TecTies Case Study
With Sage CRM, TecTies brought quotations, customer history and reporting into one central repository, giving the team easier access to the information they need.
Industry
Construction
Solution
Sage CRM integrated with Sage 50 & CRM Accelerator
Intro
TecTies was founded in 2003 and is a family run UK manufacturer of construction fixings, mainly cavity wall ties, restraint ties, movement ties, starter ties, sliding anchors and Brick Channel Systems.
Their unique tangle-free design offers a practical and cost-effective solution for most cavity walls, reducing packaging waste and improving storage on site.
TecTies manufactures everything in-house, supplying builders merchants, trade stockists and distributors across the construction industry.
Challenges
Sage 50 was already being used within the business for managing the accounting side, from customer and finance customer contacts, sales order processing, price lists and order acknowledgments. However, TecTies needed a better way to manage customer relationships, communications and the quotation, pre-order sales process with an easily accessible and simple view of customer sales history.
The initial priority was a solution that could bring quotation management into one place, from the initial enquiry through to a confirmed order. Without a central view of outstanding quotes, it was difficult to see which quotes needed attention, when they were due to expire and whether they had been won or lost.
The team also needed a way to set and automate reminders and follow-up tasks so they could organise their workload more effectively.
Customer information was spread across emails, notebooks and individual employees’ knowledge. Details such as who to speak to, what had previously been discussed and when someone had last been contacted were not consistently available to the whole team. This became more complicated when several customers requested quotations for the same construction project. TecTies needed to connect those enquiries so staff could see who had been quoted and track each opportunity.
Access to reporting was another limitation. To produce the customer graphs and sales summaries they wanted without CRM, the team would have needed to export information from Sage 50 and prepare it in Excel.
Solutions
The team needed to create quotations efficiently, track them through to won orders and transfer them into Sage 50 without duplicating work.
Sage CRM was a natural fit thanks to its close integration with Sage 50 and Microsoft 365 through CRM Together’s Accelerator. This provided TecTies greater visibility while retaining its existing order processing system.
The ERBS project team held a scoping workshop with key TecTies stakeholders to understand the journey from customer enquiry to manufacturing and dispatch, identifying ways to streamline processes and reduce manual work.
“You explained what you needed from us. You understood, and you've got a feel for how we worked,” Chris Whitney - Office manager said.
The system was configured around these requirements, bringing quotations, opportunities, communications and follow-up tasks together. On-site training and ongoing support helped staff get started.
Implementation took just over two months. Preparation helped ensure a smooth transition, with Chris reporting no issues that prevented staff from working during the first few weeks.
Benefits
With customer information and quotations in one place, TecTies can follow up enquiries, support customers and prepare reports more easily.
Clearer quotation tracking
The team can view outstanding quotations on an easily accessible dashboard, check expiry dates and track which have been won or lost, making it easier to prioritise follow-ups.
Customer information in one place
Having a central repositry of contact details, previous conversations and order history helps the team answer enquiries without relying on whoever originally handled them.
Better project visibility
Quotations for different customers can be linked to the same construction project, helping staff see who has been quoted and keep related opportunities organised. Being able to duplicate existing quotes for the same project is a real time saver.
Easier management reporting
Dashboards show sales turnover, customer purchasing history and popular products, reducing the need to export data and build reports separately in Excel.
Results
Sage CRM has become part of the sales team’s daily routine. Chris described improved visibility into quotations, opportunities, projects, expiry dates, wins, losses, and duplicate quoting activity. He also explained that customer information, communications, dashboards, order histories, sales data, and product information are now centrally accessible rather than dependent on individual knowledge or manual spreadsheet reporting.
The team continues to explore additional features, with an internal super user helping colleagues make greater use of the system.
Recommendation
Chris would recommend Entegraty Rainbird Business Solutions to other businesses because of their professionalism, support, knowledge, and practical CRM offering.
He described Sage CRM as having made customer relationship management easier, faster, smoother, and more professional for TecTies Limited and,
“we wouldn't be able to live without it now.”