Traction Consulting Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the assistant VP of Sales for Burr Oak Tool, a company that produces machinery for the heating and cooling industry. Many of our customers use our equipment to mass produce air conditioners or heat exchangers. We have machines in roughly 75 different countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction CRM?

We had the old 2011 version of Dynamics CRM and needed an upgrade. We were about seven years behind and had some functionality that didn’t work properly. We were doing work outside of CRM, which was time-consuming, so we decided to look for a partner to update us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Traction began by examining our CRM to determine what it could do and what third-party applications it worked with. It was somewhat like a discovery phase to understand the current situation in detail. We then told them what we wanted our CRM to do, and they put together a proposal.

We took care of the initial data cleanup, and they did most of the work to accomplish the software and data conversions. They even interacted with some of our third-party vendors to make sure everything transitioned smoothly.

What is the team composition?

We had about four people on our team. A sales rep, project lead, and two tech guys. The sales rep and project lead were my main points of contact.

How did you come to work with Traction CRM?

They sent an email explaining their Dynamics CRM service, and I asked for a demonstration. I liked what I saw, and they were 30%–40% cheaper than the other company I was considering, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $55,000–$60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in July 2017­­, and our new version just launched in February.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’re now able to input all of our sales activity into our CRM instead of Outlook. That allows me to receive sales forecasting information and easily track our sales work. The team can work together better now and provide more accurate reports to our management team. We weren’t able to do that before.

How did Traction CRM perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was one of their strong suits. They held weekly calls to review progress, and we had contact outside those meetings as needed. They’d send out a project overview before the calls to make sure we had all the information needed to be productive.

Now that we’re finished, I can just send them an email if there’s a problem, and they get to it right away.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re incredibly competent, professional, and confident; they know exactly what they’re doing. Working with them has been a great experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Don’t wait to hire them. We took so long to upgrade our CRM, but Traction made it such an easy and smooth process. Once we partnered, it only took them a few months to finish everything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the Information Security Officer for a commercial lending institution.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Traction Consulting Group?

We needed them to rework our Salesforce environment and develop custom integrations between it and other platforms.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to make our Salesforce environment more user-friendly, as well as increase our sales representatives’ productivity.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to me by a colleague. After some discussion, we decided that Traction was the most knowledgeable about the areas in which we were looking to make improvements.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They consulted on the overall layout of our salesforce platform, advising where items could be integrated and how to integrate them. They also created multiple custom objects and integrations with third-party services that link back to Salesforce.

What was the team composition?

Typically, there’s a developer and a project manager from Traction.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Everything was developed and launched on time. We’ve increased productivity across product lines, and seen a more fluid cross-sell of our various products. Employee engagement has also increased.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Traction’s project manager meets with our project manager every week, and holds additional meetings whenever necessary. Their manager works effectively and helps keep the project on schedule.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their knowledge about multiple topics and ability to think outside the box stand out to us. We also love how quickly they learned about our business and are able to recommend solutions to complex problems.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I can't think of anything at this point. My experience with all their employees has been exceptional.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a steelcase office furniture distributor. We do complete interiors, all the way from design, installation, custom mill work, and technology integration. I am the chief operating and financial officer for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with TractionCRM?

We wanted to develop a more aligned employee performance portal, equipped with company strategy and objectives.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We discussed employee objectives and how they should be executed. Then we talked about how to consistently track, measure, and create increased workflow throughout the entire company. Aligning those factors with overall corporate strategies and objectives, a portal system for employee performance was implemented. The initial portal was built on SharePoint and since then, we’ve transitioned over to Microsoft Dynamics.

Having Microsoft Dynamics has transitioned us into a Microsoft CRM company as well. They’ve given us support in integrating Microsoft CRM with our enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and our payroll processing system with the ERP system. They’ve helped in solving business issues that we’ve wanted to utilize more effectively.

What is the team composition?

We have a project manager, who has been different people over the years. We also have a technical lead who we mostly interact with.

How did you come to work with TractionCRM?

I have previously worked with an employee there, on multiple occasions.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested a total of $100,000–$120,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve worked together since June 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The employee performance is much more streamlined now. Employees appreciate the clarity on how they're going to be evaluated and judged on their performance for the year. Since the system keeps regular reviews and conversations of the employee, there's no surprises.

The CRM integration has also created more clarity of information. It provides better data, with which we can start to forecast where we think our financial results are going to be in the future. Overall, a lot of processes have been automated.

How did TractionCRM perform from a project management standpoint?

