindingthemfor upcomingevents,usingallpossiblechannels.Thisway thecompanyincreasestheefficiencyofthesalesteam, whichisthecoreofthecompanyexistence.

7.Amongthetopitemswhichsomeoneshouldlook whenbuyingaCRMsolutionisthesupportteam,and

About the Author

Eriol Gjergji is the Founder of Flexie CRM, a platform which handles almost All business operations and needs. Starting from marketing automation, business ows automation, managing sales and a lot more. Eriol help organizations to implement best strategies on how to manage their data and business ows on top of digital platforms and tools. Through Flexie he envisions helping companies in digital transformation and move forward in the online economy era.

howfasttheyreacttoissuesanddemandsonexplaining howtoimplementonethingoranother.Thisisvery importantonaSaaSmodel,becausethecompany(your client)isoperatingthefullbusinessintotheCRM platform,andtheexpectationsarehighwhenitcomesto support.

However,allitemsabovearedifferentfromone companytoanother,butforusatFlexie,thekeything,is thattheCRMmustbeinter-connected,thatwouldbring theclient’scompanytoanotherlevel,andcreateflexible flowsfordatatotravelandbeelaboratedfromone platformtoanother.Astheclient’sbusinesskeeps growing,wemustbethere,alwaystosupportand innovatenewtechnologieswhichresolvevitalproblems.

Avertra: Disrupting Utilities Industry Globally

InaninterviewwithInsights Success,VolkerHerrmann, ProductsManagerofAvertra shareshisexperienceandgives resourcefulinsights.Inadditiontothis hehasalsonotedaboutAvertra,its productsandmottooftheorganization alongwiththefuturegoalsin revolutionizingtheindustry.

Belowarethehighlightsofthe interviewconductedbetweenVolker andInsightsSuccess:

GiveabriefoverviewoftheAvertra, itssolutionsandservices?

AvertrabeganasaboutiqueIT Consultancydeliveringdigital transformationtotheUtilitiesand Energyindustryviaenterprise technologiessuchasSAP,Oracle, Microsoft,Esri,QlikandMaximo. Throughoutthefirst8yearsof consultingserviceswork,thecompany consistentlyobservedamajorproblem facingtheindustry:Alackof integrated,modern,andeasytouse solutionsaddressingtheuniqueneeds oftheindustry.Avertrasetouttobuild asystemthatwouldenhanceand provideaninnovationlayertothe traditionalERPandCISsystemsof utilities,whilereducing implementationtimesandcosts.In 2012,Avertrabegandevelopingthe MiUtility™platformwiththefocuson optimizing,streamliningand

automatingtheNewConstruction-toCashlifecycle.

HowdoyoudiversifyCRMsolutions sothatitwillbenefityour customers?

OurCustomerServiceproductscover boththecallcenterandtheself-service endpoints.Eachapplicationcanbe independentlydeployedifrequested. Butitisintheintegrationtoeachother whereourcustomersarereceivingthe full360viewsoftheirclientele.Auser startingaprocessbycallingthecall centerandbeingabletocontinueand finishitinself-servicewithout interruptionandontheirownschedule. Viceversathesame,abusinessprocess startedinself-servicethatrequiresa contacttothecallcenterbywebchat orcallbackcanbeaddressedbythe callcenteragentwithdirectaccessto thecustomer’sdata.Andallproducts arefollowinganeaseofuseapproach thathasitsrootsinourMiCustomer application.

Asusersonawebportalwearerelying onfunctionalitythatiseasytouseand allowsforfastinteractionwithoutthe needfortraining.Canyouimagine havingtogothroughatrainings tutorialtodoonlineshopping?Why notapplythesamefundamentalstothe enterpriseside?Flatmenustructures, non-truncatedlabelingandguided processesthatprovideinformation, verificationandcommunicationatthe

righttimeandintherightplace.All thisleadstoareductionincostly trainingandahigheruseracceptance whichinturnbenefitsourcustomer’s transformationeffortaswell.

Describetheexperiences, achievementsorlessonslearntthat haveshapedthejourneyofthe Avertra.

Westartedoutasaconsultingservice companyintheUtilitysector,focused onSAPapplications.Ourclientscalled onustocorrectissuesthatcameoutof theirERPimplementations,occurring aftertheimplementeralreadyleft.That gaveusafrontrowseatonwherethese “standardsoftware”projectsfail.

Wesawtheresultsofapplyinga templateonaUtilitycompanythathad beenbuiltontheflawedassumption thattheprocessesincludedbythe softwarevendorarealreadyanoverall matchformostutilities.Guesswhat, theyaren’t.Onlybecauseacompanyis buyingthefullsuiteatareducedprice doesnotmeantheyhavetheneedto useallofitorthatthesinglepiecein scoperightawayisfittingtheirneeds atall.

Amunicipalwaterutilitydoesnothave thesamegoalsasamulti-division, multicompanycodeutilitythat operatesinmultiplestatesandthe deregulatedmarket.Whilethesoftware

“

We are problem solvers focusing on simplicity, synergy, and innovation.

vendormighthaveascalableproduct,thetemplatesusingit asabasearenot.

WiththatinmindAvertrainvestedintoMendixasa developmentplatformthatnotonlyallowsustobuildour platformproductsbutatthesametimeallowsforfast adjustmentsduringimplementationwithouttheneedfor longdevelopmentcycles.Ourprocesseshavebeenbuilt basedontheexperienceofouremployeesandin partnershipswithourcustomersandrepresentatruebest practiceapproachwithlittleneedformajoradjustmentsBut onceagain,thepiecesthatneedadjustingcanbetunedon thespot.

Howdoesthecompanycontributetowardsmakingthe industrybetter?

Avertra’ssizeandmarketknowledgeenablethecompanyto quicklypivotinresponsetomarketchanges.Additionally, Avertraisoneofveryfewsoftwareprovidersbuilding solutionsspecificallyfortheUtilitiesindustry.Competitors arelarge,slowtoreact,andunfocusedonthemarket,and competingtechnologiesaremonolithic,un-integrated,and requireahighdegreeofcostlycustomizationforutility customers.

WheredoesAvertraseeitselfinthelongrunand/or whatareitsfuturegoals?

Weseeourselvesinthenext2-3yearslaunching MiUtility.comtobethesalesforce.comoftheutility industry.

ConsideringtherisingnumberofCRMsolutions providers,howdoesAvertrastandoutfromits competitors?

Ouremployeeshaveseverallifetimesofindustry experience.Theyhaveseenthegoodandthebad,dozen timesover.ThatinfluencesourproductR&D.Theyshare thecommonvisiontochangetheindustry,whichiswhat

Volker Herrmann Products Manager

ledthemtojoinAvertrainthefirstplace.Toooftenwehave seencompaniesimplementingaproductsuitewith functionalitythatcan’tbeutilizedandthepartsthatwould beapplicablearenowherenearthebusinessrequirements. Weareattackingthestatusquoofthetoptiersoftware vendorsbyprovidingtrueindustryspecificsolutionsto addressourcustomers’needs,notsomeattemptofa modified‘onesizeshouldfitall’product.

TestimonialsfromAvertraClients

"Avertra has helped Loudoun Water meet and exceed the high expectations of our tech-savvy customer base."

-MikeBeardslee,ManagingDirectorofITServices, LoudounWater

AbouttheLeader

VolkerhasbeenintheUtilityIndustryforover29years now.PriortoAvertra,heworkedasaManager-Advisory PowerandUtilitiesatPwC.HealsoworkedasSenior SolutionConsultantatSAPforthirteenyears.Volkerand histeamarecontinuouslyengagingwithindustrythought leadersandexpertstokeepvalidatingtheroadmapsaswell aspresentingtheirownuniqueperspectiveontheutility industry’slackoffocusonend-to-endunifieduser experienceacrossallchannels.

