I would like to continue the theme put forth in our previous blog posts. In writing about investing back into our businesses to make them more efficient, and perhaps also help them to generate greeater profits, I have found a great article at Forbes Magazine. The company, Essilor France, has developed new applications and given it’s sales forces for different vertical market, Ipads.
The Forbes Post explains why the company did this:
“For employees at Essilor France, seeing is believing. New technology has enabled the optical lens maker to serve customers better in less time.Essilor did it by equipping its sales team with iPads and software that provides instant access to company data and product presentations.“Mobility has enabled us to transform business processes,” said Julien Zamora, head of marketing and sales at Essilor. “Our team can now spend less time at the office since they have the tools to work on the go. This remote access has increased employee productivity and also positions us as innovative market leaders to our clients.”
In 2014, with 58,000 employees globally, Essilor generated more than $5.7 billion in revenue. The company may develop hundreds of new products in a single year. Recognizing that sales staff needs mobile connectivity that’s fast and reliable to keep up on the latest product information, Essilor France deployed iPads enabled with an enterprise mobility management platform from VMware AirWatch.
Initial Deployment
The company first deployed 100 tablets to equip its salesforce ahead of a 2012 product launch. Essilor France has since enhanced this deployment with new applications and more tablets.Exemplifying the software enhancement is a customer resource management (CRM) application called Teranga, which is designed for three types of audiences, according to Mathieu Ngo, French mobility project head at Essilor. “We started with our sales representatives. Then we decided to develop another version for a medical representatives and also for medical instrument representatives,” he said.
Company staff members can view client information and collaborate easily with other departments by accessing the CRM application remotely on their iPads.“Our employees have seen improved administrative processes, tangible time savings, increased employee productivity and faster client responsiveness,” he said.
AirWatch software on the iPads lets employees access company email, calendars, contacts and other work apps. IT staff members use the software to maintain security, set passcode requirements and wipe data from lost or stolen devices. VMware acquired AirWatch in 2014.“AirWatch enables us to manage our mobile fleet and securely distribute apps at an attractive price,” said Christian Le Page, chief information officer for Essilor France.
Faster Response, Better Service
The iPads have become a key element of the sales strategy, according to Zamora.
“Our faster response times and coordination across departments and with sales representatives have allowed us to provide better service to our clients,” he said.Those sentiments are echoed by the company’s sales representatives.Nicholas Delamotte said easy access to information and applications on the iPad has allowed him to respond faster to client inquiries. This “further differentiates our business from competitors,” he said.Medical information representative Pierre Riff said the tablet allows him to easily showcase products and make presentations.
“Because the devices are slick and modern, they help us promote the technicity of Essilor’s products,” he said.Essilor is continuing to evolve its mobility efforts. The next step is digitizing all aspects of client contracts, including signatures. “Integrating our clients’ electronic document signatures into our business processes will help us reach our mobility goals,” said Eric Aumaitre, regional sales coordinator. “Our mobility project supports Essilor’s market-leading position, which relies on the ongoing adoption and use of state-of-the-art technologies.”
Did this get you thinking about how to make your sales team more effective in the coming year? Keep checking back here on our blog, perhaps we will find something of interest to you and your growing company.
Central Comm
