At ponte consult, the name says it all: because building bridges to the world of management consulting is what it is all about. With the connection between theory and practice, the student consultancy at the Neu-Ulm University has been enabling and promoting an active exchange between students and companies for 20 years. Today, over 120 members from a total of 14 bachelor's and master's degree programs are involved in the association as active members. The focal points range from project management, marketing and controlling to process and IT consulting.

Virtual collaboration

Like any association, ponte consult thrives on participation. "SmartWe, with its many features, is the ideal tool for us to be successful together and to be able to offer student management consulting at such a professional level" says Christoph Altmayer, who is responsible for customer acquisition, customer care, project tendering and staffing in the association.

What the students particularly like is that the cloud-based software is easy and intuitive to use and requires little maintenance. "The great thing about SmartWe is that it's easy to get started and you're immediately familiar with the solution," says Paul Wittlinger enthusiastically. "In addition, it is a huge relief for us that there is no maintenance work due to the cloud technology. That's why we recommend cloud systems to all companies," says the Chief Financial and Legal Officer at ponte consult.

Professional project structure 

The student-run consultancy has pledged to provide professional and holistic consultancy services to the companies they serve. On the one hand, SmartWe supports the acquisition of new project partners by recording consulting potentials and saving all important documents on the potential customer in his file. On the other hand, the CRM solution also helps to maintain an overview during the ongoing project, as all information is linked and can be retrieved at any time.

"We used to work with countless Excel lists and cloud folders," says Paul Wittlinger, summing up the time before SmartWe. "Today, SmartWe is our central hub, where we store all data, logically link them together and can access them quickly," explains the CFO, "This means that our data is stored in a more consistent, structured and systematic way than before. We no longer forget anything and save a lot of time, which we can invest in supporting our customers and projects."

Knowledge transfer made easy

Access to centrally stored knowledge is also a decisive advantage, especially when members change, as the first chair of the association, Henning Lotz, emphasizes in conversation. "When members finish their studies or leave the association, we no longer lose valuable knowledge thanks to the central storage in SmartWe," Lotz emphasizes. "Both the induction and the handover within the association are made much easier as a result. This gives us the opportunity to continue to grow and develop as an association."

Customized solution

Another highlight for the students is SmartWe's App Designer. With it, they have already adapted the dashboard to their individual needs. "This creates an overview and transparency," Paul Wittlinger is convinced. "Even for those who are not involved in the project." Another advantage: The flexibly customizable rights system through which different members can be granted individual administrative rights. The possibility of being able to work flexibly on projects in a team, regardless of location, also strengthens member loyalty.

Utilize potential

Next semester, the members of ponte consult would like to exploit the potential of the CRM solution even further. "We see many more uses for SmartWe. Among other things, we would like to make greater use of opportunities in customer acquisition," Henning Lotz sums it up. This is how the students of today, become the business consultants of tomorrow.

More information at: ponte consult e. V.