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Read the full story of the CRM implementation project between Columbus and Watson-Marlow by opening the pdf version below.
Choosing Columbus and implementing a CRM solution
From the outset, Watson-Marlow wanted a collaborative partnership that would feel cohesive, as if everyone were part of the same team. It was also crucial for Watson-Marlow to find a partner that aligned with its core values. After a thorough vendor selection process, Columbus emerged as the partner of choice among the candidates.
Once Columbus came on board, Watson-Marlow outlined its digitalisation plan. However, as discussions progressed and goals were further explored - such as centralising global operations, enhancing customer connections, and achieving internal targets—the focus shifted. It became evident that prioritising customer engagement was more important than updating the ERP system.
This pivot enabled Watson-Marlow to realise the benefits of migrating to the cloud ahead of schedule. Despite initial challenges and a small team size, Watson-Marlow successfully deployed the CRM solution to 39 sales companies and three supply sites, completing the initial implementation over a three-month period. The project ran on time and under budget, thanks to the meticulous planning and dedication of the project team, who surpassed expectations, demonstrating resilience and a commitment to continuous improvement.
"We needed to shift from merely offering the best product to becoming a total customer solutions provider. A key aspect of this strategy was to implement a CRM system to have greater visibility and support for our sales engineers while they’re out on the road."
- Andrew Jones, Head of Sales Excellence & Governance at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions.
Solving the challenges facing Watson-Marlow
With Watson-Marlow always working to stay at the forefront of innovation, in 2022 the company made a strategic shift towards becoming a customer solutions provider. To successfully make this transition, they prioritised implementing the aforementioned Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
The new CRM implementation has resolved numerous challenges, bringing significant benefits to the company, particularly for its sales engineers who work on the road. It’s also contributed to improvements in key business areas such as data quality, accuracy and pipeline visibility, helping the sales team to work more efficiently.
The company also expects significant enhancements in marketing capabilities with the implementation of the new system. It’s anticipated the new CRM will provide better insights into the entire campaign journey, allowing for a more thorough assessment of critical metrics such as customer reach, lead conversion rates, and overall campaign effectiveness. This, in turn, will enable Watson-Marlow to make more informed, data-driven decisions and optimise marketing strategies more effectively, improving the measurement of the true return on investment (ROI) for each campaign.
- Life Sciences
- Cloud Services
- Sales, Marketing, Customer & Field service
- Case
Summary
- Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (Watson-Marlow) has always been at the front of innovation, and in 2022, the company made a strategic shift towards becoming a customer solutions provider.
- To successfully make this transition, Watson-Marlow prioritised implementing a comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
- Before diving headfirst into the CRM project, Watson-Marlow initiated a three-month Explore project with Columbus to gain a deeper understanding of its needs and challenges. You can learn more here.
- From the outset, Watson-Marlow wanted a collaborative partnership that would feel cohesive and it was crucial that they found a partner which aligned with its core values.
- Columbus emerged as the partner of choice among the candidates.
- Watson-Marlow successfully deployed the CRM solution to 39 sales companies, and three supply sites. The project ran on time and under budget.
About Watson-Marlow
- Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions is a world leader in peristaltic pump manufacture and associated fluid path technologies for the life sciences and process industries.
- Watson-Marlow manufactures its own pumps and tubing, which can range from small pumps in a desktop lab to large pumps capable of handling harsh fluids at high volumes and capacities.
- In 1969, Watson-Marlow relocated its base to Falmouth, Cornwall. Since then, the company has expanded geographically to serve 47 markets worldwide. The company comprises several leading brands, each specialising in niche fluid transfer technologies.
- Watson-Marlow is part of Spirax Group, a FTSE-100 company. As part of Spirax Group, Watson-Marlow shares a purpose to create sustainable value for all its shareholders by engineering a more efficient, safer, and sustainable world.
"We knew it was going to be a challenge, but I also knew we had the right team. Our people now have a system they can see value from, and we’ve managed to deliver it on time and under budget. We’ve absolutely overachieved from what I thought we could do, and that’s all thanks to Columbus."
- Andrew Jones, Head of Sales Excellence & Governance at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions
Outcomes
Together with Columbus, Watson-Marlow achieved several successes:
Improved sales performance
Watson-Marlow has developed a dynamic sales process (DSP) that has seamlessly integrated into its CRM system. This integration has enabled sales teams to navigate the sales process smoothly into their daily operations.
The company’s outside sales team can now quickly and easily access the critical information they need. Watson-Marlow now has greater visibility and control over territory planning and opportunity management, ensuring its salespeople can focus on high-priority tasks without the burden of manual tracking.
With this CRM integration, Watson-Marlow can generate various types of quotations within minutes. From simple product quotes to comprehensive proposals, the system has streamlined the quotation process, saving time and ensuring consistency across sales documents. This efficiency has also translated into improved customer experience, with more cohesive customer interactions and faster response times."Today, our sales engineers have got everything they need right in front of them on the sales app. It’s allowed them to focus on what they’re good at."
- Milly Knight, Transformation Engagement Lead at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions
Increased marketing effectiveness
Moving away from shared inboxes, Watson-Marlow has consolidated all communications and purchase orders into a centralised platform. This has facilitated smoother communication between sales and supply teams, ensuring a comprehensive 360-degree view of customer interactions.
It’s also expected to enhance the marketing team’s ability to create and manage campaigns effectively. By consolidating lead generation and tracking conversions, the team aims to gain more valuable insights into campaign performance, enabling informed decision-making and resource allocation for future marketing efforts.
Additionally, Watson-Marlow has integrated its website forms with its CRM. This means when customers reach out, their inquiries are directly routed into the CRM system.
The marketing team aims for this connection between customer data and sales team data to enable them to better spot patterns in customer behaviour and interactions, helping identify cross-selling and up-selling opportunities. Additionally, the marketing team is currently making strides in email personalisation, targeting customers with products that resonate with their needs.
