Customer Success | Tradebox

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Stephen Bales

Founder

Using Act! as its CRM has helped software firm Tradebox go from bespoke developer to creator of market-leading off-the-shelf products that enable UK online retailers to better manage their businesses.

In Tradebox’s new offices on North Shield’s historic Fish Quay, there’s the smell of newly-laid carpet in the air – the larger space and modern working environment a testament to the firm’s growth.

Once a developer of tailored software solutions, in a decade the company’s products are now used by over 1,100 online retailers looking to manage, control and account for their sales across multiple markets and e-commerce sites more effectively.

Act! has been at the heart of the company’s upward trajectory and is likely to continue to play a prominent role in future growth as Tradebox aims to quadruple its customer base, and double staff numbers, over the next 18 months.

For instance, using Act!, Tradebox automatically sends emails that are triggered by an event, such as a software license coming to an end. Act! identifies customers with imminent renewals, then sends them a series of scheduled reminders.

With all customer, prospect and supplier details held in Act!, Tradebox’s customer support team can also quickly find out about any customer who calls — the type of license they have, what version of software they use and the operating system they run. With each screen customized, they have an up-to-the-minute snapshot of a caller right in front of them, so can give the help that’s needed faster and more efficiently.

Act! is now such a central part of the day-to-day running of the business that I couldn’t imagine operating the business without it

Act! reacts to trigger events

“We used to manage customer data using an Access® database we’d created ourselves,” says Stephen Bales, Tradebox’s founder. “But about eight years ago we needed greater functionality and started looking around for a CRM that would be a better fit for us as we grew from doing one-off software to creating products.”

Now Act! has become a central part of day-to-day operations, “and I couldn’t imagine operating the business without it,” says Stephen, “as it’s become an entrenched piece of software we all use on a daily basis.”

So, while Stephen has looked at other CRM products over the years, it’s the depth of features that has kept him loyal to Act!.

“It just has lots of useful features that we need as a business,” he says, “which we can tailor in the way that we need.”

Act! helps manage new product launch

The business is now at another interesting stage of development with a recently launched new product – Tradebox One. This will greatly broaden the company’s customer base and mean that more and more retailers, both large and small, will be able to gain greater control over their online stock and order management.

Act! of course will be called upon to handle the extra information flows from many more customers. But it will also have a critical role to play in introducing this latest application to a range of previously unexplored markets.

Act! has lots of useful features that we need as a business, which we can tailor in the way that we need.”

Focus on strongest prospects

By using Act! to ‘slice and dice’ those markets, “we can separate customers into different groups based on specific criteria,” says Stephen, “which could be based on the market they are in, or by their level of interest. That means we can identify the strongest prospects and focus on them rather than on ones who don’t have the same level of interest.”

Going forward, Stephen is also keen to integrate Act! with the VoIP phone system they have just installed. That will mean customers’ details come up on screen when they call in, and the Tradebox team will be able to save time by making calls out through the system.

With business on the up, and a recruitment drive now well underway, plugging in new arrivals into Act! will be quick and easy, perfect for any small company with growing ambitions.

Key Takeaways

Tradebox is looking to Act! to help them quadruple their customer base over next 18 months, as well as double the number of staff.
Working in the online retail market since 2006, Tradebox now has over 1,100 online retail customers.
By integrating their VoIP phone system with Act!, Tradebox’s support team will not only be more productive, but also offer higher levels of service.

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About Act!

More than CRM. Your total relationship solution. Act! unites sales, marketing, and customer management in one intuitive platform to help you stay organized, attract new customers, and turn relationships into results.

Software for online retailers clicks with Act!