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JOTUN gains a creative edge
A new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution has given Jotun, one of Egypt’s leading paint producers, a leg up on the competition. |
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 As any successful business knows, the key to prosperity is not just attracting new customers, but turning new customers into loyal ones. To that end, Prosoft – IBM’s software distributor in Egypt - has helped Jotun roll out a comprehensive CRM application that uses IBM software and the Lotus Notes database and file system to track customer behavior. The end result is a more satisfied pool of clients that have gained an advantage over their competitors.
With about 300 paint producers in the Egyptian market and an industry turnover of about LE 1 billion, Jotun realized it needed a competitive edge. Using an IBM-based software solution, Jotun Loyalty Card Application, a web-based application that keeps track of Jotun’s customers – painters, dealers, retailers, interior designers and contractors – helps to retain them as loyal consumers of Jotun paints.
The software allows Jotun to keep track of all its 250 paint shops in a single system – as opposed to the patchwork of files that many distributors use to store information on their customers. It tracks sales according to customers and products, analyzes product distribution and buying patterns, and takes into account which marketing campaigns are associated with specific sales. As such, Jotun is now able toroll out customized marketing campaigns tailored to the individual needs of its customers as well as more value-added services.
The unique application, with a Domino 6.5.1 server as a database engine and Lotus Notes 6.5.1 as a client, works on the basis of scalability, the ability to replicate the program’s functions for multiple locations and vendors. It currently has 410 clients.
 “We’re using a perfect sales and marketing tool that is built on IBM middleware,” says Yasser Gabr, Jotun Egypt’s IT Manager, referring to the Loyalty Card Application. “It’s a perfect marketing tool for maintaining our relationship with customers. We can now work and replicate offline and maintain our database reliably.”
In addition to tracking customers and products and providing general statistics, the Jotun Loyalty Card Application gives its client the flexibility to manage and modify its rewards program instantly. The application software includes a customer loyalty system with real-time management of loyalty points, rewards and incentives that lets Jotun’s vendors build customer loyalty through a rewards program.
Meanwhile, the incentive system awards each of Jotun’s 1,000 applicators – all of them trained to be experts in the company’s product line and its special techniques – with points based on the applicator’s volume of Jotun purchases. Each applicator has their own loyalty card, and at the end of the year, they can cash in their points for gifts – much akin to an airline’s frequent flyer program.
Gabr says Jotun was particularly concerned about keeping its data safe from prying eyes, but the Loyalty Card Application preserves the privacy of access control to the database. “Security was one of our main concerns and the Loyalty Card Application has provided us with it,” he said.
Lotus Notes 410 clients have been deployed in 50 Jotun shops for dealers, 250 shops for sub-dealers, and for 110 internal clients, all of whom have been provided with training in the software’s usage, as have Jotun staff. “Lotus Notes solved our marketing and IT challenges, keeping our staff linked,” said Gabr.
For more information contact IBM Software Distributor:
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Prosoft
38 Ahmed Orabi Str.
Mohandessine
Giza. |
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