Capitán:

Solidifying Innovative Manufacturing Processes

Businessesaroundtheglobe aregrowingatarapidpace. Industriesarepushing themselvesovertheedgetosustain thecut-throatcompetition. Manufacturingisoneofthemost importantdivisionswhichaidthe samepurpose.However, manufacturingcomeswithitsown setofchallengesincluding maintainingtheinventory,quality andefficiencyofacompany. ManufacturingExecutionSystem (MES)enablesthecompaniesto overcomethesechallenges.Itis growingtobethemostpopulardata basedsystemsthatdeliver operationalsolutionsto manufacturingfirms.Theglobal MESmarketisestimatedtobe $19.36billionby year2023.Inorder toretrievethesame,many enterpriseshavecontributed extensively.OneofthemisCapitán Ltd.

Foundedin2015,Capitándevelopsa platformformanaging,monitoring andoptimizingtheproduction processinfactories.Itsunique platformretrievesthedatacollected inreal-timefrommanufacturing devices(PLC’s,IIoT),andallow managersandmachineoperatorsto

gainacompletecontroloverthe wholemanufacturingprocess,viaan intuitivewebapplications,and mobiledevices.

AssuredSolutions

Capitánbelievesintheideaofgreat experienceandgreaterknowledge. Anapproachempoweredwithsame principalenablesthecompanyto providetheappropriatesolution. Basedonitsbuilt-inworkflows,it hasacomprehensiveplatformwhich enableseveryfactorytosetthe requiredadjustments.Capitán’s enthusiasmfordiscoveringsolutions tocomplexproblemsusing technologyleadstothebenefitsofits customerswithprovenpractices, fromdifferentmanufacture,in differentsections.

VisiontoFulfillNeedsofModern Factories

YakirSabagistheFounderand CEOofCapitán.Hestartedthe companywiththevisiontohavea comprehensiveplatformspecifically formodernfactories.While mentioningabouthisvisionhe asserts,“Throughout the years, I’ve found that there is no modern system

which is able to fulfill a modern factory needs. If it’s about the technology used, the data structure, the user interface, the depth of the data collected and processed by the system, the responsiveness for manufacturing exceptions.”

Yakirwasagraduateofsciencefrom theUniversityofHaifa.Priorto Capitán,Yakirwasthefounderof Mameer,ahumorportalforpeople diagnosedwithcancer.Hehasalso beenaCTOforproductionsoftware SolutionsCompany,forsixyears.

MaximizingEfficiencyandRaising Profitability

Whilethepreviousgenerationof softwarelackfunctionsonthe productionfloor,Capitánaimstofill thatholewithdata,anddifferent toolstomaximizeefficiency,and raisetheprofitabilityofthefactory. Itsplatformseamlessly communicateswiththefactory’sERP system,sendsrelevantprocesseddata fromtheproductionfloor.Asaresult, Capitánempowersfactoriesby empoweringtheiroperative-class humanresources,tobeapartofthe thinkingprocess.

“ Information, Control, Automation.

AsanMESsystembeinganoperativedecision-making system,thecompanyamplifiesitsusers,withaccurate dataregardingtheirmanufacturingprocesses. Eventually,Capitántransformsintothefactory’s“knowit-all”system,thankstoitsknowledgepreserving-ofthe manufacturingfacility.Thisishowitprovides operationalintelligenceandactionableinformationtoits platform-users,helpingthemmakeameasurable differenceintheirmanufacturingexcellence.

DistinctiveandAhead

Capitánhaspreciselydevelopedvariousfeaturesinits platformsandaccordingtothecompany,thesefeatures are20yearsaheadofcompetition.Thecompany believesininnovationandlearninganewthingevery day.Thus,ithasdevelopedauniqueimplementation planthatrevealstheplatformROIinamatterofweeks. Throughouttheprocessthecompanyinsurescustomers canhaveanaffordable,almostrisk-freeagileplatform thatgrowswiththefactorystep-by-step.

JourneyofInnovation

Capitánbelievesthatitsjourneyofinnovationisnot goingtoendanytimesoon.Itisveryenthusiasticabout thefactthatithasfacedandresolvedthechallengesin suchshortperiod.Thecompanyhaslearnedalotfrom theseexperiences.Fromdifferentbusinesscultures aroundtheworldthatthatit’sdealingwith,tothe technicalissuesthatitissolvingusingitscreativities,to thestartupsthecompanyismeetingwithinorderto expanditsplatformfeatures.

Yakir Sabag Founder & CEO

Capitánhasstartedfromahouse-office;atthatpointit neverbelievedthatitwouldgainsuchtrustfromleading companiesandgovernments,whichfuelsthecompany withmotivationtokeepupwhatthework.Inits periodicallycustomersmeetings,Capitánkeepstraveling its“Capitánized”productionfloors,themachine operatorsactuallyenjoyworkinginthecompany.The teaminCapitánbelievesthatworkinginthecompanyis anever-endinglearningprocess.Anditstrivestokeep itselfupdatedandobligatedtoprovidetheidealsolutions inrealtime.

DeterminedtoDeliver

Withallitsexperience,Capitánbelievesthatinthelong run,whatkeepsacompanybetteraresatisfied customers.Hence,itisinvestinghugeeffortsin communicationwithitscustomers,tolearnaboutthe evolvingneeds,inordertodevelopandextendthe platformcapabilitiestosupporttheindustryneeds.In comingtimes,thecompanyenvisionsprovidingits customerssubsequentbest-in-classsolutionsandaimsto leaditselfinthelistoftop5industrialITcompany.

The Impressive Impact of OrganicNetworking

Themainreasonfortheinventionofwebsite, Internetandtechnologydevicesthatprovidesthe platformforsoftwaretorunandconnectwitheach otherismainlytomakenetworkingofservices,products andpeoplepossible.TechnologyleaderssuchasCisco, AristaandApplearededicatingtheirresourcestoprovide variousbusinessenterprisesandthemassestheabilityto communicatetheirvaluesthroughtechnologymediums calledasNetworking.

Theworksandprovisionsoftheseorganizationsarevery outstanding,andarebelievedtolastforages.Thisis becausethegrowthoftechnologyisnotgoingoutofstyle sosoon,butratheritisbelievedtocontinueintothefuture. Technologynetworkingstrategiesisgood,buttomakeit moreeffectivethereistheincessantneedtoincorporate organicstrategies.

YoumaybeaskingwhatImeanbyOrganicNetworkingor Strategies.Theorganizationthatwillsurviveinthemarket inthenearfuture,consideringtheincreasingrateof competitionaretheoneswhotakethenecessarysteps,to developmorehumanconnectionfortheirbusiness,more thantheydoformachinessuchasprovidedbyAI.

TheFactorstoConsiderforanEffectiveOrganic Networking:

Evenasourageisencouragingmoreoftechnology strategies,ifwemustsurvivethefutureofitall,thenwe mustconnectmorepeople,thanwedoformachines.Asan

innovativenetworkingsolution provider,itisgoingtopaymore,when youincludehumanintelligenceand physicalityinyournetworking strategiesovermachines.

Imagineadaythatthemachinesare goingtohaveaseriousbreakdown, andtheownerorganizationdonothave thecapablepersonstofigureoutthe causeofthebreakdownandpossibly provideafeasiblesolution?Whatwill bethefateoftheorganization?This meansthat,therewillbeagreatlossof valueandpossiblyastrikeoffthe industry.Iknowyouwouldneverwant thattohappen.So,planfromnow,to neverpayforthelossinthefuture.