I think they've done a good job. We set a timeline, we manage that timeline. We set a price, we manage that price. If you evaluate project management in that way, I think they performed very well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very responsive. They’re good at not letting things slip through the cracks. If we're having issues, they’re quick to respond and without a problem. They’ve also been a big help in providing an outsider's perspective on why we should go in a certain direction. Their ability to push the thinking has been very valuable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We ran into some issues as we were starting to roll out the system to employees. Some of the testing wasn't all the way complete when it came to user permissions. The problem was resolved, but the technical lead should have done that prior. That's been the minor issue that's happened once or twice.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Spend time upfront before jumping into a project and thinking you have the solution. Business consult and then utilize the technology to support what you've got and what you've collectively agree is the goal.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the IT director of a manufacturer of plastic injection molding and innovative engineering and components.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Traction Consulting Group - TractionCRM.com?

We hired them for the rapid deployment of a cloud-hosted Dynamics X Relationship Management (XRM) platform that would be used for purchase requisition and expense reporting.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to replace cumbersome manual processes with a mobile-based paperless system.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We heard about them from a trusted resource. They also had an excellent online reputation.

Describe the project in detail.

The team recreated our paper-based processes and approval channels using a Dynamics XRM system and SharePoint Cloud, which allows users to drag and drop information online. The system automates critical documentation such as request for quotation (RFQ), purchase orders, and budget checks. It is also used by our associates to get cash payback for personal expenses.

What was the team composition?

Key business leaders and the IT director were involved in the project, while the applications architect reviewed the initial design.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The system now has 150 users, including our CEO and COO who use it daily for approvals. Our purchasing and accounting staff also have real-time visibility on our cost containment processes.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was highly effective and organized. We were impressed with how fast they designed, developed, and deployed the system. It was up and running within three months.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They had great communication and agility. We will be collaborating on another project, as the reward for good work is more work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Marketing Manager for Acromag. We design and manufacture industrial electronic equipment.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction Consulting Group?

We wanted more insight into our customers, so we needed to incorporate a new CRM system that included sales processes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They implemented a CRM system and trained us on how to use it. They developed the system’s dashboard and included quote modules and a travel log, where sales people would put in their trips to be approved by a manager. They also developed a mobile app for our sales team, which is really a web portal run in Microsoft Azure.

Currently, they’re helping us integrate Act-On, the marketing tool, with the CRM, so we can get the information we need for specialized programs. They also provide ongoing CRM system maintenance when we need it.

What is the team composition?

Traction’s president was our main point of contact, and there were two people working with him as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $200,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2010.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I don’t have any measurables, but the app helped us monitor our sales leads with outside channels. We also gained insight into how today’s mobile-friendly environment affects those leads.  

How did Traction Consulting Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve adjusted their techniques throughout the engagement. In the beginning, we had more personal contact, but lately, we’re able to do more through email. They were good about writing out deliverables and providing documentation. They had an open communication style where all options were discussed, and people could be honest if they felt it was a good idea or not.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re really good at guiding your ideas from start to finish. They worked with us to understand what we wanted and then devised a plan to implement that idea.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want before you meet with them, so you don’t go down the wrong path. They have so many options, so just have an honest discussion with them and get feedback on your ideas. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Chief Strategy Officer at Monroe Engineering, a manufacturer for the automotive, military, and agricultural industries. I manage marketing and IT.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction Consulting Group?

We needed a customized CRM to centralize our data and interactions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they met each department to identify the best workflow for our needs. The team enhanced the process as the engagement evolved.

What is the team composition?

I worked with the president, who had between five and six developers behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Traction Consulting Group?

A contact from another company recommended them.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work started in September 2015 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They realized our vision. The CRM has increased transparency and synergy between our teams. New reporting capabilities have increased our productivity. We now provide better service with better management, organization, and documentation.

How did Traction Consulting Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re accessible and responsive, particularly with tickets submissions via Microsoft Project. The project manager tracks requirements and timeframes; his team also sends out surveys after each project.

The president is an experienced developer; he’s familiar with every language his team uses. He’s directly involved in each project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their business literacy distinguishes them among software developers. They’re curious, always asking pointed questions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Transparency results in optimal solutions.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We’re a home fuel and commercial fuel distributor. We also distribute propane and lubricants. We have a towing operation, and a construction company all sort of wrapped up together.

What is your position?

I’m the director of IT [information technology], accounting, and special projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you first approached Traction Consulting Group?

We had contact with Traction previously, before I came into the company. I knew about them as a CRM [customer relationship management] implementation company. We were looking to implement CRM with one of our sales divisions. They were part of the decision-making process to choose the Microsoft Dynamics platform that we implemented. We didn’t have the necessary resources to perform the implementation ourselves.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

They were involved with custom design work, custom development, and training. They helped us scope the project and then, once we agreed on a deployment strategy, they went ahead and executed. We provided general guidance and detailed documents explaining what specific designs and functionalities we needed.

How did you select Traction Consulting Group as your partner?

They were already working with our company before I was here. I can’t speak to the nature of the relationship from that perspective.

When was this project completed?

