Nov 9, 2011
H&B Specialized Products, Inc. Since 1954, H&B Specialized Products, Inc. has been a distributor of specialty products for classrooms, labs and athletic uses such as lockers, bleachers, and gym equipment. Although the end users are typically schools, churches, and colleges, their primary customers are the architects and general contractors that build and refurbish the facilities. H&B sells, installs and provides maintenance for their products.
H&B benched by their current system
With an aggressive growth strategy, H&B realized they needed a better sales management system to help foster a long term sales process. After years of using Act in conjunction with Outlook for contact management, and maintaining manual reporting for sales data, the search began for a complete sales management solution. The primary goal was to get their sales force and product management on one system where multiple users could access a single point of maintenance to enter and share contact information and do it remotely. They also needed a way to analyze sales data quickly and hoped that the solution would ultimately communicate with their newly installed accounting software, Sage Timberline.
H&B makes a fastbreak
H&B started their software solution search on the internet. After testing several products they determined that Sage CRM not only offered more features and benefits but also the customization features needed to run their business as well. Additionally, they liked the idea of a future interface between Sage CRM and Sage Timberline. H&B was ultimately referred to Business Automation Specialists of Minnesota (BASM) by Sage Software. ‘BASM was a perfect match for us’, stated Jami Anderson, Vice President of H&B Specialized Products, Inc. ‘They were very professional and had great processes. They took us from conception, through the step-by-step processes needed to customize the software, then through implementation and training’.
BASM tailored the product to fit H&B’s very specialized needs including mirroring their previous manual quoting process in the new system. BASM also streamlined H&B’s ability to access contact data on the road. With a long term sales process that is strongly influenced by relationships with architects and contractors, this was a critical component to achieving H&B’s sales objectives. ‘It was this type of customization which attracted us to the product in the first place, then BASM took it light years ahead of where we thought it could go’, recalls Jami Anderson.
It’s a Slam Dunk
With an aggressive goal of increasing their business 10% by the end of 2008, H&B Specialized Products is well underway. However, several unintended benefits also resulted from their move to Sage CRM. H&B credits BASM for helping them to identify their core business focus during the implementation process. ‘It was a serious growth experience for us’what BASM did was really special and totally unexpected.’ Additionally, when several of the H&B sales team members left the company, H&B found that they didn’t need to replace them due to the time saving and efficiency features of their new system. They were able to reduce their sales staff from five people to three and now handle all the quoting from a centralized location, leaving the sales people to focus on sales. ‘BASM was very professional and they helped us grow our business in ways we never expected. The software paid for itself in very short order and is exactly what we were looking for’, proclaimed Jami Anderson.
About Business Automation Specialists
We are a full-service, value-added reseller providing business class solutions to manufacturers, distributors and others for warehouse automation, E-commerce, Internet integration, EDI, automated data collection, bar-coding, multi-location, wide-area network integration, Bill of Lading, contact management, MRP, ERP and accounting. With over 100 years combined business technology experience, our core competency is the ability to identify business automation problems within companies and provide realistic solutions by developing new business processes and implementing integrated systems. Our diverse group of specialized individuals include; sales personnel, project managers, technical support staff, programming specialists, hardware and network experts, trainers, business consultants and administrative staff. Let us manage your system implementation from beginning to end to help your business achieve greater success. With our solid commitment to quality and personal excellence, we will provide your new, growing or established business with a Realistic Solution.