BalanceYourPeopletomachine Deployment:

SocialMediasarefornetworking, NewspapersandvariousMediasare alsofornetworking,butthereare peoplebehindthearcofthis innovation.Themoreyouincorporate AIandmachinelearningstrategies, alwaysremembertheneedforControl Engineersandthosearehumanbeings. Themostsuccessfulorganizations identifythemajorimportanceof

peoplenetworkingandhowbestto utilizehumanintelligenceintheir businessquest.

Forexample;ifyouwriteanarticle andshareitonawebsite,whodoyou expecttoreadyourarticle;human beingsormachines?Itisobviousthat theorganicnetworkingaspectof computingwillnevergooutofstyle; else,therewillbeadayinthefuture thatdigitalconnectionandvalueswill bemeasuredonthenumberofbotsthat readyourarticlesand/orthatpaidfor yourservices.So,remembertobalance therateofyourpeopletomachine deployment,byacknowledgingthe needofhumannetworkingover technologynetworking.

TheNeedforOrganicSensein NetworkingandtheFuture:

Technologyisthemiracleofourage, ArtificialIntelligenceisamajor moldingfactorofthisdevelopment, IoTistheliberatorfrommachine isolationbyprovidingtheplatformto interconnectmillionsofthemoverthe virtualplatforms,buthumansmake thesethingspossible.

Networkingisaninnovativeconcept withhighprofiletechnologyterms.If onedoesnotimploredeepinterestand concentrationwhileexploringthis realm,theremaybeaseriousdistortion oforiginalmotiveofindulgence,and thiscanleadtoseriousbreakdownof enterpriseinfrastructure.Sometimes,it maybedirectandothertimes,itwillbe indirect,butinall,itwillalwayshave animpact.Thefutureoftechnologyis verybright,andthatismainly dependentonhowavailablewemake theresourcestohelpmanagewhatwe havetodayinthenearfuture.Forthis tobepossible,thenetworkingsolution providersmustincorporatemoreof organicsenseintheirsolutionsand industryadvancements.

Technologywilladvance,more machineswillbeconnected,devices willbeprogrammedtorun independently,butinallthesethings, thehumansinthenetworkwillstill ruletheuniverse.Themoreorganic youmakeyournetworkingstrategies, thelesserthefearofadisastrousfuture foryourorganization.

Omnichannel Agent and Customer Engagement Solutions

Simplify and personalize the customer experience, empower agents and achieve business success with one workspace for all channel interactions, application integrations, and CX reporting.

Cirrus Shield:

The Next-Generation CRM Platform

InaninterviewwithInsights Success,CamilleElHage, FounderofCirrusShield,shares hisinsightsandexperiencesover productsandmottooftheorganization, alongwiththeorganization’sfuture goalsinrevolutionizingtheCRM industry.

Belowarethehighlightsofthe interviewconductedbetweenCamille andInsightsSuccess:

HowdoyoudiversifyCRMsolutions sothatitwillbenefityour customers?

CirrusShieldwasconceivedasan applicationplatformasaservice (aPaaS)ontopofwhichwe implementedvarioussolutions,firstof whichisourflagshipCirrusShield CRM.Wealsohaveabuilt-inlibrary ofapplicationsandCRMverticalsthat couldbeinstalledinoneclick.

Withinasingleenvironment,smallto mediumbusinessescouldtherefore startwithaCRMthatistailorbuiltto theirverticalindustryandbenefitfrom awholesetofready-madeapplications thattheycaninstallinoneclick.And

biggercompaniesleveragethepower ofCirrusShieldtodeliverbusiness applicationsfast.

Giveadetailedexplanation regardingthe Founder/CEO/Management’s influencetowardstheindustryand thecompany?

Istartedgettinginterestedin computersandprogrammingattheage of12andusedtodevelopsoftwareasa hobby.Aftergraduatingfromthe LebaneseAmericanUniversityin 2001,Ibeganmycareerasasoftware engineer.IthenworkedasaCRM Consultantforanumberofyears beforelaunchingCirrusShield.In 2011,Iwasnamedasoneofthe12 influencersofCRMinFrance,andin 2013,Iwasselectedasoneofthetop 350consultantsoutof80,000 worldwide.

AsaconsultantIgainedalotof experienceindeployingCRMs,both forsmalltomediumbusinessesandfor biggroups.Ihadtheopportunityto workinmorethan15countriesand workonCRMdeploymentswithmore than10,000usersdeployedsofarin mycareer.

Describetheexperiences, achievementsorlessonslearntthat haveshapedthejourneyofCirrus Shield.

BuildingCirrusShieldwasn’teasy; therewaslittleliteratureonhowyou buildsuchasolution.Ourchoicewas tohirefromtheverybeginningsome ofthebestmindsinthemarketand convincethemofthevisionwewere tryingtoachieve.

Anotherchallengewehadafter launchingoursoftwareontothemarket waswehadthechancetowinaproject withoneoftheleadingfinancial companiesintheworld.Suddenlyour solutionwastobeabletosupport thousandsofuserswithmillionsof records.

Consideringtherisingnumberof CRMsolutionsproviders,howdoes CirrusShieldstandoutfromits competitors?

Althoughtheyarenowcomingin differentcolorsandflavors,today’s CRMsarestillalegacyofthepast, withlittlecapacityinadaptingto specificuserrequirements.Theyalso

“ With Cirrus Shield, businesses can attract and satisfy customers in a whole new way.

haveamonolithicapproachofconductingbusinessandare thereforeusuallynotadaptedtospecificverticals.

CirrusShieldprovidesbusinesseswithtailormadesoftware thatisplugandplay.UserscanselecttheCRMfortheir verticalandinstallitinoneclick.Andforthosewhowish toadaptorextendtheirCRM,CirrusShieldoffersasetof visualtoolsthatletuserswithnotechnicalbackground customizetheirCRMorevenbuildbusinessapplications withclicks.

Thereisalsoamarketplacewherebusinesssolutionscanbe downloadedandinstalledintheusers’environments.So CirrusShieldcanalsocatertoHR,invoicing,project management,etc.

WheredoesCirrusShieldseeitselfinthelongrun and/orwhatareitsfuturegoals?

Therearealotofthingswewouldliketoachieveinthe longrun,butthosecanbesummarizedintwocategories:

1.Toourcustomers,wewouldlikeCirrusShieldtobethe softwareplatformonwhichtheyrunandgrowtheir businesses.

2.Asaproduct,CirrusShield’sobjectiveistochangehow softwarewillbeusedtomorrow,allowinguserstobuildor customizetheirCRMoranybusinesssolutionasthey wouldplaywithaLego™.

Giveusafewtestimonialsofyourclientsthataccurately highlightCirrusShield’spositioninthemarket.

“WithCirrusShieldCRMconnectedtobothourmarketing ande-commerceplatforms,wehavebeenabletobetter understandourcustomers,improvecustomersegmentation andgrowoursales.” – Charline Maillet, Web Marketing & CRM at Cheval Energy

“Deployedinlessthanamonth,ourself-servicecustomer portalimplementedwithCirrusShieldallowsustobetter meetourcustomers’expectations,anywhereintheworld.” – Laurent Joly, Vice President Worldwide Customer Care and Cloud Production, InfoVista

AbouttheCompany

CirrusShieldletscompaniesofallsizesdrivetheirsales, marketingandcustomerservice.CirrusShieldCRMoffers aturnkeyapproachwithindustry-specificbuilt-insolutions. CirrusShieldPlatformempowersuserstocreatebusiness applicationswithvisualconfigurationtools.Our collaborativerapidapplicationdevelopmentanddelivery environmentfostersinnovationandnewideasacrossthe company.

