Industrial Ehret halves order processing time thanks to Elcia's EDI

Rémy, EHRET deployed EDI for two years. How did these two years go?

“Two years is a long time and not enough at the same time! Deploying a solution like EDI takes time because not all of our customers are organized in the same way. Initially, the implementation of EDI allowed us to discover even more precisely the mode of organization of our customers, even those with whom we have been working for several years. We were a little surprised when we realized that it was sometimes the quantity surveyor who placed the orders, sometimes the sales representative or even the manager of the company… All are not equipped in the same way and do not have the same level knowledge of ProDevis encryption software. We therefore decided to organize meetings in collaboration with the ELCIA teams to intervene directly with our customers who were not necessarily comfortable ordering with their costing tool. "

Was this support at the heart of the deployment of EDI?

“To deploy such a solution, we had to support our customers. From the start, our sales people have done a lot of work in this direction. They set up meetings to place the first orders with our customers, to show them that once their estimate was made, in just three clicks, their order was sent directly. There was a real need to introduce them to EDI, explain to them, help them, demonstrate pedagogy. EDI had to be democratized because some of our customers are still very attached to paper. At the same time, feedback from our sales representatives enabled us to improve our Library by adding an accessory, a position or a configuration. This optimization work has enabled us to provide our customers with the most intuitive costing scenario possible and thus eliminate any possible obstacle to the use of EDI. "

How was your collaboration with the ELCIA teams?

“From the moment we decided to deploy the solution, we benefited from in-depth and personalized support from ELCIA, which set up a service dedicated to the success of industrial projects (Customer Success). Even if our sales representatives are equipped with ProDevis to do their demonstrations, we needed ELCIA to support us during client meetings. This collaboration has created a beautiful synergy allowing to set up reflexes between the sales representatives of the two teams. The Customer Success Manager also supported us in the training of our sales teams, help with arguments, telephone support or even the provision of communication tools for a good start (flyers, tutorials, videos, online demonstrations, webinars…). Because the deployment of EDI was boosted by important communication on our part, with the organization of sales meetings, the setting up of demonstration corners on our stands at the Batimat and Equipbaie trade shows, the dissemination of information from the opening of our Library, relays on social networks… In particular, we organized a webinar to demonstrate EDI to all our customers, whether or not equipped with ProDevis. "

“The collaboration with ELCIA met the needs of EHRET, which wanted a solid partnership to transform working methods, boost digital innovation, increase productivity and achieve optimal ROI. The ELCIA teams have shown flexibility to adapt to our needs. "

What are the feedbacks from your customers?

“Those who quickly picked up on EDI automatically adopted the solution. It's a real time saver for them. With EDI, our customers receive their order confirmation within 48 hours maximum, compared to almost a week before. Orders placed in EDI are processed as a priority at the level of our ADV Service. Our customers expect responsiveness, so we make sure there are no obstacles. "

Have the new features of the latest version of ProDevis 8 related to IDE been beneficial?

“A lot of our customers need to send a small sketch or specific documents with their order. We weren't able to answer them. With the new version of ProDevis 8, they now have the option of adding one or more file (s) to their order. "

“In addition, the possibility of having an overview of the order and of being able to print it before placing it in EDI is also greatly appreciated. Few of the customers with whom everything is dematerialized. Some still need to go through paper and print their order to archive it for their records. "

"EDI allows our ADV operators to free up time to reassure our customers and provide them with support for their technical questions"

What are the benefits for your teams?

“We have seen a considerable saving of time for our ADV Service. With EDI, we process our customers' orders in 48 hours, compared to a week before. Normally, our ADV operators have to carry out a lot of tasks at the same time, between the telephone, order validation, quotes to be done, sales assistance. By eliminating manual re-entry and back-and-forth calls with our customers, EDI allows them to free up time to devote to other value-added tasks. "

“All the more so with the crisis linked to the Covid, we had to manage totally unexpected order flows. We recorded a peak of + 30% compared to a classic June and this was confirmed in July with record orders. It was quite complicated to process this additional flow in a suitable time with our usual staff. EDI has helped us a lot by saving us time in processing orders. "

Saved time that can in particular be devoted to your Customer Service?

“Exactly. Our idea is to develop our customer services. Make availability to our ADV Service so that our operators can reassure our customers and provide telephone support for technical advice. Individuals are more and more technically informed thanks to the Internet, documentation, etc. Consequently, our clients need to be supported, so we must be available to answer their questions. "

Is this first assessment of the implementation of EDI then positive?

“We have tripled the number of EDI users and we have doubled the number of orders, which is great! The solution works for us and for our customers. We must continue this momentum and multiply by two or three the number of EDI users by the end of 2020. There are still a lot of customers who ask us, the potential is enormous. We need to strengthen the lead that we have taken with EDI, to be a leader and avant-garde from a product point of view but also in the solutions offered to our customers. "

To learn more about EDI: www.elcia.com/edi