Issue

Syensqo requires a CRM system as part of its sales lifecycle and uses (salesforce.com) to meet its CRM needs.

The current Syensqo CRM architecture comprises multiple instances of the (salesforce.com) application (Core CRM and ICare), including equivalent multi-instance integrations with relevant backend systems (PRS, ICare-PF1, Core-WP1) and point solutions (Pardot, Dynasys, Gensuite, Qualtrics, Qliksense, etc.). Furthermore, the current CRM architecture is built on a heavily customized instance of the (salesforce.com) environment, featuring numerous bespoke interfaces and disparate technologies.

This architecture presents several challenges, including the following:

• Redundant processes exist in ICare and Core CRM instances, with varying levels of maturity and adoption.
• Highly customized solutions cause business-as-usual (BAU) challenges in Quotation, Contract, and Pricing.
• Intricate integrations with two backend systems and custom interfaces add complexity.
• Non-CRM (Convergence) functions need relocation.
• Instance management impacts infrastructure, deployment, BAU support, and user management.
• Complex upgrade and release cycles require significant effort and distinct tools, adding to the overall complexity.

Recommendation

Background & Context

Syensqo's current customer relationship management (CRM) processes are supported by a complex architecture that involves multiple applications, including two Salesforce instances, On-Premises and Cloud applications, and various manual and automated system interfaces. The various functions implemented, along with their current challenges, are detailed below.

Core CRM interface provider.pdf

Core CRM interfaces consumer.pdf

Account & Contact Management: The management of customer master data is characterized by diverse creation and onboarding processes for corporate groups and customers, which are dispersed across multiple teams, including the transformation center, data operations teams, and service teams. These processes employ numerous hardcoded validations and custom interfaces that rely on manual intervention at every stage, lacking real-time synchronization, resulting in inefficiencies and potential data inconsistencies.

Product Management:

Lead Management: Although lead and opportunity lifecycles follow established sales cycles, custom logic is applied to lead scoring, lead assignments, revenue projections, and realized net sales tracking. This reliance on manual data entry can lead to inefficiencies and potential errors.

Opportunity Management:

Visit Report Management: 

Transactional Pricing: The pricing process is a complex, multi-platform system with varying GBU adoption. It integrates SAP ECC historical data and Dynasys forecasts into BW, generating Integrated Contribution Margin (ICM) insights, Customer Product Combination (CPC) price recommendations, and Contribution Margin improvements via Dataiku. This process utilizes custom objects for reviewing and committing, as well as custom interfaces for replicating prices to backend SAP.

Quote Management: The Composites GBU uses the ECC Quotation process, which differs from OneQuote due to material group level differences. The outputs of OneQuote and ECC Quote vary significantly in detail and format across GBUs. For forecasting purposes, quotes from both systems are integrated with Dynasys, and quote reporting is done in Celonis (for Composites) and Cliksense (for TS and Novecare).

OneQuote Management: OneQuote is a custom application that manages the quotation process, including creation, product configuration, pricing, approvals, and customer communications. However, it has not been adopted by all Global Business Units (GBUs). Quotation validity dates and price validity dates differ; the latter has a longer horizon to minimize the impact of policy changes on customer orders. OneQuote data is not replicated to ECC, its price conditions are replicated, and open orders are adjusted manually during policy revisions.

Contract Management: Contract management encompasses various contract types, including sales, distribution agreements and inter-business unit contracts. Contract data storage varies across business units, with key details including tracked validity periods for notification purposes, maintained product information for planning and sales forecasting in Qliksense, and excluded prices and discounts. 
The approval process is managed externally in ContracTech(Legal), with no output templates generated from CRM for customer sharing. Contract management is not integrated with backend systems or processes, CRM contracts serve only as a centralized repository for tracking and notifications, with contract volumes reported to Qliksense for forecasting and stored in CRM for reference and expiration reminders.

Complaint Management: Complaints, whether linked to sales orders or not, follow a guided process that includes registration, investigation, commercial response, customer communication, and closure. This process integrates with Gensuite for root cause analysis and resolution, as well as Qualtrics for customer feedback. However, quality inspections, returns handling, and credit memos are not linked back to the complaint. Custom functions facilitate acknowledgments and communications between internal and external teams, but improvements are needed to connect all related processes.

Sample Request Management: Sample management and tracking is a complex process that requires enhancement. Currently, some GBUs have an interface that integrates Salesforce, SAP, and CMC (a third-party sample provider) for automated sample transmission and information sharing. However, this interface needs to be replicated across all GBUs using CMC services for compliance purposes. The sample order process involves manual screening, which results in inefficiencies. Moreover, commercial samples management is entirely manual, relying on emails for inventory management, material records, and transactions, leading to significant communication challenges and time waste. A standardized approach is essential for capturing orders, communicating with production and R&I, and managing outbound logistics to end customers (both billable and non-billable).

Assumptions

Constraints

Impacts

Business Rules

Options considered

Option A: 

Option B: 

Option C: 

Option D: 

Evaluation

	Option A	Option B	Option C	Option D
Criterion 1	Pro Con	Pro Pro	Pro Con	Pro Con
Criterion 2	Pro Con	Con	Pro Pro	Con Con
Criterion 3	Pro	Con	Con	Pro

See also

Change log

Workflow history