Camille El Hage Founder

Launchedin1988, CommenceCorporationis asoftwaremanufacturer specializinginCRMandBusiness ProcessAutomation.Formorethan twodecades,Commencehasbeen providingsoftwaresolutionstothe growingneedsofbusinesses.The companyoffersarobustcloudbased CRMsolutionformanaging customerrelationships,sales,leads, marketing,helpdeskticketingand projectmanagement.Commencealso offersahighlycustomizable windowsbaseddesktopsolutionfor thosecompaniesthatpreferto controlandmanagetheirCRM systemonpremise.

BeingaleadingproviderofCRM solutions,Commencehascreated businesssoftwaresolutionsthatare affordable,easytouseanddeliver extensivevaluetoitscustomers. Thesesolutionsaretargetedat companiesthatrequiremorethan basicfunctionality,butnotthecost andcomplexityofproductsdesigned specificallyforenterpriselevel organizations.Thecompanyhas deliveredinnovativesoftware

Commence Corporation:

Leading Provider of Customer Relationship Management Software

solutionsthathavehelpedthousands ofsmall&midsizebusinessto significantlyimprovehowthey market,sellandprovideserviceto theircustomers.Commenceproducts areusedinmorethan25industries andmorethanadozencountries aroundtheworld.

AnInspiringLeader

LarryCaretskyistheCEOat CommenceCorporation.Caretsky hasservedinexecutivelevelrolesin severaltop100softwarecompanies andisconsideredanexpertinthe CRMsector.Hehaswritten numerousarticlesandwhitepapers onthesubjectandane-bookcalled ‘LeveragingInformationtoAchieve SellingResults.’Hehasalsobeena participantonseveralradiopodcast wherehediscussedtheuseofCRM softwareasacomponentfor implementingasuccessfulsales enablementprogram.In2017, Caretskywasnominatedasan inspiringleaderinsalesmanagement bythesalesleadmanagement association.Underhisleadership, Commencehasbecomeoneofthe

mostpopularCRMsolutionsfor smalltomid-sizebusinesses.

TheMarketingStrategy

HeadquarteredatEatontown,New Jersey;Commencedescribesitselfas “TheTrustedNameinCRM’.For morethantwodecades,thecompany hasearnedareputationfordelivering highqualityproductsandservices, hascompletedseveralthousand implementationsandcontinuesto receiveoutstandingcustomer testimonialsaboutitsproductsand services.Coupledwiththesoftware aretwoserviceorientedproductsfor salesandmarketingenablement. Thesevalueaddedservicesare designedtoassistthosebusinesses thatneedexperiencedresourcesto helpautomateandstreamlinetheir salesandmarketinginitiatives.

CommenceCorporations

diversificationstemsfromthe expansionofitsproductandservice offerings.Eachyearthecompany introducesnewproductsand functionalenhancementstothecore applicationandisengagedwithother

“We maintain strategic alliances with technology partners, system integrators, resellers and business partners throughout the world.

initiativesinartificialintelligence,(AI)bigdata,and digitalmarketing.Commencealsocontinuestobroaden thevalueaddedservicesitprovidesinordertoensure thatcustomersrealizethemaximumvaluefromits productsandgetarapidreturnontheirinvestment.

ExploringBusinessRequirements

CommenceCRMistargetedatcompaniesof10to100 usersthatrequiremorefunctionalitythenthatofferedby themyriadoflowcostsolutionproviders,butwhodo notwantthecostandcomplexityofexpensivehigher endproducts.Commencefeelsthatthereisasignificant gapintheCRMsectorandthattheirproductisidealfor thosebusinessesthatneedrobustfunctionalityand flexibilityatanaffordablecost.

CommenceCRM’sfunctionalityrivalsthatofenterprise levelproductscostingmuchmoreandincludes,account management,groupcalendaring,salesopportunity management,leadmanagement,marketing,customer serviceandticketing,acustomerportal,project managementandmore.Inaddition,thevalueadded supportservicesthatcompanyoffersisadifferentiatorin themid-marketsegment.

FutureExpansion

Intheupcomingyears,Commencewillmaintainits leadershippositionwithregardstointroducingnew productsandservicesintheSMBsector.Thecompanyis

Larry Caretsky CEO

certainthattheimplementationandutilizationofnew technologywillrequireprofessionalexpertise,soitis continuingtorecruitandhireexperts.Thecompany’s goalistocontinuetowrapprofessionalserviceswith newtechnologyofferings.Assuch,itisensuringits growthcomingbyexpansionandutilizationofits productsandservices.

DIGITAL Transformation

Shifting the Gears of Energy Sector

Theenergyindustryisundergoingaparadigmshift

withthedisruptivechangesindigital transformation. Increaseduseofrenewables,as wellasresiliencyandsustainabilityconcerns,isjustafew ofthefactorsbehindtheindustry’sneedtomake encroachments.Thedigitalagehasnotonlybroughtusa ‘digital twin’versionofthephysicalpowerplantthat monitorseveryasset,butalsoprovidesanintelligent responsewithanalytics.Thus,itactivatesappropriate actionsfromthemaintenanceandserviceperspective.

Afewyearsago,theInternetofThings(IoT)andits potentialimpactonindustryweretheuntouchedconcepts. Butnow,itistransformingthewaypowerplantsandassets aremonitored,serviced,andmanagedwhichhasbought severaladvancementsintheenergysector.However, accordingtoarecentsurvey,ithasbeenobservedthat improvementsofassmallasonepercentinallofthe

world'sindustrialassetsincreasethepotentialofover$60bn overaperiodoffifteenyearsintermsofgainsforthepower industry.

Thesechangesintheenergysectoraregoinghand-in-hand withtheimplementationofBigDataanalyticsandtheIoT. Organizationsintheenergyindustryareutilizingdigital transformationstotheirfullest.Real-timeanalyticsand widerangeofconnecteddevicesareassistingenergy providerstotransfigurethewaypowerplantsandassetsare managed,monitored,andfacilitatingthemtodetermine whereefficienciesandvaluescanbetraced.

AdoptionofDataAnalyticsandtheIoT

Performance Tracing:Intheprocessofperformance tracing,theinformationisrecordedaswellasdigitally capturedfortheengineerstostudyoperationswithadeep-

neckanalysisovertimeandtomakeimprovements.This approachcanbeenhancedthroughspecializedsoftwareand fewofthemcanbeautomatedthroughsmarttechnology. Also,knowingtheperformanceofturbinesatvariouspoints oftimeallowsserviceschedulestobeupdatedwhichcan saveontheengineeringtime.

Managing Remote Assets: Thisisanimportantaspectwhen ruralareasaremanagedbythelocalizedpowersupplies. Withthisaspect,powercompanieswillexploremore opportunitiesthatcouldfurtherimproveefficienciesusing dataanalytics.Withtheapplicationofdistributed generation,companiescanshiftthepowerproductioncloser tothepointofconsumptionviasolartilesorwindfarms. Thisallbecomespossiblebecausethetechnologyisnow intelligentenoughtoplan,monitor,service,andmanagethe remotestofassets.

Cloud-based IT: Generatingperformancedatafrom generatorsismoreaccessiblethatallowsinformationtobe fasterrespondedandtheappropriateresourcestobe deployed.Throughdataanalytics,engineerscangaina betterunderstandingofaparticulardevicewhichislikelyto getfail;helpingtoreducethedowntime.Thetoptwo reasonsforadoptingthiscloud-basedITtechnologyareto improvetheagilityaswellasresponsivenessandmoneysaving.

