They did not have to finish the ERP upgrade first

Several subsidiaries, one CRM

Netop Solutions A/S, formerly Danware A/S, builds software that moves screens, sound and data between two or more computers. It runs three business areas: Netop Desktop Management, whose core product NetOp Remote Control drives one or more machines remotely; Netop Education, for computer-based classroom teaching; and Netop Live, for conferencing, secure chat, click-to-talk and desktop and file sharing. It has subsidiaries in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Germany and Switzerland, and its solutions are sold in more than 80 countries.

The business need was straightforward to state and awkward to build. Netop has several subsidiaries, and each one runs its own Navision company. All of them needed integrating with a single CRM system.

Two systems generate valuable data on both sides, so what mattered was capturing it and moving it automatically rather than letting each side drift into its own version of the truth. A link between Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Salesforce was, in Netop’s framing, vital.

The requirements were shaped by that. A stable and secure interface. Support for all Microsoft Dynamics NAV versions, not just the current one. Flexible two-way integration. Several subsidiaries joined to one CRM. And consistency across the whole set.

Choosing Rapidi was easy, the data integration solution fulfilled our requirements regarding the communication between our Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Salesforce. It worked right away and it was affordable.

Allan Iskov, Business Process Manager at Netop A/S

The version problem, and why it mattered

This is the part of the story worth dwelling on, because it is a timing problem rather than a technical one.

Netop was in the middle of changing its ERP from Navision 3.10 to Microsoft Dynamics NAV 5.0. The obvious sequencing would have been to finish the upgrade, then integrate. That means waiting, and waiting has a cost: the CRM rollout was already happening.

Because Rapidi supported all NAV versions, the integration could be built against 3.10 and start delivering immediately. When the upgrade came, almost all of the configuration done for Navision 3.10 could be reused with the new version. The integration project did not have to queue behind the ERP project.

What moves

Accounts are created in Salesforce. If an account is of a particular type, Rapidi picks it up and creates it in NAV, and updates flow both ways from then on.

Products and prices are maintained in NAV and kept current in Salesforce. The pricing is the fiddly part: Netop runs a number of different discount levels, each with its own price list generated in NAV, and each of those transfers to the corresponding price list in Salesforce. All prices are maintained in several currencies.

And the loop closes at the point of sale. When an opportunity is won in Salesforce, Rapidi picks it up and creates the order in NAV.

The implementation of Rapidi went very smoothly and we were up and running within short time. Rapidi as a link between our CRM and ERP systems resulted in more efficient work routines and a total overview of our customers and partners for our sales people.

Allan Iskov, Business Process Manager at Netop A/S

The results

Improved work routines. Fewer manual processes, and no typing the same data into two systems to keep both accurate. Netop puts it in terms of resources freed rather than hours counted.

Better decisions. Sales people have current figures in front of them, which changes what they can decide about a customer on the spot rather than after checking.

Sales information is finally at the company’s fingertips, thanks in large part to Rapidi. We have efficient, accurate and well-organized account information that translates into better decision making.

Allan Iskov, Business Process Manager at Netop A/S

Iskov sums the whole thing up in one sentence: with Rapidi there is less manual work and no duplicated data entry, which frees valuable resources and saves both time and money.