york firms team up for increased productivity

21st Dec 2006

Rhino Windows is celebrating increased turnover and improved productivity within six months of installing new technology.

When faced with more leads than the firm could effectively manage, Rhino Windows turned to another York-based company, Sawfish Software, to provide the solution.

Rhino Windows supplies and installs double-glazed windows, doors and conservatories, and has bases in York and Scarborough. Now, with five members of the 20-strong staff using the lead-management software, the company is reporting improvement in the whole sales process, from the initial enquiry to job completion, giving them an advantage over their competitors in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

SalesFlow, a business process management tool, is Sawfish Software’s primary technology solution. With access via the internet, it provides permitted users real-time visibility across the entire business, with information on the processes undertaken in relation to each sales lead.

In turn, managers using SalesFlow have a complete picture of business activity, and individual employees, allowing them to make informed decisions to ensure that all opportunities are managed in the optimum manner.

Nick Reed, Director of Rhino Windows, said: "SalesFlow impressed immediately. Rhino Windows need to be able to follow leads effectively. With the right technology in place, the entire sales process is vastly improved.

"SalesFlow has quickly proved to be the ideal product for us. As we expand, we plan to give more of our staff access to the system. I have already recommended the software to other firms, including my accountant."

The window, door and conservatory market has faced an increasingly difficult trading climate in the last year, with pressure on prices and margins combining with a slowing in demand. To compete, manufacturers are looking to solutions such as SalesFlow to optimise their customer relationship management, and provide the highest standard of service for each individual lead.

Sawfish, based in York, was founded in 2004 by Managing Director, Steve Hull, who has more than 25 years’ experience in the software and customer relationship management sectors.

Steve said: "SalesFlow is a flexible solution which can be configured to meet a company’s specific needs. It maps out your business processes within the system, and offers facilities to record any information which is pertinent, allowing you to report on the aspects of importance to you.

"With improved management of leads, and easier access to all related information, SalesFlow enables increased productivity in a wide range of work places, and has been used by many customer-focused sales teams to great benefit."