Increased Automation:Here,computercontrolled automationisappliedtoturbines.Theuseofdigitalsensors

bringsinfine-tuningwhichnotonlyextractmorepowerout oftheexistingmachinerybutalsokeepsaneyeonthe performanceandpotentialfailureifequipment.Hence,itis allaboutmakingsmartplans,capableofadaptingthe changemoreefficiently,intermsofcostandcapacity.

ValuesandEfficienciesatparwithTechTransformations

Recently,anelectricfirmhasreportedover40%of improvedservicereliabilitysincetheimplementationof dataanalytics.Thisshowsthatenergycompaniesare lookingtogainvalueandefficienciesthroughtheuseof newtechnologyandtoseekthesekeyformsof transformation.Also,onedoesnothavetolookfartofind industrytrailblazersthatarealreadyimplementingthese innovativemethodologies.‘SmartGrids’areaidingutilities togaindeeperviewsoncapacitydemandandtoprovide powerconsumptionmoreintelligentlyasperthebusiness andconsumers.

Forthepowerindustry,digitaltransformationiscombined withIoTconnectedfieldservicewhichoffersbothashort aswellaslong-termsolution.Thissolutionwouldcope withthevaryingregulatoryandpricingdemandsofthe marketalongwithdealingcosts,uptime,andservicemore probably.Digitaltransformationhasopenednew opportunitiesforthosewhoembracethem.Thus,digital transformationisapparentlyincreasingthepaceof innovationandbroadeningthecompetitivegap.

Pipelinersales: AValuable Sales EnablementTool

Thecustomerisusuallythe mostvaluableassetforany business.Hence,abusiness strategythatenablesorganizationsto buildlong-lastingrelationshipswith theircustomersisofutmost importance.PipelinersalesInc.,the parentcompanyofPipelinerCRM,is thenext-generationCRMsoftwarethat usesuniquevisualtoolstohelp salespeopleinteractwithandimprove theirsalespipeline.Pipelinerisall aboutsales.Thecompanyfocuseson pipelinemanagement,salesprocess andanalyticsandallowssalespeople makeeducatedandinformeddecisions abouttheirbusinessinreal-time.Italso deliversauniqueexperiencefrom prospecttocustomerandon throughoutthewholecustomer lifecycle-workinginclose partnership.Pipelinertherebyensuresa realimpactforbusinessesthatadoptsit andeachuserthatleveragesit.

AHighlyConfigurableSystem

OneofthecorestrengthofPipelineris thatitisahighlyconfigurablesystem. Unlikeothersystemsthatrequire programmersorexternalconsultantsto customize,Pipelinerprovidesdragand dropandothertoolsdesignedfornontechnicalusers.Thisallowsthesystem tobeadaptedtowhateverindustrythe

customeroperatesinaswellastotheir specificsalesprocesses.Indeed,the companyprovidescustomerswiththe abilitytocreatemultiplepipelines, eachwiththeirowndistinctprocesses socustomerscanhaveprocessesfor leadnurturing,newbusiness development,accountmanagement, andanyotherprocesstheyneedto systematize.

Pipelinerassistscompaniesinreducing theirrevenueriskandhelpsthem leverageopportunities.Itaidsthemin becomingincreasinglymoreeffective andefficientintheirprocessesby empoweringtheirteammembersto sellandtomanagesalesbetter.By doingso,companiescanreduce operatingcosts.

ASerialEntrepreneur

Pipelineriscontinuouslyevolving undertheleadershipofNikolaus Kimla,FounderandCEO.He believesferventlythatsalescanbea forceforgoodandchangewithin societyitself.Asafollowerofthe principlesoftheAustrianSchoolof Economics,Nikolausbelievesthatfree andfairtradeisthegreatestenginefor globalpeaceandprosperityandthat salespeoplecanbethevanguardofthis movement.Whenpeopleexchange

goodsandservicesinafairand equitablemannercreatingwin/win, enjoyableandaneconomically beneficialresultforbothparties,the conditionsforpeaceandcooperation arecreated.Byprovidingthebesttool tohelpfacilitatethisprocess,Nikolaus ishelpingtochangetheworldforthe better.

AVisionthatLedtheInception

Theleadershipandstrategicbrains behindPipelinerhavecomefromsales andbusinessbackgroundswhetheras Entrepreneurs,frontlinesalespeopleor CEOsofglobalsalesconsulting companies.Eachintheirownway struggledinthepastwithCRM systemsthatwerenotdesignedwith therealityofsalespeopleandsales managementinmind.Thisiswhat unitedtheminthevisiontocreatea CRMthatwouldenablesalespeopleto sellmoreeffectivelywhiledelivering alloftheinsightsandintelligence neededbysalesmanagementand executiveleadershiptoruntheir business.

TocreateaneffectiveCRMrequired manyyearsofinvestmentoftime, resourcesandmoneytobringtoreality. Inthattime,Pipelinerwitnessedthat manyothersolutionshavebeenrushed

“ Pipeliner CRM isAll about Sales - We are a sales enablement tool focusing on pipeline management, sales process & analytics through Dynamic

Instant Visualization!

tomarketthatlackthesamequalityanddepththatPipeliner CRMpossesses.Stayingtruetoitsgoalofcreatingthe world’smosteffectivetoolforsaleshasbeenthe company’sgreatestachievement.Pipelinernevertook shortcuts,compromisedontheirprinciplesorshort-changed itsusers.

OneStepAheadoftheCompetition

PipelinerappliescyberneticprincipleswithinitsCRMto assistpeopleinsalesandbusinessinsquarelyfacingupand dealingwithtoday’scomplexity.ThisiswhyPipelineris completelyvisualinnatureandtherebytranslates complexitytosimplicity.Cyberneticsisnotonlyevidentin Pipeliner’svisualuserinterface,butalsothewholeconcept ofnavigation.Itsunifiednavigationconceptallowstheuser tonavigaterapidlyandeasilythroughtheapplication.This isthereasonthatmakesPipelinertheonlyCRMthat delivers Real Dynamic Instant Visualization

Cybernetics,thescienceofsimplification,isappliedin manyways.ManycompaniescomplainthataCRM applicationtakeslongtimetoimplement.Pipelinerhas simplifiedCRMimplementationtothepointthatitcanbe doneinafractionofthetimeandatafractionofthecostof otherCRMapplications.Theuniquenessofitsdesign comesoutofapowerfulcombinationofvisualaesthetics andextremelyfastfunctionality.Thecoreconceptisthata picturecommunicates60,000timesfasterthantext,and Pipelinerhasvisualizedalmosteverything.

UpcomingEndeavors

Pipelineraimstocreateaglobalsalescommunity.A communitywhereanyonewithaninterestforsalescan cometogetherwithlikemindedpeopletoexchange

Nikolaus Kimla Founder & CEO

knowledge,ideas,andservicesbothlocallyandglobally, virtuallyandin-persontodeliveronthevisionoftradeand salesasadrivingforceforglobalpeaceandprosperity.It doesnotseeitselfinthefuturesolelyasaCRMprovider butrather,inconjunctionwithSalesPOP,itsonlinesales magazine,andGoAhead!itsin-personmeetingand networkingplatform,astheglobalplatformforallthings sales.

