Like any ambitious company starting out, winning clients fast was always a key objective for Nantes-based consultancy firm Manessens. But with its core markets – the French IT and service sectors – so competitive, achieving this would require a highly effective sales and client management strategy.
“I knew we would have to be extremely organised when it came to targeting prospects, and that we would need an efficient tool in place to do that,” says Manessens’ Co-Manager and Sales Director Olivier Tardif.
So Olivier began the search for a CRM solution that would be capable not only of organising complex client information, but also converting prospects into sales and providing greater insights into the specific requirements of each contact.
Not just a sales tool
However, in the French IT market, it’s not just competition for clients that’s a challenge – recruiting the best talent can be too. Fortunately, Act! has also given Manessens an edge when it comes hiring the top experts in their field, by recording the details and background of prospective employees who connect with the firm. That’s a wealth of knowledge the company can draw on, not only when looking for new staff, but also in their later professional development.
“We see each of these contacts as a potential team member,” says Olivier. “So with Act! we can recruit the right people at the right time for our business,”
A constantly evolving solution
Manessens also ensures it gets the expert support and regular product updates it needs to stay on top of things in a constantly evolving marketplace, by plugging into Swiftpage’s Business Care plan.
“Act! is a very stable solution,” says Olivier, “so we don’t need to call Swiftpage often for assistance, but when we do, they’re always very responsive. They also provide us with regular updates, so the software is continually adapting to our changing market through the inclusion of social networks and e-marketing packages.”
