Customer case: Vistapaint

Vistapaint and Tribe: perfect recipe for efficiency

VISTAPAINT B.V. is a supplier of speciality paints, putties and plasters. The Dutch company distributes own brands and recipes as well as partner products to wholesalers in the Benelux. Growth, sustainability and innovation are deeply embedded in the company’s DNA. This is visible in everything: the energy-efficient premises, the range of bio-based products, and also in the way they work. In the latter, Tribe plays a crucial role.

Founded in 1953 by Leo Reichert and since run by sons Roderick and Lodewijk, Vistapaint is a genuine family business. The company is constantly looking to grow and is living up to that ambition: the premises in Voorburg soon became too small and have since been upgraded to a state-of-the-art building in Nootdorp. From there, Vistapaint supplies specialty paints to wholesalers throughout the Benelux. With its focus on niche products, technical consulting is also an important part of what the company does.

Need for a central CRM system

Along with growth came the need for a CRM system. Ron Versteeg, project manager at Vistapaint, guided the search and implementation: "Until about four years ago, we had no CRM system. By obtaining a lot of data at the customer level, among other things, this data ended up in different folders everywhere, locally on computers, in personal mailboxes and/or in the ERP system. There was no fixed location to store this data in a structured way. As a result, colleagues couldn't easily find the data they needed. So Vistapaint needed one central CRM system."

Puzzle pieces coming together with Tribe

"Vistapaint then went to see exactly what purposes we could/wanted to use such a CRM system for. There were several discussions with different suppliers," Ron continues. "With Tribe CRM, the puzzle pieces came together. The tool offered many things that Vistapaint could need: from recording and tracking customer data, reporting, complaints and advice to extensive automation capabilities. Moreover, the monthly costs were a lot lower than with other systems, and there was a good click with the people at efficy – not unimportant when making such an investment."

“The CRM tool offered many positive features: from registering and tracking customer data, reports, complaints, our recommendations to customers, to extensive automation capabilities.”

Ron Versteeg • Project Manager at Vistapaint

Collaborating more efficiently

Tribe is used at Vistapaint by four departments: the warehouse, customer service, sales representatives and Technology & Consulting (and the Marketing Department in the future). “Providing technical advice is an important part of the work. The representatives visit customers to assess the situation, while the specialists in the office research the right solution and recommend the most suitable products with the right application on the surface.”

Thanks to Tribe, that interaction is more efficient. “Representatives create their visit reports in Tribe regarding the customer, allowing them to be consulted internally for additional information with the respective customer,” Ron explains. “When a representative has provided advice to a customer, it is developed in the advice system and then checked by one of the techs in the office, adjusted where necessary (in consultation with the representative) and finally approved, after which the representative is automatically notified via email. This automation/connection with Outlook is really appreciated by the representatives. It means they no longer have to search for the advice themselves and log in to Tribe CRM separately – they get to the right advice in one click.”

“The automation to forward confirmation of advice via Outlook is greatly appreciated by the representatives: they get to the right advice in the Tribe CRM system in one click via email.”

The follow-up on complaints and reporting are now also much more streamlined. “Everyone can see what’s going on at a glance,” says Ron. “This not only enables the teams to take action quicker and more focused – management also gains a better understanding of how the company functions.” Ron himself thinks the flexibility of the dashboards is a real plus: “Thanks to the widgets, you can set them up exactly the way you want. Everything I need can be accessed in a few clicks. I can immediately see who is following up on which complaints, what the status of advice is, which actions are still open, etc.”

Actively involving everyone

It's running so well now but it was very difficult in the beginning, Ron remembers. "Many employees thought it was too much work. Representatives, for example, just want to get out on the road, visiting customers and selling. They saw a CRM system as extra administration and work, rather than a tool."

"It's important to actively involve everyone in such a project from the beginning. Using information sessions, support grew step by step."

Ron therefore felt it was important to actively involve everyone from the start. "You have to include every department, every individual in such a project. So I organised several sessions. I showed what a dashboard is, how to search, how to add a customer, create a complaint, etc. I asked about everyone's experiences and looked at how I could provide more clarity. In this way, support grew step by step."

By now, even the initial sceptics are convinced. "The more the system is used, the better it gets filled, the more benefits everyone gets out of it. By using it effectively, more and more employees discovered that it's actually a useful tool. Work is just a lot easier now, I keep hearing. Customer data, reporting, visit reports, complaints… You can find everything in the Tribe CRM system in a flash. This not only saves time but also makes work a lot easier and more enjoyable."

Support, updates and inspiration

Asking Ron if he would recommend Tribe, he doesn't have to think long. "Certainly! The implementation was very smooth and support is strong and reliable. I'm a fan of the ticketing system: if someone from the support department is absent, a colleague takes over effortlessly. It's also nice to see that efficy continues to evolve Tribe, with regular updates and features continuing to be added. This means that we as a company can also grow with this system."

"There are regular updates and features continue to be added. This means that we as a company can also grow with this system."

Besides the tool and support, Ron also appreciates the extras: "The webinars are a great example. You see how companies in very different industries – chemical companies, automotive companies, hospitals, … – work with the 'Tribe' system. It's interesting to hear those cases and learn from them yourself. In that, it's also important that Tribe CRM keeps evolving continuously, making improvements based on feedback."

Further ambitions

Now that Tribe has been in use for a number of years, Vistapaint is working on next steps. "We are currently working hard on a central PIM (Product Information Management) system, into which we want to integrate our ERP system, our WMS (Warehouse Management System), Tribe and other tools. That will further boost our efficiency."

Ron also sees many opportunities in the marketing area: "I also want to integrate Tribe into our marketing approach. All customer data is in the CRM system and is up-to-date, so it is the ideal basis for sending mailings and newsletters. So that is definitely an aspect that we will exploit in the near future," he concludes.

Tribe, more than just a CRM platform

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