CustomersExpressingtheirSatisfaction

“Theclarityofdataandhoweasilyvisibleitishasmadea hugedifferenceinourprocess.It’smucheasiertotarget keyopportunities,insteadoftryingtosortthroughtables andtablesofdata.Thevisualrepresentationwasprobably thebiggestsellingpointforPipelinerasfarasIwas concerned.”- ImranJaferey,VicePresident-GlobalSales, HeadworksInternational

“Atthebeginningof2016wemadeagoaltoincreasesales by20percent,whichisalargeincreaseforourbusiness.As ofDecember1stweareat95percentofthatloftygoalwith 31dayslefttogo.WereallyoweittoPipelinerforhelping usgettowherewearenow.”-LukeWittenbraker,Sales andMarketingDirector,MactechOn-Site

Salpo Technologies: Pushing the Boundaries

Theconceptofcustomer relationshipmanagement beganinthe1970sandsince thenhasbeenanessentialelementin business.OnecompanyintheCRM industrywhichismakinganamefor itselfinthemarketisSalpo Technologies Salpoisaprogressive softwarecompany,focusedondriving innovationandcreatingversatile softwareproductstohelpbusinesses realizetheirpotential.

Thecompanytacklescomplex challengeswithitsmodularCRM platform,customsoftwaresolutions, enterprise-gradeappsandoutsourced developmentresource.Salpohelpsits clientstodevelopbetterbusiness processes,increaseefficiency,improve customerengagementanddrivesales.

AnArrayofSolutions

Despiteofferingquickself-servesetup, SalpoCRMistheantithesisofaonesize-fits-allsolution.Whileitcanbe used ‘out of the box’ asa straightforwardcontactmanagement tool,it’sfullycustomizable,with tailoredbolt-onmodules,third-party integrationsandanopenAPIwhich canfitanyorganization.Datafields andlabelscanberenamedtoreflect specificbusinesslanguageandindustry

terms,withlimitlesscustomfieldsto store,monitor,filterandanalyze pertinentbusinessinformation.Custom modulescanbeaddedtomirrorany element–orders,products,projects, supporttickets,events,servicesand propertieswithmulti-layered connectionstoindividuals,companies andothermodules.

WithSalpo’sbusinessrulesengine, customerscandesignprocessestofit theirworkflowusingpre-defined triggerssuchascontactsetuporstatus changesandoutputssuchasdocument creationorcallscheduling.

APassionateManagementTeam

Salpo’sCEO,PaulLawrenceandthe managementteamhasapassionfor makingcustomerslivesbetter, improvingtheirexperienceandputting emphasisontherelationshippartof CRM.

Management’smantraisempowerment whichrunsthrougheverythingtheydo, howtheydoitandhowtheyhelptheir customersformbetterrelationships withthecompany.Throughmany yearsofcombinedexperienceusing businesssoftwareavailableonthe market;themanagementteamrealized thatmostofthesewerepoorly

designedorfocusedonlyon administration,ratherthantheultimate userexperience.Theyhaveazeal to provethatgreatCRMsoftwarecan empowerbusinessestohaveabetter understandingofcustomersand ultimatelybuildbetterrelationships.

LearningittheHardWay

Overthelast10years,Salpohaslearnt thehardwayhowtoshapeandbuilda ‘software as a service’ platform. Companiescannotassumewhata customerwants.Theymustengage withthem,topreventblindly integratingsoftwarefeaturesthatusers don’tneed,wantoruse.

Inlightofthis,Salpohasbuiltaunique solutionfromthegroundup,takingits experiences,feedbackandfuture visionsintoconsideration.

Salpohascreatedsomethingthatwill changepeople’sperceptionofCRM software,meaningtheynolongerview thisasanadminfunction.

Instead,itshouldinteractivelysupport theuser,automatingprocessesand empoweringthemintheirrole, whetherincustomerservice,sales, marketingormanagement.

“ Our platform connects your people, data, processes and systems to achieve your goals.

Theteamoftenhastoremindthemselvesthatpeople ‘don’t know what they don’t know.’Justbecausetheteamknows theproductsowell,theysometimesassumethecustomers dotoo.Customersneedguidanceanddirectionto appreciatewhattheycanachievewiththesoftware.Salpo hasrealizedthatitneedstobringtheplatformtolifeand guidethemthroughtheprocesstodeliverasoftware platformthatmeetscustomerneeds.

ContributiontowardstheIndustry

TheSalpoplatformispushingtheboundariesofwhatcan beachievedwithcustomerrelationshipmanagement software,andimpactingtheindustryasaresult.

SalpoistheonlyCRMprovidertobuildatrulyintegrated GDPRcompliancesolutionintoitsplatform.Thecompany recognizedthisrequirementearlyanddevelopedintegrated tools,empoweringitscustomerstoquicklyachieveGDPR compliance.Whileitscompetitorsclaimtohaveaddressed thenewregulation,noplatformsupportsGDPRcompliance inthiscomprehensiveway.

Salpohasalsobuiltuponitsdynamicframeworktodeliver bespokebest-in-classsolutions,suchasmanaginglarge datasetsanddesigningcomplexpricingandquote comparisonengines.

Paul

Lawrence CEO

AlwaysFocused

SalpounderstandsthattheCRMmarketplaceiscrowded, withmostcompaniesinvestinginmarketingover innovationtoattractcustomers.

Themostbasicandimportantmission,Salpoinvestsits timeinengagingwithcustomersthroughouttheirjourney, totrulyunderstandtheirrequirementsandsupportthem throughtheconfigurationprocess.Italsounderstandsthat somecustomerspreferautonomy,soSalpoequipthemwith allthetoolstobuildacustomsystemfromscratch.From pre-configuredindustrytemplates,toquick-startmodals, how-tovideos,andanextensivesupportteamand knowledgeresource,itprovidesanenvironmentthattruly supportsitscustomers.

Theresultisaversatileplatformthatworksforall businesses,largeandsmall;fromcomplexorganizations, suchasbusinessimprovementdistrictsandgrowthhubs,to simplerbusinessmodels,needingleanercontact managementandsalespipelinesolutions.

Salpo’sultimategoalistoevolvetheplatformtomeetits expansivefutureroadmap,offeringcustomersmoreinsight, informationandautomation;helpingthemtoincreasetheir engagementrate,improveefficiencyanddrivesales.

SPI Software: Data for the Furniture Business

InaninterviewwithInsights Success,ThierryRACINAIS, FounderandCEOofSPI Softwarebrieflymentionssomeofthe challengestheorganizationhasfaced andstrategiesithasincorporatedto ensureitsstandinginthemarket.So, let’shavealookatwhattheleaderhas tosayabouttheorganization.

GiveabriefoverviewofSPI Software,itssolutionsandservices?

Fromtheoutset,SPISoftwarehave providedsolutionstofurniture retailers,dealersandmanufacturers thatcovertheentiresalesprocessof theircustomers.Today,thatmeans inspiringapotentialconsumerwith beautifulgraphicsduringinitial discovery,configuringtheirfuture kitchentogetherwiththemusingthe fullrichnessofproductcataloguesand closingthesale,andthenontothe actualdeliveryandinstallationofthe kitchenintheconsumer’shome

Byleveragingallthedatawe’ve collectedtogether,wecansupport themonbusinessanalysis,activityand performance,helpthemimprove operationalbusinesspracticesbothonlineandin-store.Quiteaperformance, giventhecomplexityofsomekitchens, today!

HowdoyoudiversifyCRMsolutions sothatitwillbenefityour customers?

Wediversifyeverythingwedoin CRM,accordingtofurniturebusiness

profiles!Kitchendesigners,salesreps, installers,after-salesserviceallneed their own diversificationofCRM.The Storemanager.onlineCRMcomponent providesthatbydirectlyintegrating intoallareasofthesalesfunnel, aggregatingcustomerdata& preferences,productdetailsand pricing,endtoendfromdiscoveryto delivery.Startingwithagorgeous customerdiscoveryphase(using inspirationalapplications)andflowing acrosstheentiresalesprocess (includingthequotation,fromthe initialconsumerprojectdesign). BeyondCRM,Storemanager.online alsoincludesacompleteback-office managementsystem,including purchasing,inventoryandlogistics.We understandthatCRMdiversificationis thekeytomasteringthecustomer lifecycle.

