1. Customer Success Story
Compact Business Systems
EVOLUTION MARKETING HELPED
C O M PA C T B U S I N E S S S Y S T E M S G A I N A THE CHALLENGE
COMPLETE VIEW OF THEIR BUSINESS Compact maintained two separate databases, one in Brisbane and one
WITH ACT! BY SAGE. in Melbourne.The sales consultants found it difficult to synchronise the
information on their laptops with the database at head office, resulting in
out-of-date information; meetings that were often missed, and synchro-
Compact Business Systems was established in 1975 in nisation efforts after normal working hours.
Brisbane as a small business supplying printed material to THE SOLUTION
help other businesses with their record keeping and security
procedures. Initially employing three people, they have since Using the services of Evolution Marketing, Compact upgraded from their
previous version of ACT! by Sage to integrate the two existing databases
grown to become a national enterprise employing over fifty staff.
and improve data synchronisation.
Compact provide forms and system designs that have T H E R E S U LT
supported a diverse range of industries including education, • Unified view of customer relationships
health, and aged care. There is a strong focus on maintaining • More accurate and up to date information
exceptional customer relationships, as a very large part of their • Greater staff productivity
business is repeat business from their existing customer base.
Chris Rudland, Director of Compact Business Systems, says,
“At present we have around 5,000 clients. We are constantly
devising new products to sell into our existing customer base as
well as to new prospects.”
There is a team of 11 Sales Consultants around the country
who are constantly on the road meeting clients and prospects. Compact uses ACT! to manage all of its Sales and Marketing
It is their job to manage the various accounts and customer activities. “We have a telemarketing room that employs half a
relationships, ensuring the clients requirements and needs are dozen people. This telemarketing team makes all of the initial
met as well as ensuring that sales targets are reached. contacts with new clients. Based in the central head office in
Brisbane, this team is constantly calling people and businesses
“
from lists loaded into the ACT! by Sage system. Once they’ve
Evolution Marketing are an absolute made that first appointment with someone to see a sales
consultant, all the information about the contact and the
delight to work with. They didn’t baffle appointment is entered into ACT! The consultants then use that
us with technical jargon.
”
information to diarise their appointments and to manage the
client from then on.”
— TERESA McCOOMBES, CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER
The Field Consultants also enter information regarding the
probability of closing on an opportunity, which is used to
This team is assisted by Teresa McCoombes, Customer manage the sales pipeline and sales forecasting.
Service Manager for Compact Business Systems. McCoombes
comments, “We currently have a sales team of 11 people Often the Customer Service Manager may set secondary
who all use ACT! by Sage to manage their diaries and sales appointments for the consultants to sell additional products.
appointments. They maintain all their contacts and relevant McCoombes manages and reviews all the appointments being
information about clients in ACT! via a laptop.” made for and by the sales consultants, ensuring they are not
Evolution Marketing Services
PO Box 583
Springwood BC QLD 4127
Phone: 07 3423 3551
Email: info@evolutionmarketing.com.au Smart Business Software
Web: www.evolutionmarketing.com.au Exceptional Business Partners

2. ACT! by Sage | Customer Success Story
as been crucial in helping us achieve our goals.”
With the single database, McCoombes can now manage and
review the diaries and activities of all the sales consultants,
ensuring opportunities are managed properly. “Now we can see
which products are moving quickly and which ones aren’t, and
why.”
Another major part of the upgrade involved the range of
customisations needed to ensure ACT! met the unique
requirements of Compact. There were numerous products and
product categories that needed to be incorporated into the
opportunity management area of ACT!
THE BENEFITS
spending too much time travelling to remote or inconvenient Compact relies significantly on the repeat business of existing
locations. customers, which requires a significant understanding of what
products in what product categories they currently have and
T W O D ATA B A S E S I N T O O N E which ones they are likely to purchase. Prior to the upgrade,
this intellectual property resided with the consultant who had
Before upgrading to the latest version of ACT! by Sage, the relationship with the client. As well as being inconsistent and
Compact maintained two separate databases, one in Brisbane inaccessible to the rest of the organisation, they would lose it
and one in Melbourne. This made it difficult to have a complete when consultants moved on.
view of what the consultants were doing with their appointment
and opportunities. McCoombes and other managers can now access information
that can help them in developing targeted campaigns and
The consultants found it difficult to synchronise the information increasing the value of their existing customer relationships.
on their laptops with the database at head office, resulting in
“
out-of-date information; meetings that were often missed, and
synchronisation efforts after normal working hours. They explain everything in plain
WHY ACT! BY SAGE? language and are always available to
Compact turned to the services of Evolution Marketing to
upgrade their ACT! by Sage solution. The first hurdle to
overcome was the integration of the two databases. The
database in Melbourne was on version 9.0 of ACT! while the
assist and answer our questions.
— TERESA McCOOMBES, CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER ”
database in Brisbane was on version 6.0. Evolution Marketing With the upgrade, synchronisation now happens automatically
was required to upgrade the head office in Brisbane to integrate every hour, which means the information they have access to
the data from the Melbourne database. is always up-to-date and they don’t miss appointments. When
Compact’s Field Consultants go out to the meeting, they have
WHY EVOLUTION MARKETING? the samples they need as well as a standard letter and quote to
complete, which is all managed through ACT!
McCoombes comments, “Evolution Marketing are an absolute
delight to work with. They didn’t baffle us with technical jargon. Working with Evolution Marketing on the upgrade project
They explain everything in plain language and are always has allowed Compact to collect vital information about their
available to assist and answer our questions.” customers and use that information to truly add value to the
business.
Rudland confirms, “Not only do they understand the technology,
they have a great understanding of everything from a business
and sales perspective. Their experience in sales and marketing
Evolution Marketing Services
PO Box 583
Springwood BC QLD 4127
Phone: 07 3423 3551
Email: info@evolutionmarketing.com.au Smart Business Software
Web: www.evolutionmarketing.com.au Exceptional Business Partners