E.ON has introduced a new sales support CRM system

E.ON Hungária Group is one of the most important energy companies in Hungary, with a European parent company and a significant B2C and B2B clientele. In their so-called solution sales business, they introduced a new CRM system in the spring. The implementation of Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud was entrusted to one of the leading companies in the domestic IT market, United Consult (UC). We talked about the development and the first experiences with the head of the relevant business unit of E.ON, András Tóth, Director of Solution Sales.

— The project, which was implemented in collaboration with United Consult, affected which service sector? What do you do and who does this business target?

András Tóth: — The Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud system was introduced in the solution sales business of E.ON Hungária Group. In this area, we sell products linked to the new energy world, to the energy transition taking place throughout Europe: for example solar panels, heat pumps and e-mobility services. In this development cycle, we focused on the large corporate customer base: we wanted to support our business processes and customer service by introducing a more efficient CRM system.

— I assume that they have used some CRM platform before. Why was the system introduced at the time and what justified the switch now?

T. A.: — In the case of a company like E.ON Hungária, you definitely need some CRM support. Nowadays, only very small businesses can manage their sales activities without this type of system. Depending on the nature of the products and services, there may sometimes be a longer period of time between the offer and the implementation of the products and services in the clientele with which we are in contact. Moreover, a lot of people work on each transaction: salespeople, engineers, experts in various support areas are involved. It is necessary to establish and manage a contractual framework in the CRM system that guarantees our customers that the ordered service will be delivered to them in the quality expected from E.ON and on time. The reason for the change was that our previous system was adapted to meet completely different needs. Our business is developing very quickly, there is a drastic growth in the field at the moment, and we also need to keep up with this.

— Has the tender been awarded for the Salesforce implementation? Why did they choose the American CRM platform?

T. A.: - Previously, two CRM solutions competed with each other within the group of companies, both supported by the international center, E.ON SE. In the end, Salesforce won because, taking into account several aspects, we felt that this system was better optimized for sales and therefore better suited to our activity. We wanted to stay in the same CRM environment, so we decided to introduce Salesforce in our business as well.

What is the relationship between E.ON and United Consult? Why were they chosen as partners for this project, which is essentially unique in Central Europe? In general: on what criteria do you choose a partner for such an important development?

T. A.: — Expertise, experience and reliability are decisive factors in the selection of our partners. The professional credibility that UC represented throughout the entire procurement, application process was very important to us. We have seen that they can do what we want and how they implement the system. It is also worth knowing that it was a complex procurement, requiring many rounds of consultation, in which we laid out a lot of evaluation aspects in advance. And the decision was made primarily on the basis of professional considerations and not prices.

“As far as I know, Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud is essentially a new, highly innovative solution worldwide, which is why few people have practical experience in implementing the system. United Consult completed the task in less than a year. How is joint work valued?

T. A.: — This project also required a completely new approach within E.ON: we made it clear from the very beginning that we believe Salesforce, as one of the world's leading CRM developers, is fully aware of how an efficient sales process works. For this reason, we did not adapt the system to our operation, but adapted our own internal processes in accordance with the standards. It was a great help from UC that they were also constantly on the lookout and immediately indicated if anything deviated from these. They understood our needs and handled this project in a tight, agile framework with a very good attitude.

They started using the new system in the spring. What are the first experiences of management; and how do the services provided by Salesforce are evaluated by the nearly 130 colleagues who use the platform as a tool in their daily work?

T. A.: At E.ON, we basically talk about something when there's a problem. We are not used to talking about this system, there is silence around it, and this means that everything works efficiently. Of course, this was facilitated by the fact that the introduction from the change management side was very well planned, the onboarding and training worked well, for which we also received strong support from UC. I see that the system is used by colleagues, and we have started to review and analyze more and more detailed reports.

Will there be a continuation of the collaboration between E.ON and UC?

T. A.: - We are currently thinking about introducing the system as widely as possible so that it can help sell as many of our products as possible. We are currently working with United Consult to expand Salesforce to the retail market with their support. This project has already started. At E.ON Hungária Group, each procurement requires a separate procedure. Although we have a very positive experience with UC and we trust them, of course new acquisitions will also take place on the basis of a transparent evaluation criteria system.

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