Mobile boosts revenue

Cadbury pioneers a mobile solution that boosts revenue

Confectionary company, Cadbury, is the first in its sector to deploy an advanced technology solution to empower its mobile sales reps.  The solution, from JustEnough Mobile (JEM), uses handheld devices which enables reps to process orders in a closed-loop order-to-invoice system—they can assess stock levels in real time, place orders for customers and print legal invoices on site.

According to Marie Fourie, IT project manager at Cadbury, this is giving the company a significant competitive advantage, is boosting revenue and reducing costs.  “We are anticipating a 5% growth in revenue as direct result more efficiencies in the system,” she says.

Previously, reps visiting a store would take manual orders, and either phone, fax or email these through to the sales agents at Cadbury. This manual process led to errors, delays, the risk of the product being out of stock and a host of other inefficiencies.

“Now, when our reps visit a store, they have real-time visibility of stock levels, and can place an order for a customer there and then,” says Fourie. “This ensures the accuracy of the order, and means our customers are getting their products faster, increasing customer satisfaction.

“Critically, our reps can also see if a product is out of stock, and recommend a substitute product. Their ability to do this is expected to boost revenues by a further 1%.”

The solution will also significantly reduce costs. Telephone costs are set to decrease by 10%, printing costs by 50% and travel costs by 1%. “This is because our mobile sales team are much more self-sufficient and now link in to our technology platform directly,” says Fourie. “They don’t need to phone orders through and complete paperwork, or travel in and out of the office to process an order.”

The solution is also enabling Cadbury to tighten up controls.  Managers have a dynamic dashboard view of sales, and access to reports focusing on key activities such as numbers of calls, orders per call, etc.  The immediacy of the information enables them to improve sales agent performance and customer service.

According to Mark Morris, VP of JustEnough Mobile, the solution encompasses everything that mobile sales reps need in the field. “They don’t need to be technically astute or experienced in using computers or technology,” he says. “If you can use a cellphone, you can use the system.”

Two days of initial training and two days of follow-up was required to get the reps up and running. In addition, Cadbury has identified ‘super-users’—those agents who are technically literate to support the reps’ learning curve, and ensure that they are using the solution’s full spectrum of functionality.

Fourie says:  “Not only are we pioneering this solution within our industry in South Africa, we are the first country within Cadbury’s global operation to use this fully mobile solution.”