Digital Transformation of a Pioneering Association
Scaling CRM system meets B.A.U.M. e.V.'s growth and offers a clear vision for the future
At a glance
Network - Bundesdeutscher Arbeitskreis für
umweltbewusstestes Management
Based in Hamburg
Almost 800 member companies
About the company
The Bundesdeutscher Arbeitskreis für umweltbewusstes Management, or B.A.U.M. for short, was founded in Hamburg in 1984 by Dr. Georg Winter and Prof. Dr. Maximilian Gege. As a network, B.A.U.M. e.V. is committed to promoting a central theme: a future worth living through sustainable management within planetary boundaries. With almost 800 members, B.A.U.M. is the voice of sustainably operating companies on a national and European level and a driving force for the social-ecological market economy.
The fairness, commitment and openness of abat in all matters, coupled with their digital expertise and precision in project management, have convinced us 100%.
Yvonne Zwick, President of B.A.U.M. e.V.
The challenge
B.A.U.M. e.V. was faced with enormous challenges: It lacked a clear strategy for digitizing its processes and a system coordinator to integrate the various trades. In addition, the existing CRM solution was not compatible with the newly created digital B.A.U.M. platform, and there were no certified standard interfaces. In addition, B.A.U.M. needed a future-proof solution that could be used without extensive IT knowledge.
For all these reasons, B.A.U.M. turned to abat, a long-standing and proven partner with industry and digital expertise. In addition to the cultural fit, B.A.U.M. e.V. also appreciated abat's dynamic and agile project management.
The solution
As B.A.U.M. did not have sufficient resources of its own, abat offered the SAP Sales Cloud as a SaaS solution. With SAP-certified DSGVO/ISO compliance and data centers in Germany, this solution offers a comprehensive customer overview, optimization for mobile devices, intelligent analyses, and standardized API interfaces.
The project
After a preparatory phase at the end of 2022, during which no one really knew what to expect, 2023 got off to a brilliant and intensive start. Four days of order clarification workshops, in which user journeys and requirements were worked out and common goals clarified, were the prelude to ten weeks of intensive work, which culminated in the implementation according to SAP Activate. abat invested a lot of heart and soul and supported the B.A.U.M. colleagues involved in all aspects of the project. This was evident in the team spirit with which abat showed up at the kick-off workshops, in the clear and unambiguous announcements that conveyed the energy with which the B.A.U.M. employees also had to make their contribution to bring the project to a successful conclusion. However, there were also some surprises for the client that they had not anticipated. For example, the master data migration ran parallel to three sprints on the part of abat, which naturally tied up personnel resources. During these three sprints, the abat experts took care of the system provision, the system setup according to best practice, the B.A.U.M.-specific fine configuration and carried out the migration into the productive system via the SAP transport system.
During this time, the developers coordinated with the other partner, Intuitive AI, the developer of the digital B.A.U.M. platform, so that elementary functionalities such as the transfer of registration data to the Sales Cloud and digital event management could be optimally interlinked.
After a pure project duration of ten weeks, the system went live, and since then, only fine-tuning, improvements and features have been released, which turned out to be necessary in the concrete practical application. In the meantime, the project has been officially completed and almost the entire abat team came to Hamburg for the last time, which B.A.U.M. perceived as a high degree of appreciation and partnership. Last questions could be clarified, the project could be reflected, and the success could be celebrated. For B.A.U.M. e.V. the conclusion was: "We learned a lot, also about ourselves and our performance, and would work with abat again. The fairness, commitment, and openness in all matters, coupled with the digital expertise and precision in project management, are 100% convincing".
Key results
Optimized sales processes:
Implementation of sales automation for more efficient processes.
Improved customer understanding:
Increased visibility and insight into customer and member information.
Improved customer experience:
Increase member satisfaction and reduce churn. Streamline collaboration with network partners.
Centralized customer management for distributed teams:
Digital support enables streamlined collaboration, including task assignment in a decentralized organizational structure.
Efficient lead management in the B.A.U.M. e.V. ecosystem:
Integration of the SAP Sales Cloud and the B.A.U.M. digital platform using standard SAP interfaces. Event landing pages generate leads for partners and members, which are consolidated directly in the Sales Cloud and then processed efficiently.
abat AG got our entire team excited about SAP Customer Experience and had an absolutely positive influence on the course of the project at crucial points. With the new system, we are now finally in a position to optimize our lead-to-cash processes across projects.
Jan Koch, Project Manager B.A.U.M. e.V.
The results
A major milestone was the transition from the old to the new CRM system. Only hot contacts are now added to the database, reducing errors and unnecessary frustration. Information that was previously scattered and often difficult to access is now easy to find and accessible to relevant people within the organization. In addition, the new CRM system has revolutionized lead management at B.A.U.M. e.V. Where there were previously many missed opportunities and inefficient processes, there are now clear mechanisms and processes for tracking and nurturing leads. Three improvements stand out:
- B.A.U.M. e.V. membership has increased. This indicates not only that the new system is more attractive and user-friendly, but also that the organization is able to conduct more effective marketing and retention campaigns.
- There is a significantly higher rate of interaction on the network. Members are more active, sharing more content and participating in more discussions and events. This fosters a sense of community and makes the network more vibrant and valuable to all involved.
- Finally, the productivity of the B.A.U.M. e.V. team has increased significantly. With faster access to data, clearer processes, and a system that is fun to use, the team has optimized the way they work and now gets more done in less time.
The switch to the new solution was also a good opportunity to strengthen the partnership between B.A.U.M. e.V. and abat. Our teams worked closely together, each contributing their specific strengths and competencies. It quickly became clear that the combination of our two areas of expertise would result in a superior product. The hybrid working model we followed during the project proved to be particularly effective. It was widely accepted and fostered both efficiency and creativity in the implementation phase.
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