The decline in unvisited active customers to 8% is quite enormous.
Romain Sentissi,
Commercial Efficiency Manager
Coup de Pates is a leading player in the food retail sector, operating successfully in France and the Benelux countries. The company distributes fresh, frozen and dried products and places particular emphasis on efficiency and customer proximity. With a sales structure of 150 field reps and a management team of around 30 people, the organization has a broad base. Romain Sentissi is Commercial Efficiency Manager at Coup de Pates and is instrumental in increasing the productivity of the sales team. His role is to provide the right tools to meet both the requirements of customers and the needs of the company.
A few years ago, Coup de Pates realized that only 80% of their active customers had been visited during the year. The remaining 20% had had no contact with a sales representative. This deficit underlined the need for a structured and automated solution for route planning. The aim was to maximize the coverage of customer calls, organize the workload of the sales staff and sustainably increase efficiency.
We had a pretty uncertain time and 20% had not seen a sales representative in the entire year. This prompted us to try a different strategy.
Romain Sentissi, Commercial Efficiency Manager
The introduction of portatour® was gradual and well thought out. First, a pilot phase was carried out in three regions. Sales staff and managers were comprehensively trained to understand how to use the tool and how to make optimum use of it. The involvement of tech-savvy employees as "ambassadors" who passed on the knowledge they had gained to their colleagues was particularly helpful. This phase laid the foundation for the nationwide introduction of the tool, which also made use of the pilot participants' feedback. In addition, regular workshops were established to deepen knowledge and involve new employees.
We started with a pilot project in three regions and trained their area managers. After a few weeks, the experiences were then passed on to colleagues.
Romain Sentissi, Commercial Efficiency Manager
One of the main reasons for the success of the project at Coup de Pates was the user-friendliness of portatour®. The intuitive design and modern technology enabled easy integration into the day-to-day work of the sales staff. The interactive map, real-time traffic information and the ability to flexibly plan tours made the tool much easier to use. portatour® also offers practical tools for management to keep an eye on the team's performance and make data-based decisions.
With portatour®, the user experience was really crucial. It had to be fun and easy to use. The interactive map and direct visualization are a big advantage for most sales staff.
Romain Sentissi, Commercial Efficiency Manager
The ability to visualize customer calls on a map and plan routes efficiently is particularly appreciated. The integration of potential customers and reports are further highlights for Coup de Pates. With portatour®, the company was able to precisely control and optimize the visit cycle for customers and prospective customers. The integrated reports enabled managers to easily track key figures such as the amount of visits or the workload of individual territories and make adjustments.
The fact that the sales representative can easily access portatour® reports directly was a great advantage.
Romain Sentissi, Commercial Efficiency Manager
The proportion of active customers not visited fell from 20% to 8%. The efficiency of sales staff has greatly improved and management can access reliable data to make strategic decisions. Coup de Pates is particularly impressed by the stability and user-friendliness of the software and the partnership with portatour®. The regular updates and the willingness to respond to customers underline the added value of the solution. With portatour®, Coup de Pates has not only revolutionized its in-house route planning, but has also created the basis for a sustainable and highly efficient sales strategy.
The drop in unvisited active customers to 8% is quite enormous. What's more, we haven't had any bugs or crashes in recent years.
Romain Sentissi, Commercial Efficiency Manager
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