About Novatech International
- Established in 1978
- HQ in Olen, Belgium
- A family-owned business, developing innovative products for bonding, sealing and surface treatment - including famous brands like TEC7, Novatio and BIKE7
- 100+ employees in 25 countries
Solution & technology
Business
“If it simply has to work, grab TEC7,” could be the unofficial baseline for what’s undoubtedly Novatech’s most famous product. Since its inception in 1978, the family-owned business has shown a knack for developing innovative-yet-simple, versatile, high-quality solutions that are widely used in the construction, maintenance, and automotive sectors.
Now headed by its second generation, Novatech is active in over 25 countries. And while the company is not the largest player in the field, its agility and proximity to its customers make it stand out from the competition.
Keeping up with the times
For an innovative company like Novatech, keeping up with changing customer and employee expectations in a rapidly evolving economic environment is non-negotiable. “Our guiding query has always been ‘will this make people’s lives easier?’,” says sales manager Benelux Klaas Jochems. “So, when our sales platform and customer care solution reached end of life, that was our main requirement – to make people’s lives easier.”
... requires the right technology
“Our existing ticketing system for customers and employees did not provide the functionalities we needed for that,” adds customer care manager Petra Dupont. “We couldn’t analyze any data or consult the status of projects. And because there was no dashboard, it was difficult to measure progress or identify opportunities for improvement either.” Klaas’s sales team tells a similar story: “There were no data-driven insights into our target audience, so we were essentially driving blind. When you’re trying to keep up with a changing market, that’s less than ideal.”
Solution
In search of a flexible solution
There was one important upside to the challenges Petra and Klaas faced daily: it gave them a very clear idea of what they needed when the old platform became obsolete. Klaas: “I wanted a solution that centralized all customer data and made it instantly accessible for every relevant team. Because that information tends to change fast, the solution had to be flexible and easy to use as well. For those reasons, Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM was on our radar early on.”
Technology meets empathy
However, Novatech’s modest IT team did not have the in-house expertise required to implement a CRM solution all by itself. “We began talking to a lot of potential partners,” says Petra. “It quickly became clear to us that the most important requirement, apart from technical expertise, was that they could empathize with our business. When we got in touch with Cegeka, we quickly realized that we were speaking the same language.”
Approach
Getting everyone on the same page
As with any major CRM implementation, the Novatech project came with its fair share of challenges. Klaas: “Because our customer data lacked structure, a lot of preparation was needed before we could switch to the new system. This forced us to really consider what we wanted and required, and to finally solve some long-running issues we had – something we had to do sooner or later anyway.”
Luckily, Klaas and Petra found an excellent partner in Cegeka. Petra: “Throughout the entire project, the Cegeka team was constantly thinking along with us. They were genuinely curious about the way we work and quick to understand the unique sensitivities within the organization. This was also important for user adoption. To be successful, we had to get everyone on the same page.”
In close cooperation
Jeroen Vanhaute, Solution Architect at Cegeka, reinforces the positive experience: "Right from the start, it was clear to me that we were collaborating with a team of ambitious individuals who were perfectly aligned with a shared, long-term vision. Their remarkable drive and expertise facilitated my role in devising effective solutions.
The collaboration has been seamless, with communication through our shared Teams platform being direct and widely accepted by all involved parties. I must highlight the exceptional skill set of the Novatech team; their profound understanding of IT surpasses that of many others, making them exceptional partners. Their knack for fostering effective collaboration and driving project success makes working alongside them both enjoyable and fulfilling. I look forward to continuing our partnership."
Control and overview
Today, Novatech is equipped with a cutting-edge CRM that enables Petra’s team to tackle customer and employee issues faster than ever. “It even allows us to monitor how long it takes to solve issues,” she adds. “But the main benefit for us is the impact it has on efficiency, since all client- or account-related communication can now be handled via the CRM. Approval from account managers, for example, is often just a quick chat message away. And while the CRM is mainly an internal tool, our key customers have certainly noticed an improvement in terms of efficiency.”
Klaas concurs: “In the past, we had to make do with an Excel file that was admittedly comprehensive. However, there was no way to identify specific sales opportunities. And that’s exactly what you need when you want to grow. Now, we have a lot more control and a better overview. In the near future, we hope to make the system available via smartphone and tablet as well.”
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