“I can’t say enough about Lexnet Consulting Group,” says Debra Nichols, manager of business operations for Mighty Leaf Tea Company. “They’re smart, they ask the right questions, and they get the job done.”

Looking at CRM as a Goldmine Alternative

Mighty Leaf Tea Company had been using GoldMine contact management software, but as Nichols explains, it was not sufficient to meet the company’s growing needs. “We absolutely have to have a solution with powerful remote access capabilities and one that integrates with our ERP software,” she says. “There was too much duplicate data entry going on, and too much wasted effort as our remote staff worked with our in-house staff to process orders.”

A Successful Infusion of New CRM

Before deciding on SageCRM, the company also reviewed Sage SalesLogix and Salesforce.com. “When we compared the overall cost of ownership, SageCRM was the clear winner,” says Nichols. “Plus it has a very appealing and intuitive user interface that we felt our staff would embrace."

SageCRM has the added advantage of a seamless interface with the company’s enterprise resource planning software, Sage MAS 500 ERP. Lexnet Consulting Group was able to migrate the company’s GoldMine data into SageCRM. “This was impressive,” recalls Nichols. “They understood the end result we wanted, and were able to lay down a pathway for us to get there. As a result we got clean, valid data that was useful from
the start. There were no mistakes — they are professionals.”

SageCRM - Everyone’s Cup Of Tea

Nichols initially had concerns about users adopting the new system and incorporating it
into their workflows. “We’ve got people that are very comfortable with technology, and
some that are not,” she says. User friendly SageCRM quickly alleviated her concerns. “SageCRM is so easy to use, even for non-technical users. Plus, people immediately saw the value in it, how it could help them do more in less time. Now everyone uses it,” she says. Mighty Leaf Tea Company’s remote staff members access SageCRM through a Web browser. It’s secure, fast, and always up-to-date.

An Ideal Blend with Sage CRM

The integration of SageCRM and the company’s ERP software means that details such as customer balance, terms, last payment amount, open orders, and invoice line detail are available to the sales and customer service staff within SageCRM. New customers are entered directly into SageCRM and the details flow into the ERP software, automatically creating a new customer there.

“Our sales cycles are shorter now,” says Nichols. “We’ve eliminated the back and forth that used to occur between our outside sales reps and our internal customer service staff because they now all have access to the same data.”

Service Excellence Facilitated by CRM

“Our first focus is customer service,” says Nichols. “We pride ourselves on understanding
what our customers want in terms of packaging and distribution and giving them exactly what they want.”

To that end, Lexnet Consulting Group developed custom views within SageCRM to track the specific preferences of each customer. The sales and customer service staff can refer to this information as they enter new orders, ensuring quality and consistency.

SageCRM combines customer preferences, communications, credit information, and detailed purchase history to provide the Mighty Leaf Tea Company representatives with a complete picture of every customer relationship, all from one single location.

The information Mighty Leaf Tea Company’s representatives now have available to them allows them not only to provide better service, but to increase sales.

“The sales reps typically review a customer’s history in SageCRM before they make a sales call,” Nichols says. “They can see what the customer has purchased in the past and what they may have returned. They use this understanding of the customer’s business to encourage them to try new products — and its working.”

Tasteful Marketing Using SageCRM

Mighty Leaf Tea Company’s marketing department uses SageCRM to send targeted e-mail messages to leads and prospects. Lexnet Consulting Group consultants provided detailed training for the staff in how to develop e-mail templates and perform selective mail merges. The results are attractive, personalized marketing messages that are simple and quick to generate.

A Flourishing Partnership Between Lexnet and Mighty Leaf Tea

Nichols says that the superior support and advice that Lexnet Consulting Group provides didn’t end with the sale. “They’re very responsive, and very efficient with their time,” she says. “I wish they could support all the software we use — they’re that good. I would recommend them without hesitation.”