1-888-TRASH-IT

Junk Removal Service Finds Gold with Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online

1-888-TRASH-IT! wanted a CRM system that could capture, share, and use customer data specific to the company’s operations to improve customer acquisition and retention. Company managers evaluated five CRM systems and selected Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM Online. The company will customize the application to include best practices. Moreover, the tool will collect data that executives can use for business intelligence, and a workflow library will be offered to franchisees to enhance their success.

Business Needs

The removal of commercial and residential junk is but a toll-free call away for consumers. Over the last few years, the executives of 1-888-TRASH-IT! implemented a business model that has proven to be effective. With that success, the Michigan-based company began offering franchise opportunities across the United States.

In the past, employees used an industry-specific customer relationship management (CRM) tool. However, it did not meet the company’s standards. “It was a cookie-cutter solution and we couldn’t tailor it to our business,” explains Sam Jawad, Founder of 1-888-TRASH-IT!. “We needed to be able to adapt a CRM platform to our business model and roll it out on a national scale.”

In practice, the company needed a CRM system that could capture, share, and use customer data specific to its operations for the purpose of acquiring—and retaining—customers. And managers needed to be able to make the solution available to corporate employees as well as to create an economical back-office infrastructure to support franchisees.

Solution

The search for a new CRM solution narrowed the choices to Salesforce.com and four other industry-specific alternatives. The selection team evaluated each application to compare their capabilities. When the reviews were tallied, the team chose Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM Online.

“The rich features, competitive pricing, and customization capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM [Online] mean that dollar for dollar we’re getting unbelievable value compared to the alternatives we considered,” Sam Jawad. Founder, 1-888-TRASH-IT!

The ability to tailor the CRM system was critical as it would allow managers to adapt the application to articulate their successful business model. “The application’s customization capabilities were unparalleled,” recalls Jawad. “No other company would allow us to do what we can do with Microsoft Dynamics CRM [Online].”

Another key factor was the ease and flexibility the application offers for integration with other key systems and applications. “We needed a solution that could easily plug-in to our mission-critical systems,” explains Jawad. “We’re looking to integrate it with our databases, financial applications and especially our GPS solution.”

Managers will join Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online with TomTom WORK, a GPS navigation tool that the company uses to efficiently manage its fleet of vehicles. “Using these two tools in tandem will give us the ability to significantly increase our productivity,” says Jawad. “We’ll be able to dispatch vehicles on the fly without drivers wasting their time returning to the office.”

Another factor that tipped the decision in favor of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online was the ease with which managers can make it available to franchisees. The application’s multi-tenancy capability allows IT staffers to create a separate instance for franchisees. Moreover, managers will use the application’s robust reporting features to present information graphically in tables and charts to enhance franchisee learning. And to get franchisees up and running on the solution quickly, the company will offer a training module.

Employees will use the marketing module to mine historical customer data. From that, they will create marketing campaigns and track the results. These campaigns will focus on both the acquisition of new business as well as on customer retention. Based on the results, analysts will derive business intelligence to identify trends and to formulate effective strategies and tactics for franchisees at the local level.

The 1-888-TRASH-IT! call center will use the service module to perform quality checks that include follow-up calls to customers. Managers will incorporate customer account data and analyze it as part of the company’s continuous improvement process cycle. Managers will then use the data to coach franchisees on how to improve performance while protecting the corporate brand.

Benefits

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online replaces an inflexible industry-specific CRM solution with a customizable solution that serves 1-888-TRASH-IT!’s franchisees and employees.

Hosted solution helps ensure business continuity:

• Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online incorporates redundant systems to deliver high availability, which helps maintain credibility among franchisees and protect the company’s brand in the marketplace.
• Users have automatic access to the latest updates and features.

Data mining aids growth in new markets and customer retention:

• Centralized data collection improves data mining capabilities.
• Managers can analyze market intelligence to improve employee and franchisee performance.
• As franchisees gain experience with new market segments, executives can compile data and identify trends to create targeted marketing and sales programs.

Faster, more efficient business growth:

• Managers can create a centralized, best-practices workflow library that franchisees can tailor for their localities.
• With an economical, back-office CRM solution, franchisees gain a competitive cost advantage over similar businesses in their area.
• The CRM solution adds a corporate revenue stream through a monthly CRM service subscription fee.
• Multi-tenancy features allow IT managers to quickly and easily set up new instances of the solution for each franchisee.
• The single, time-saving user interface of the solution’s service module replaces the multiple application screens that call-center personnel previously used.

Mobile capabilities improve efficiency:

• Executives and franchisees can access Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online from any Internet connection.
• Integration with TomTom WORK GPS optimizes the use and efficiency of trash pick-up trucks. Dispatchers can send the nearest available truck to complete additional revenue-generating pick-ups per day.