Toyota France Uses Pivotal CRM for Managing Sales Activity of Its Reseller Network

HONG KONG & ATLANTA--CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation and a provider of industry-specific enterprise software applications and business services announced today that TOYOTA France has implemented Pivotal CRM at its nearly 300 reseller sites.

The car manufacturer operates all over France via a distribution network of more than 200 partners and 300 resellers for its Toyota and Lexus brands. With that scope of operations, TOYOTA France needed an information system that allowed a streamlining of the sales process and the organization of the direct marketing activities.

As a result, TOYOTA France’s executive management decided to conduct a survey on the optimization of customer relationship management within its distribution network. Long-time CDC Software partner, AXOA was selected by TOYOTA France to carry out the survey, implement the solution, structure exchanges and manage information from the TOYOTA reseller network and from its partners. After the study was completed and in early 2008, TOYOTA France selected CDC Software’s Pivotal CRM for centralizing information shared by the 1200 users.

The main goal was to create a single sales activities desk (Bureau d’Activité Commercial) for managing the entire customer relationship chain with a simple, user-friendly tool that interfaced with existing systems. TOYOTA France wanted the B.A.C. to provide high performing analytic functionalities for both the reseller network and for TOYOTA France’s Executive Management.

TOYOTA France has rapidly come up to speed with the Pivotal CRM solution, customized it to its needs by CDC Software to address specific issues such as sales cycle management, traffic measuring, sales analysis and impact of communication operations.

“The creation and setting up of the single sales activities desk - Bureau d’Activité Commerciale - was needed in order to organize our distribution network,” said Alain Staricky, CIO for TOYOTA France. “We have chosen a CRM solution that enabled us to integrate specific processes from car sales, other sales, and also product coding. Pivotal CRM is flexible and highly customizable and allowed us to support functionalities in sales and marketing as well as customer services.”

“We are thrilled with welcoming a worldwide renowned car manufacturer among our customers,” said Jean-Marc Kuhlmann, vice president of Western Europe and North Africa, CDC Software. “Our CRM solution enables us to provide answers to the extensive CRM needs of our customers so we can support them and their business specific requirements on their respective markets.”

“The integration and deployment phase of the project took place swiftly and without any difficulties thanks to the excellent customization functionalities of the Pivotal CRM solution and to the extraordinary dedication of the users and of the TOYOTA France/Axoa/Pivotal project team,” said Michel Roussard, Associate Director for Axoa.