STERNET brings visibility, collaboration, and speed with Dynamics 365 Sales

Established in 2002, STERNET is a leading Polish distributor and factory service, specializing in electric drives and industrial automation systems. They provide comprehensive services including technical consulting, distribution, manufacturing, and maintenance. STERNET serves 9,000 customers and represents some of the leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including SIEMENS.

To manage this massive network of contractors and clients, STERNET needed a robust, flexible customer relationship management (CRM) solution. "We needed a system that could not only grow with us for many years, but also become a source of inspiration and discovery of new development areas," shares Paweł Zięba, CEO of STERNET. “We also needed to support our employees and departments to work remotely and collaborate seamlessly.”

A natural progression

STERNET had already been using Microsoft Dynamics 365 on-premises, as well as Microsoft 365. “The smart decision was to choose Dynamics 365 Sales as our CRM, maintain our data, and ensure a smooth integration between Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365. We knew that it would help us save time and facilitate collaboration,” adds Michał Krasnodębski, IT Manager at STERNET.

STERNET was also drawn to Dynamics 365 Sales due to the trust associated with Microsoft. “The global nature of Microsoft's solutions made it an ideal fit for us,” adds Krasnodębski. “Microsoft offers solutions that are continuously improving. And many of our partners and customers use Microsoft solutions, which makes it even easier to work together.”
Before implementing Dynamics 365, STERNET recognized the need for a thorough understanding of the system's capabilities. It chose OneDynamics as its partner for the journey, appreciating the team’s expertise in both analysis and implementation. STERNET’s gradual rollout of Dynamics 365 Sales was another strategic decision, aimed at enhancing user adoption. “This approach made new features more intriguing and inviting to our employees, rather than overwhelming,” notes Krasnodębski. STERNET also involved its employees in enhancing the functionality of Dynamics 365 Sales by contributing ideas and suggestions, supporting its culture of employee engagement and knowledge sharing, leading to increased system efficacy and user satisfaction.

Smoother collaboration

STERNET’s management team as well as its sales, marketing, and logistics departments immediately saw the benefits of the new CRM. "Dynamics 365 Sales enables us to continuously update information about customers, record incoming inquiries, create trade offers, generate orders, invoices, and manage products," elaborates Adam Dziura, Sales Director at STERNET. With each detail documented and up to date, every employee, regardless of their position, has access to complete customer correspondence. Employees can access vital information during sales meetings and events, ensuring they are always equipped with the latest data. "With all activities centralized in one system, we can ensure smooth handoffs between our staff,” adds Dziura.

This added visibility also enables employees and managers to improve their performance. “Each employee can develop an individualized dashboard with tailored views and charts that allow them to monitor their work. This enables employees to achieve their objectives,” remarks Dziura.

The versatility of Dynamics 365 Sales also enhanced STERNET’s marketing and sales efforts. "We rely on the solution to record our activities like deadlines and tasks. We actively use the marketing functions to create campaigns, marketing lists, and schedule phone calls," shares Anna Węgiel, Marketing Manager at STERNET. “This allows for a tailored approach to each customer communication and lead generation.”

Saving countless hours

After implementing Dynamics 365 Sales, STERNET realized significant time savings. "Before, to update a customer’s record, our employees had to search online through various national registries,” shares Krzysztof Sanecki, Deputy President of the Board of STERNET. “Now, our employees can seamlessly lookup national registries within Dynamics 365 Sales without needing to switch between multiple systems, resulting in nearly 40% time saved in data verification tasks.” STERNET’s sales department also benefits from pre-filled forms and validated data, saving engineers' valuable time with each customer’s inquiry. The standardization of addresses in Dynamics 365 Sales also reduced delivery errors.

Dynamics 365 Sales also offers smoother integrations with third-party software. For example, with more synergy between Dynamics 365 Sales and STERNET’s sales management software, instead of a delay of several minutes, STERNET’s sales department can generate offers and accommodate customer needs instantly. “The speed of data flow between Dynamics 365 and our enterprise resource planning (ERP) software has also increased by about 50%,” explains Sanecki. “This means that the logistics department receives the necessary information regarding product shipments faster, streamlining our operations and reducing administrative delays.”

STERNET’s employees noticed how easy Dynamics 365 Sales was to use, with many tasks now performed faster than using the on-premises CRM. “Initially, we were concerned about the cloud performance. As it turns out, the cloud is not an obstacle but a boost,” remarks Krasnodębski. Importantly, STERNET’s employees can also securely access the CRM via their mobile devices, complementing the company’s operational nature, where fieldwork is frequent.

Vision for future growth

STERNET is planning to broaden its use of Microsoft solutions. "Looking ahead, we aim to expand the scope and improve the quality of our services using the Dynamics 365 Field Service module and setting up customer portals to streamline data exchange," shares Krasnodębski. The company has also begun exploring Power BI analytics, aiming to leverage its capabilities to further streamline operations and enhance decision making. Lastly, STERNET is eager to explore Copilot. “We have plenty of ideas for the future,” Krasnodębski concludes.