Describetheexperiences, achievementsorlessonslearntthat haveshapedthejourneyofSPI Software.

Akeytransformationhasbeenthe emergenceofmobility,withthearrival oftheiPhone.Wealljustsuddenly “gotit”thatwecouldhaveaccessto therightinformationanywhereandat anytime,whateverthesupport.We werenolongertetheredtoourdesktop PCs!Thistotallychangedthewaywe sawandusedtheInternetandallowed ustodevelopatotallynewsetofWeb basedapplications.Ourvast experienceasamajorERPproviderin thefurnitureindustry,allowedusto offeracompleteonlineexperienceto usersfromtheverybeginning,andto

drasticallyreducetheramp-uptime requiredtocreate&deploynew features,lettingusspendmoretimeon alltheergonomicsandusability aspectsofStoremanager.online.

Howdoesthecompanycontribute towardsmakingtheindustrybetter?

SPISoftwarehasbeenservingthe furnitureindustryandbusinessforover 25yearsnow,developinginnovative solutionsthathelpthekeyactorsinthe industrybecomemoreefficientattheir dailytasks,usingthefantasticpotential oftheInternetandrelatedtechnologies suchasBigDataandMachine Learning,SPISoftwareisnowdriven byexploitingtheincreasing importanceofdataandinraising customerawarenessoftheimmense valueofthatdata.Wearecurrentlythe #1partnertothefurniturebusinessin collectingrichconsumercontentand managingretailer’sdata.

Giveadetailedexplanation regardingthe Founder/CEO/Management’s influencetowardstheindustryand thecompany?

It’saninfluencewhichhasalwaysbeen drivenbyinnovation,applyingpeople orientatedmanagementtodeveloping andretainingour‘keyknowledge’ resources,whilstnurturingnew resourcesfornewtechnologies.

WebeganSPISoftwarerightbackin 1992withasimpleidea:PCswill becomethenewstandardforbusiness

“

We connect our customers (furniture retailers & dealers) to their consumers along the entire sales process, from the initial discovery stage, to the complete delivery of their customized home project.

management.WithThierryRacinais,ayoungbusiness undergradandabitofatechno-geekmeetingupwithJeanMarcLacombe,aproductionengineerandpassionate furnituredesignerbothcomingtogethertojoinforcesand developaverticalERPsolutionfortheFurnitureIndustry, basedonthethennew,emergingWindowsplatform,rather thanthemoreclassicAS/400orUnixworld.Withthat,SPI Softwarewasborn,andthetwopartnersarestillrunning thecompanymorethan25yearslater!Eventoday,their drivingambitionistobringnewtechnologiesandfresh ideastotheFurnitureBusiness!

Intoday’sworld,thatmeansCloudbasedsolutions,with ubiquitousmobileaccess,leveragingcutting-edge technologiessuchasBigDataandMachineLearningto allowourcustomersthebestuserexperiencepossible.

WheredoesSPISoftwareseeitselfinthelongrun and/orwhatareitsfuturegoals?

SPISoftwareresearchisfocusingon2fundamentalpillars:

Ÿ GraphicalInspirationandConfigurationapplications

Ÿ EnhancingCRMPlatforms

We’relookingtoimprovegraphicalconfiguration capabilitiesineventhemostcomplexenvironmentsinareas suchasClosets,Wardrobes,KitchensandBathrooms,to bringtheconsumeralevelofintegrationpreviously unknownofgraphicaldiscoveryusingnewalgorithms basedonmachinelearningtechnology.Alltheinitial feedbackfromourcustomersconfirmsthatthiswouldbea majorevolution.

We’llbedeliveringtheseinnovationsthroughanenhanced solutionsportfoliowithbrandnewmobileapps,for handlingtechnicalsalessupportfunctions,suchas inventory,delivery,installation,post-salesservice,all

RACINAIS Founder & CEO

connectedthroughthesamecloud-basedplatform: Storemanager.online!

Alltheseelementswillenableustoprovideourcustomers withacomprehensivesetofdata,allowthemaconstantly richerlevelofunderstandingoftheirconsumerandoffer betterproductsandservices!

ConsideringtherisingnumberofCRMsolutions providers,howdoesSPISoftwarestandoutfromits competitors?

StoreManager.onlineismorethanaCRM,itisaCRM combinedwithanadvancedpointofsalessolutionthat integratesalltheinformationneededtotransformacontact intoasuccessfulfurnituresale.Asacompaniontographical solutionsusedtodesigntheproject(e.g.kitchenproject) StoreManager.onlinecentralizesalltheinformationand datarelatedtoastoreortoanetworkofstores.Retailers’ managementteamscanaccessdirectlytheirdealer’sdatato helpthemimprovetheiractivityandbusiness.Usersroles andrightsmanagementareattheheartofoursystem, togetherwithapowerfulorganizationprofilemanagement, toensureacompletescalabilityofourservices,froman independentdealershiptoacomplexmultinationalretailer orfranchiseorganization.

Thierry

Aneffectivecommunication playsacrucialroleinthe overallmanagementofthe organization.Italsostimulatesthe basicfunctionsoftheorganizations whichenhancemanagementstability suchasplanning,leading,organizing, andcontrolling.Voicent CommunicationisaUS-based companyaspirestoeliminatethe communicationgapbetween companiesanditsmanagement. Throughcommunicationautomation, thefirmmakesitsbusinessoperations sustainableandefficient,also improvingoperationsfromlead generationandsalestocustomer service.Fromlastfifteenyears,the companyhasenhanceditsproductsto over50countriesworldwide.Voicent isheadquartersinMountainView,US.

Thefirmstronglybelievesinbusiness goalsanddesignproductsthatare changingthewaysforpeopletofind information,dobusiness,communicate andlearn.

ATrailblazerwithSoftware Expertise

JoeWuistheCEOatVoicent Communication.Hefoundedthe companyin2002.Joebelievesinthe visionandleadershipthatkeeps Voicentfocusedontop-notchcustomer valueproducts.Whileexplaininghis whimsJoeasserts, "Voicent technology

The effortless CRM powered by communication tools

should do more than simply work. It should work wonders.”

JoeisasuccessfulSiliconValley veteranwhoseexpertiserangesfrom chipdesigntolargesoftwaresystems. Heaidedhisskillincompanieslike LSILogic,Hewlett-Packard,andmany SiliconValleystartups.Joeholdsa MastersinComputerSciencefromUC SantaBarbaraandhasconsistently deliveredsoftwaresolutionsthat exceedexpectations.

SimplifyingCRMSolutions

Voicentproductsprovidevoice communication,emailcommunication andtext-messagecommunicationwith unparalleledlevelsofautomationand point-and-clickease.Asaresult, Voicent’splatformgoeswellbeyonda CRMsystem.Atthelevelwherethe company’ssolutionsextendthebasic CRMfunctionswithcommunication toolsinvoice,emailandtextmessages andsensorsasautotrackingcustomer interactions.

Joementions,“The biggest challenge many small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have is choosing tools from different vendors, and none of the tools are data-centric. If you look at communication solutions, most are just to make and answer calls. On the other hand, CRM solutions require tons of manual work to collect customer engagement data because

without data, CRM software is virtually useless.”

ShapingJourneywithFlagship Products

InOctober2003,Voicenthassetits firstmajormilestonewhenitreleased itsflagshipproduct, "Voicent Gateway 1.0". Thesuccessfulproductofferedits customersunlimitedpossibilitiesin providinginnovativecommunication solutions.Sincethen,Voicent’s Gatewayhasservedasaspringboard forinnovativeproductsincludingits automatedappointment-reminder software,phone,emailandtextmessagebroadcastingsoftware, customerrelationshipmanagement software,computer-containedPBX systems,anddesignsoftwarefor creatingcustomizedInteractiveVoice Recognitionsystems.

