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A Manufacturer Leverages Sales Cloud’s Out-of-the-Box Advantages

Client Success Snapshot

Client Profile:

  • Overview: A leading developer and producer of specialty paper and film release liner
  • Industry: Consumer Goods (Specialty Paper)
  • Team Size: 1,000-5,000
  • Annual Revenue: N/A
  • Headquarters: NC, USA
  • Markets: Global

The Challenge

Prior to its Gerent-facilitated transformation in 2020, our client relied on a homegrown, Oracle-based CRM system that was ill-equipped to support the breadth of its global operations. This framework caused data silos, thereby undermining the company’s operational efficiency and holding it back from achieving its operational potential.

Gerent's Approach

Gerent recommended that the manufacturer leverage the “out of the box” advantages of an integrated system by implementing Sales Cloud via a Quick Start. Within just three weeks, the company would enjoy basic Sales Cloud functionality and have the opportunity to add more Salesforce products (e.g., Manufacturing Cloud, Service Cloud, etc.) if it so desired.

Key Outcomes

The basic Sales Cloud system created a central repository for customer requests and task tracking, eliminated data silos within sales and marketing, improved the accuracy of sales forecasting and pipeline management, and promoted cohesion between the company’s U.S. and European locations. These improvements empowered the company to harmonize complex processes across all of its locations.

Client Success Story

Our client stands as a leading global manufacturer of specialty paper and release liners — but before September 2020, its digital infrastructure was inefficient, fragmented, and irreflective of its market prominence.

Global Organizations Need Cohesive, Connective CRM Platforms

Prior to its Gerent-guided transformation, the specialty paper manufacturer relied on a homegrown, Oracle-based customer CRM system that was ill-equipped to support its global operations. This patchwork framework often caused efficiency-sapping data silos, thereby undermining the company’s operational efficiency and holding it back from achieving its potential. The manufacturer’s leaders knew they could accomplish more with a more advanced CRM; this realization compelled them to approach Gerent, a preferred partner for Salesforce implementations. 

After consulting with the company’s leaders, Gerent recommended that the manufacturer integrate the basic suite of Sales Cloud products into its operations and leverage the “out of the box” advantages of an integrated system. In doing so, the company would have the opportunity to:

  • Create a central repository for customer requests and task tracking
  • Eliminate data silos within sales and marketing
  • Improve the accuracy of sales forecasting and pipeline management
  • Provide leadership with timely sales and service reports as well as dashboards that would facilitate better and faster business decisions
  • Enable case management and request form submissions to bolster customer experience
  • Promote cohesion between the company’s U.S. and German locations, thereby facilitating more cross-pollination

To achieve these gains, Gerent recommended an accelerated Quick Start approach. The initial deployment process would take just three weeks, allowing Gerent to establish proof of concept quickly and affordably. At the end of the Quick Start, the manufacturer would enjoy basic Sales Cloud functionality and have the opportunity to add more Salesforce products (e.g., Manufacturing Cloud, Service Cloud, etc.) if it so desired.


A Quick Approach to Affordable Salesforce Implementations

The implementation process went as smoothly and swiftly as planned. First, Gerent spent roughly a week ensuring all parties were aligned on the project’s strategy, goals, and milestones. Then, our implementation team launched into designing and constructing the basic features of the manufacturer’s Sales Cloud. These included but were not limited to forum and regulatory support requests, forum tasks, event notes, and Chatter

After constructing the fundamental infrastructure, Gerent established a basic workflow and migrated the company’s account and contact data to the new system. We also facilitated two demos to ensure the Sales Cloud framework was oriented correctly for the company’s operations. Throughout this entire process, Gerent engaged in daily communication with the client’s point of contact. 

“The entire process was extremely collaborative,” Sean Best, the project manager who spearheaded the transformation, recounted of the Quick Start. “It was very much, ‘This is what we need and want. Let’s work together and get it done.’” 

Indeed, the project was neatly wrapped by the end of September. However, that initial work would not be the last collaboration between Gerent and the specialty paper manufacturer.


A Salesforce-Supported Toolset for International Project Management

In October, the company’s leaders reconnected with Gerent to plan a new initiative: implementing a global stage-gate process allowing the company to utilize Salesforce to support product development. The new process would facilitate better project management and ensure the projects that progress through the workflow meet defined requirements. This would ensure teams don’t waste any time on non-priority tasks. 

Today, the specialty paper manufacturer manages 100% of its projects through Salesforce. With Gerent’s guidance, the company was able to capture and harmonize complex processes between its German and U.S. sales organizations. Now, the organization is better aligned and more efficient than ever before — as a result, it’s well-prepared to maintain its place as a global industry leader.

Contact Gerent today to learn how we can help your company achieve its ideal future state!

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