Crystalloids

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the coordinator of channels for a national sports association. I am responsible for marketing intelligence, customer satisfaction, and monitoring the data of the amateur soccer athletes, fans, and volunteers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Crystalloids?

We have about 1.2 million members playing soccer and 3,000 amateur soccer clubs. We work with 400,000 volunteers, 80,000 coaches, and more than 12,000 administrators. We needed to centralize all this customer data. We wanted to optimize campaign management with a smarter intelligence platform for analysis. The other challenge was to have a data-driven ecosystem.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We wanted to increase the number of users and get to know them better in order to personalize the communication and for retention, as well as to monetize the marketing value of the database. They worked purely on the backend.

What is the team composition?

In the past few years, we have worked with several consultants including a consultant for the analytics platform and 2 coordinators, who were our contact people. We were also in contact with their CEO, Marcel Van Der Marck. We also had a contact for the commercial activities for monetizing activities with the database.

How did you come to work with Crystalloids?

They had been selected by a partner of ours who were already working with them and had a good experience. The initial cooperation was in a consortium of 5 parties. Over a year later, we expanded the cooperation and started a partnership with them for one particular company’s activities.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working with them since 2014 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We won a Dutch award for custom data due to their work. With their cooperation, the data quality improved by 20% since we started working with them. They helped us by selecting better segments for personalization in communication. The improved segmentation and personalization results in better rates of opens and clicks for emails and newsletters. Overall, we had a 35% increase in the click ratio for partner emails and open rates climbed up 65% for corporate email letters.

How did Crystalloids perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re very satisfied with the cooperation. We were in contact with them via telephone on a regular basis and had meetings with the CEO and one of the coordinators once a month.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are flexible, personal, and we don’t feel like we are just a number. We are not their biggest client but we never felt we were a small client. This was important to us and what makes them special. There are a lot of agencies in Holland with similar consultancy services, but for us, it is important that they had those qualities. We started with data analyzing and segmentation 2 years ago and they were dedicated to helping us get to the next level, which they succeeded.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Maintain continuity. Essential people left the agency in the past year, including the CEO, a consultant, and another team member. I am a little bit concerned about that, but I have full confidence in the new CEO as I have heard good things about him.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We’re one of the biggest retailers in the Netherlands. We have 63 facilities, and we do more than €900 million [slightly more than $1 billion] in business annually. About 50 to 60 percent of the people in the Netherlands shop at our various locations.

What is your position?

I’m an analyst working in the marketing and CRM [customer relationship management] division. I manage and design our loyalty card programs. I’m also responsible for our database and information.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were attempting to address when you first approached Crystalloids?

We needed support with our data analytics. At this moment, they are doing a lot of complex calculations for me using data from our VIP customers. With the loyalty program, they calculate several custom metrics per customer, and they also divide the total database in multiple segments. They help us a lot with predictive analytics, too. 

SOLUTION

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

They help us pull and tabulate data, then perform calculations with us. We use them to augment our internal capacity, and basically add a layer of quality assurance.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this engagement?

We invest around €100,000 to €150,000 [approximately $118,000 to $178,000] on an annual basis.

How long has this engagement remained ongoing?

I started working with them last summer [2013], and the work is ongoing. They are our preferred supplier for data analytics services. We’ve also hired their sister company, Crystalloids Innovations, for product development work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No, because a lot of their activities are ad hoc in nature. They serve as an external resource for our team. Since they work directly alongside us, there really is not any way for us to identify which contributions are strictly theirs or ours. We collaborate closely on these projects.

When working with Crystalloids, is there anything you would consider unique about their approach that distinguishes them from other vendors?

I was happy with the work they have completed. I’m an analyst, so I’m able to interact with them directly, on a very regular basis. They are not very fancy; they’re just very correct, methodical and they’re always on time with their deliveries. If they offer a cost estimate and a deadline, they always remain within said parameters. We’re very satisfied with their level of service.

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

They’re not as great at providing recommendations based on the results. For instance, once we’ve crunched the numbers and we have our finalized metrics, they can’t really make the kind of strategic marketing campaign suggestions we’d need. That’s the only area I could really think that they could improve.

BACKGROUND

Could you describe your company?

My company is one of the largest banks in the Netherlands.  We do all kinds of things.  We have about 30,000 employees.  We have different business lines like private banking, retail banking and of course commercial and merchant banking.

What is your position?

I’m the Chief Operating Officer and program manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your company’s business challenge(s) that you were attempting to address when you initiated the project with Crystalloids?

When we started, we first needed to execute a request for proposal.  When we looked at our campaign management environment, it was very old and end-of-life.  We had to do a series of questions and interviews with several partners or vendors such as SAS and Aprimo. It was very difficult in the beginning to define our business requirements. Crystalloids helped us devise the appropriate questions to pose to each vendor.

SOLUTION

SOLUTION:

Could you describe the scope of the project in terms of components: did it include custom development, design, training, support, etc.?

It really revolved around marketing automation and optimization, complemented by analytics and reporting.  We purchased several modules from SAS in the end and Crystalloids helped us with the actual installation.

Why did you select SAS over some of its counterparts?