Joealsostatesthat “Our experience serving customers has led us to understand the needs of SMBs like no other CRM company out there. This is why Voicent prioritizes creating automated, easy-to-use, and comprehensive solutions that address the entire customer acquisition process.”

UniqueCRMSolutions

Voicentistheonlycompanythat providesanall-in-onecloudservice focusingoncustomeracquisition,a built-inCRMsystemfordata

“

Empowering businesses sustainable and

efficient

growth with communication automation.

management.Italsoenhancestheworkflowenginefor processautomation,andafullsuiteofcommunications toolsforvoice,text,email,chat,andweb.Voicentunique platformarebestknownfor.

Joe Wu CEO

Extraordinary Ease-of-Use: Itnearlyworksforalltasks whichareaccomplishedwithinanintuitivedashboardwith minimaltrainingortechnicalexpertise,evenmarketing campaigndesignandmanagement.

Automated Data Collection and Recording: It automaticallysavesallcustomerinteractionsfromphone calls,toemails,totextintoCRMforbothinboundand outboundcommunication.

Automated One-to-One Customer Engagement: Ittracksall customeractivitieswhilevisitingthecompany’swebsite andgeneratesautomatedemail,text,orphonemessagesto ascertainbuyerinterestlevels.

Integrated Sales and Marketing Campaigns: Thisplatform sharesCRMdataandcampaigndatawhichcanbeeasily launched,measuredandmanaged.Onecampaigncanbe easilycreatedandlaunchedbasedonapreviouscampaign’s results.

Customer-centric Business Process Automation: Through Voicentprocessescustomercontactpreferencescanbe collectedandhonoredautomaticallywereinitiated connectioncanberoutedtospecificdepartmentsor individuals.

Customer Information Readily Available Anytime and Anywhere: Itholdswell-designedremote-agentcapabilities andbrowser-basedcontrolsenableeffectiveandefficient useincentrally-locatedorremotesettings.

Elimination of Time-Consuming but Important Administrative Tasks: Theplatformisusedfor24/7 monitoringandtrackingwebactivityandalsohandles scheduledmarketingorcustomer-servicetasks,andthe automationprocess.

SolidifyingFuturethroughTechnologyAdvancements

Withitscloudservice,Voicenteliminatesthelossof informationandlagsthatresultfromintegrating communicationtoolsandCRMsystemacrossdifferent vendorsandplatforms.Voicentprovidesatestedand durablecloudplatformthathasunifiedfollowingfeaturesto servediversifiedbusinessneeds:

Its‘CommunicationTool’isafullarrayofenterprise-grade suchasphone,SMS,email,web,chat,andsocialmedia. Withaunified‘CRM’platform,itgeneratesautomateddata collection,campaignmanagement,andreal-timedisplayof customerinformationanytimeanywhere.Additionally,the ‘WorkflowEngine’platformenablesanybusinessprocess tobeexecutedthroughautomation.And,‘Interface’ dashboardisaplatformthathasbeenexceptionallyusedfor highworkefficiencyandproductivity.

Inthelongrun,Voicent’sgoalistobeconcerningsolution foracquiringcustomerefficiency.Andtoachievethis, Voicentisharnessingthepowerofcutting-edgetechnology andalsoincorporatesArtificialIntelligence(AI)intoits platformandmakesitevenmoreeffectiveanddurable.

Aleem Co-founder Streak

The Future of CRM is

in your Inbox

AtStreak,webuiltaCRMwith theideaofadeepand embeddedintegrationwhere salespeoplehaveaccesstorelationship managementfromtheirprimarywork surface—theiremailinbox.Thedeep integrationwithGmailandtherestof GSuiteisaresultofourclose relationshipwiththeGoogleteam.

Whileittakesamomenttowrapusers’ headsaroundthefactthataCRM couldactuallyberuninsidetheir email,itmakesperfectsense.Itmeans thatsalespeoplewillactuallyuse theirCRM,aproblemthathas plaguedtheindustryforyears. Thefutureiswheresalespeople don’tusetwodifferenttoolsto communicatewiththeirleads andmanagethoseleadsina pipeline.

Unfortunately,evenintoday’s ageoftechnology,salespeople spendthemajorityoftheirday onadministrativetasksandnot enoughtimeactuallyselling.At Streak,webelievethatthenext mosteffectiveCRMwillaimto flipthatratiobyhavingtheCRM doallthebasicfollow-ups: updatingthestatusofadeal, schedulingnextsteps,oreven sendingdocumentstocustomers. Streakaccomplishesthisby usinghundredsofmillionsofdata pointsfromtheircustomers.

Bymakingtheinputofdataeasyand integratedwiththeinbox,we’reableto usethesedatapointstobuildandtrain amachine-learningAIenginethatwill dotheadministrativeworkforour users.Wealsorealize,however,thatno algorithmiseverperfect,sothe automationinterfacewe’rebuilding willalwaysaskthesalespersonfor confirmationbeforetakingaction.

Thisletsasalespersonfinishalltheir administrativetasksinminutesas

opposedtohoursandalsohelpsus learnfromanymistakesthealgorithm mightmake.Thefutureiswhere humansspendtimeonwhattheydo best—buildingrelationships, understandingtheircustomersbusiness andclosingdeals—whileallthe administrativeworkishandledbythe machine.

Anothermajorproblemwethink CRM’sneedtosolve,ishelpingsales teamsworktogether.Oftentimesa salespersonwouldnotevenknowthat ateammatehasarelationshipwitha

About the Company

customer—acompanydelivering physicalproductstoSaaSindustry leadersattremendousscale—was confidentthatthetoolwassavingthem each,onaverage,tenhoursaweek. Thosehourswouldhavebeenspent lookingformissedorders,historical conversations,andtrackingdown detailsthatshouldalreadybeavailable. Streaksimplifiedthat.Bylivinginside theirinbox,theirwholeteamhasbeen abletocollaborateandtrack interactionswithleads—providing newfoundclaritytothesalescycle.As aresult,ordershavestoppedfalling

Streak is a next-generation CRM that offers spreadsheet-style tracking capabilities built directly into the inbox. With over 4500 customers, Streak is disrupting the CRM space to offer a system of engagement different from their competitors’ systems of record.

About theAuthor

Aleem is the Co-founder at Streak. Prior to Streak, Aleem was a PM at Google. He studied Software Engineering at the University of Waterloo and received an MBA from Harvard. Aleem was legally allowed to fly before he could drive.

customertheyaretryingtopartner with.AtStreak,we’resolvingthisby lettingteamsselectivelysharetheir emailswithcustomersinanautomated fashion.

Salespeoplecaneasilyseewhoontheir teamhastalkedtoacustomerbefore. Thefutureiswhereeverysalesperson hasthecollectivecustomerknowledge oftheirentirecompanyattheir fingertips.

ThefutureofCRMlivesinyourinbox buttherearecustomerstodaywhoare livingthatfuturetoday.OneStreak

behindandtheteamhasbeen collaboratingmoreeffectivelythan ever.Thefutureiswhereyoursales teamhasclarityonwhat’shappened beforeandwhat’shappeningnext.

Beingathought-leaderintheCRM spacemeansthatwe’realwayslooking tothefuture.AtStreak,we’realready leveragingbigdatainourautomation effortsbutwehavemoreexciting initiativesaheadofus. Bybringingthe benefitsofmachine-learningtothe salesinbox,we’rehopingtoenable moresalesteamstoclosemoredeals, moreefficiently.