How can project-related contact data be organized efficiently, securely, and in a future-proof way within the scope of a specific area of responsibility? For a specific project deployment, Ritterbach publishing from Erftstadt, Germany, faced this question and found the right solution with SmartWe. An example of how a cloud-based CRM can provide relief as a complementary solution in a specific area and sustainably improve processes.
As a specialist publisher in the education field, Ritterbach Verlag GmbH from Erftstadt specializes in topics related to school law in North Rhine-Westphalia, professional development for teachers, and the broad field of career orientation for students. Its portfolio includes specialist journals, books, as well as various online platforms such as schuledigital.jetzt, schul-welt.de, and bwp-nrw.de.
Project-related data as a starting point
For its regular publishing operations, including customer contact and the online shop, Ritterbach publishing has an established and comprehensive database structure. However, the publisher wanted a CRM system to manage project-related information for a particular area.
The goal was to consolidate scattered information for this area of responsibility, enable quick searching and filtering of data, prevent duplicates, and thereby achieve a consistent level of knowledge and information.
Centralized data for full transparency
Several factors played a key role in the selection: “The CRM should be easy to understand, intuitive, and user-friendly. As a cloud-based solution, it should also require no in-house hosting and allow mobile access from anywhere,” explains Ute Dötsch, sales employee at Ritterbach publishing. Equally important were high data protection standards and GDPR compliance, as well as a server location in Germany. In addition, the publisher valued the solution’s flexibility to tailor the CRM to their specific requirements.
“The competent advice and helpfulness of the SmartWe team assisted us with any questions and made it possible to tailor the solution to our individual requirements.”
Ute Dötsch
sales employee at Ritterbach
Flexibility meets security
SmartWe met these requirements: In addition to its adaptability to individual needs, the balanced price-performance ratio and the flexible subscription model with no minimum term were also convincing. This allows users to be added or removed at any time. The fair.digital CRM solution also met the requirements for GDPR-compliant data processing, with a server located in Germany.
The personal support was another plus: “The competent advice and helpfulness of the SmartWe team assisted us with any questions and made it possible to tailor the solution to our individual requirements,” says Dötsch.
Saving time on routine tasks
Since its implementation, SmartWe has provided an overview of project-related contact information that is useful and relevant for the employees in the area. The flow of information and transparency among employees is noticeably better and more efficient in comparison. For example, linked contact information – such as archived e-mails or documents – can be retrieved more quickly, and duplicates are avoided. With the option to filter relevant address data more easily and quickly, SmartWe speeds up the creation of targeted distribution lists, saving an average of up to twelve hours per month on sending e-mail campaigns.
Outlook: More features on the horizon
Based on their positive experience, Ritterbach publishing plans to further expand the use of SmartWe: Additional internal processes are to be managed in SmartWe, schools added as contacts, new clients set up and configured for another project, and usage extended to partners.
More information: www.ritterbach.de/
