Saia Inc. announced it has chosen Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Management 2011 software to enhance its sales and marketing efforts. Saia selected the product due to its robust capabilities and ease of integration and interface with other Microsoft products. Consulting firm Customer Effective, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, assisted with the installation and implementation of the CRM software that will offer Saia’s sales force enhanced account management tools.
“Through the CRM software, we will be able to maintain a 360-degree view of every customer interaction we have,” says Sally Buchholz, vice president of marketing and customer service for Saia, based in Johns Creek, Ga. “We can easily and effectively manage all facets of every shipper account.”
Saia sales representatives and national account executives access the CRM software via tablets; more than 200 of the devices were distributed to the company’s sales force, allowing customer account information to be available to Saia team members literally anytime, anywhere. Additionally, by consolidating and creating a central repository for shipper information, the software enhances Saia’s relationship with its customers and allows the company to better manage its sales pipeline, the company says.
“Our sales force now has the ability, while meeting with a customer, to run any service report we offer, research the movement of a specific shipment, look at the performance of a particular lane, check on the status of a claim, and much more,” says Buchholz. “The data gathered in the CRM also enables us to create enhanced targeted marketing programs to meet specific customer needs. Now, more than ever, we can be supremely responsive to our customers’ needs and provide continuity of care to every Saia shipper. The new CRM software provides our sales force with the ability to see and manage their customer relationships at an even higher level of sophistication.”
