Agron, one of the leading providers of fertilizer to South Africa’s agricultural sector, has implemented the Sage CRM solution from Sage Enterprise (formerly Sage ERP Africa) in an effort to improve its competitiveness and enhance customer service. Astech helped the company to tailor the solution to its needs, while Cats oversaw the implementation as the project coordinator.

Agron has used Sage 300 as its business management solution for several years, with CATS providing implementation, support and consulting services. However, it identified the implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) solution as an opportunity to make its sales force more efficient and effective.

The new CRM solution gives sales reps the ability to complete the entire sales process on a mobile device -from discussing a farmer’s options and proposing a fertilizer plan based on his or her needs, through to producing a formal quote and getting the farmer’s digital signature to conclude the transaction.

No longer do sales agents need to travel back and forth to the office to get paperwork done or phone the office for support - they can complete an entire process at the customers’ premises. In addition, sales reps are saving time on admin and spending more hours visiting customers doing and discussing those things that will ensure customer improvement objectives are always met i.e. making a difference in our farmers business.

Agron opted for Sage CRM because it already uses the Sage 300 software and because the solution offered superior functionality to the other options it evaluated. Implementation started at the end of May 2015 and the software went live in early September.

Says Paul Cook, financial manager at Agron: “I’m very impressed with the results so far. I believe this solution will give us a significant marketing advantage over our local competitors. We are now placed as a leader in our industry, thanks to the flexibility, time-savings and responsiveness this new solution has given to our business.”

“The Sage 300 platform has given Agron a sound foundation for growth over the years,” says Wilna Blignaut from Cats. “Its tight integration with Sage CRM means that the company’s sales executives have everything they need at their fingertips when they visit a customer site. Sage 300 really helps companies like Agron to optimise their operations and position themselves for growth.”

Anthony Lipshitz, Director at Astech, says that innovative software can make a huge difference to the operational efficiency, management control and sales of a growing business. By embracing mobile CRM, Agron will be able to position itself at the forefront of its industry and impress farmers with its customer service. 

“With instant access to pipelines, calendars, sales reports, contacts, and much more, Sage CRM allows sales people to focus all their efforts on selling and serving,” says Jeremy Waterman, Managing Director at Sage Enterprise. “Sage CRM gives full visibility of what is happening with every prospect and customer, empowering your sales reps to perform at their very best.”