The relationship is ongoing. We use them for ongoing maintenance and support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

I don’t have any metrics at hand. I know that the Traction teams have been a big help in gaining acceptance for using CRM. They delivered on time and on budget without any issues. We’ve been impressed with the overall quality of their work, which is why we continue using their services.

When working with Traction Consulting Group, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

Their approach to change management is very effective. They’re not only experts with the technologies, but also how to deploy them in organizations. They really understand the human component, and they bring that knowledge to bear during this kind of complex projects. It’s been terrific.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

No. I’m pretty happy with them in general, and I don’t give many vendors high marks, especially in the software area. We haven’t had any negative experiences with them, and that alone is very impressive.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for 365 Retail Markets, and we are the global leader in what’s called micro market technology. We sell turnkey self-checkout kiosks that are used by vending machine operators to build out a little mini convenience store in lieu of a bank of vending machines. They use our self-checkout kiosks to facilitate transactions. We’ve been doing that for about three years now, and we’ve got roughly 3,000 kiosks across the U.S. and Canada.

What your position?

I’m the director of products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you first approached Traction Consulting Group?

We’ve been using Salesforce since the fall of 2011, and as we’ve grown our needs in Salesforce have also grown. We looked to Traction to consult on the ways to expand Salesforce via adding custom objects to Visualforce pages, that kind of stuff. We wanted to leverage our investment in Salesforce and make sure we are squeezing out every drop of efficiency that we could.

SOLUTION

Could you describe their involvement in greater detail?

Primarily for us, it’s all about the Salesforce consultations, about the way that we’re using the system, the data that we’re absorbing on a daily basis, [and] the best way to use that long-term. More than anything else, we’re looking for ways to use Salesforce that we might not be able to do natively.

I’ve got a few active projects with them right now in which we’re automating a lot of otherwise manual processes. There are a lot of custom integrations, too. They’ve also offered some strategic advice on how to use SharePoint effectively with Salesforce.

How did you select Traction Consulting Group as your solution partner?

Traction actually came as a referral from one of our C-level employees at the time. They had worked with Traction at a pervious organization and had recommended them once we identified a need to get a little bit more advanced. It was really more of a personal introduction, you could say. The relationship has proved successful despite that personal connection with that employee.

Traction was not our first contractor for Salesforce. I had used an online contractor recruiting service, and we had located some developers in India, and a few others that were U.S.-based. I had done maybe three to five projects with other contractors leading up to the Traction introduction. The reason I took the meeting with them was because we were very unsatisfied with the turnaround time that we were getting from these other non-invested contractors. The quality of work that we were seeing was not what we would have expected for the price that were charged.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this project?

The initial project we did with them was probably about $2,500, but we’ve ranged in size from a mini $500 project, all the up to an $18,000 project at one point.

When was this project completed?

We’ve maintained the relationship with them for roughly a year and a half. Our most recent project with Traction was completed in September of 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

I don’t have any hard numbers to share, but I could speak to the way that we’ve automated a few systems, such as our custom FedEx integration. We previously had an employee go into FedEx.com and manually enter all the information for every kiosk that we ship from the back door here. Needless to say, that took a really long time. We’ve now automated that entire process, so the shipping information from Salesforce that was always there, and had to be copied and pasted into FedEx.com is automatically sent to their API [application programming interface], and then we generate a bill of landing automatically in Salesforce.

That $2,500 initial project alone is probably saving us many, many man-weeks a year that I can’t even really quantify. That sort of project is what we’ve continued to build on, and we’ve done probably a dozen projects with Traction thus far. Every one of them has got a little bit more incremental automation that helps us save on labor for certain tasks. We’re able to reallocate that labor in our organization to areas that need it more, without needing to tie them down with a repetitive, non-automated task. It all comes down to process efficiency.

When working with Traction Consulting Group, is there anything you’d consider unique about their approach or development methodology?

It’s a shame I have to say it’s unique these days, but writing up a statement of work. It’s really important to get a sign off on the approach before anyone starts anything. Working with the other developers that I mentioned prior to meeting Traction, a lot of the scoping was done via email, and a lot of word of mouth and phone conversations. Then, at the end you’re wondering why what you’ve got is not what you really wanted. I think Traction is really good at clarifying the plan of attack right from the beginning, so that you know what you’re going to get. Then at the end, you’re satisfied and not wondering why it’s not exactly what you wanted.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think Traction Consulting Group could improve as a service provider?

No. I consistently give them a nine out of 10 on their own emails that they send out, asking for feedback. That’s only because I never give anybody a 10 out of 10. I think that they’re doing a great job. The only thing I could ask that they improve is their delivery time but, of course, that’s contingent upon their ability to add more people, and me giving them consistent work, which we don’t do. We usually give them work in sporadic sprints, and that makes it difficult for them to be able to hire a million people to churn out whatever we want really fast. I think the delivery time we have with them is more than adequate, so I’m not knocking that, but that would be the only thing that I might be able to see improved.