In the end, it was a close race between IBM and SAS. There was little difference between both vendors but we had a big user-base on SAS already. IBM was also significantly more expensive than SAS, so that only served to reinforce my decision to go with SAS.

How did you select Crystalloids as your solution provider?

At first we were collaborating with a firm operating out of Belgium. We were dissatisfied with their operational execution and overall project management.  We then began to search for a partner in the Netherlands. SAS recommended Accenture, and we simultaneously were introduced to Crystalloids. We interviewed both parties, but I rather preferred Crystalloid, because they adopt a lean and mean, hands-on approach. They also had extensive experiences with implementing SAS in the Netherlands. They possess strategic and operational competence, which was essential for us. And the people I know have had nothing but great experiences working with Crystalloids.

What parts of the project did you contribute to with your in-house expertise, if any?

That’s a very good question because when we started the project with our Belgian partner, we had little time to help the project and they only sent one person who could help. It was far too little. Crystalloids was able to allocate a number of resources to us and their consultants were had deep knowledge and expertise. It was the difference between day and night.  

Could you give me a sense of the size of this project in monetary terms?

I had 3 million Euros to spend last year. Part of that was used for the implementation of marketing automation. We combined marketing automation with optimization so it was one project with two separate components.

When were each of these modules completed?

The two components were completed in April of this year after approximately seven months. We’re now in the process of configuring campaigns and deploying them, which is a whole other beast.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any metrics or statistics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work that Crystalloids provided?

That’s very difficult.  Normally we work with benefits; of course, we have to make financial business cases for these projects. There are still some problems in the environment at this moment so a task force was needed, which I created, to fix some problems because there are some blocks in the software. SAS won’t allow us execute and publish campaigns in parallel, which means we need to make some serious customizations and modifications to their modules.  There are some problems with the reoccurrence, too. Those things we have to repair by installing an upgrade to the platform, the Maintenance Upgrade 2, which we are executing at this moment. It has to be finished in February next year and then the problems we have will be solved. Then we can really measure what benefits are created because now the maximum capacity and the full possibilities of the system cannot be used. That’s a bit of a problem, but it’s something we are addressing with SAS at the moment. In terms of efficiency, because Crystalloids is using an Agile/Scrum methodology, what should have taken upwards of a year only took about seven months. Their service has been truly impeccable.

How do you feel that Crystalloids performed in this project?

They’ve performed extremely well. They’re very flexible and they put their money where their mouth is. They have deep expertise with the SAS platform and all of its various applications.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you feel Crystalloids could improve upon, or that you might do differently as the client before approaching this type of project?

I don’t think Crystalloids could have improved upon anything related to the project. In terms of what I’d change, the only issue that really comes to mind is the incompatibility between SAS and IBM. Our bank utilizes software from both vendors for various tasks and operations, but they are nearly impossible to synchronize. It’s absolutely frustrating. You have to go into the system and execute numerous workarounds just to have the systems interact. We seriously underestimated that fact, which has resulted in some inefficiency and wasted time. We should have expected the constraints and accounted for it in our planning process, but now we can learn from the mistake.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We’re a multinational office supply retailer with presence in over a dozen countries.

What is your position?

I’m the Director of Database Marketing and Customer Insights for Europe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What were your company’s business goals for initiating the project with Crystalloids?

First of all, we needed to create a single customer view from a retail line perspective; and secondly, we needed to improve our analytical and campaign management capabilities.

SOLUTION

How did you select Crystalloids as your solution provider?

We started this project in the U.K. first as a pilot. At that time we were with a different, much large solution provider, but we weren’t impressed with their performance. That’s when we began searching for an alternative. What we really wanted was a partner that could not only understand our business model and objectives, but also our customer’s needs and desires. Crystalloids satisfied our needs in a solution provider.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this project in either monetary terms or the number of personnel that were dedicated to the project?

In monetary terms, it was well over 1.5 million Euros.  Crystalloids dedicated two consultants to the project that worked with us on-site. They probably had an additional four or five people supporting them from their office. 

When was this project completed?

It was completed this past January 2013.

How long did the project take?

It lasted approximately six months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work delivered?

First of all, we improved our data accuracy with 50 percent more or less. The other thing is that we were able to improve our accuracy in customer contact. In other words, even though our total conversions haven’t skyrocketed, the number of conversions relative to the volume of communication we’re sending has definitely increased. We’re hitting the right people with the right message at the right time.

When working with Crystalloids, is there anything you would consider unique or special about them compared to other solution partners you’ve worked with in the past?

The thing that stands out most is their change management capabilities. Our previous solution partner approached the project as a self-contained entity with only technical components to implement and supervise. They didn’t take the time understand our business to the fullest extent and didn’t even attempt to understand our customers. For those two reasons alone it was very difficult to collaborate with them. Crystalloids spent the time researching the technical and human components of the project, which made the entire process much smoother. Rarely if ever did we conflict over certain strategies.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you feel Crystalloids could improve upon or you might do differently as the client when approaching this type of project?

The only thing I can think of is utilizing our IT department differently. They have a very different perspective on data usage than the rest of us, which made some areas of progress more difficult than others. It might have been wise to consult them prior to strategizing so we could have better understood some of the limitations and constraints associated with the project.