‘The professional bridge builder who paved the way’
For many people, the name Heel Belgium immediately rings a bell. That’s because the German manufacturer of homeopathic medicines is also a well-established name in our country. To ensure sustained growth, the company embarked on a frantic search for a modern, flexible, and ‘future-proof’ CRM system. That's what it found with Alistar.
Putting the brakes on the future
“Our new CRM system ”It's working even better than we had hoped and expected," says an enthusiastic Nathalie Van der Cruyssen. As the person in charge of IT, finance, logistics, and the environment at Very In Belgium, they witnessed the transformation firsthand. “The existing CRM system was already more than twenty years old. Our headquarters in Germany had it custom-developed for our company and rolled it out across all locations. Manual data entry, limited reporting capabilities, and no 360-degree view of customer communications: these limitations have become increasingly apparent in recent years as our business needs have evolved.”
“That stands in stark contrast to the modern system that is now driving us forward. Alistar implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365, Office 365, and Power BI: three powerful tools that will enable us to confidently tackle all our future challenges.”
This major achievement is the result of months of intensive collaboration. Both parties had known each other for some time. “A few years ago, we had one IT manager on staff,” says Nathalie. “He did a good job, but I wanted a permanent backup to cover for him when he was away. That’s when Alistar first came into the picture. Positive experiences from others and the physical proximity of their office convinced us. Initially, the collaboration was limited to a one-time intervention whenever our IT manager was absent.”
Microsoft Dynamics 365
“After getting the green light from our headquarters, the way was clear for a new CRM system. To work out the details, we reached out to several IT companies. Alistar was one of them. After evaluating all the candidates, four remained. We asked them to develop and present their ideal concept. Two candidates, including Alistar, proposed Microsoft Dynamics 365.”
“The Alistar proposal was an eye-opener: a clear presentation and a solution that met all of our requirements. But the other candidate, on the other hand, specialized in software development for the pharmaceutical industry and offered us a ready-made product. Still, we chose Alistar. They gave us the best feeling. And as they put it themselves: ‘If you’re not satisfied with our service, you can switch to another partner that supports the same software.’ That argument completely convinced us. Because we never wanted to be dependent on a single company with a custom solution again—a real risk if we had chosen the other candidate.”
From Theory to Practice
“After the theory came the practical application: a massive learning journey for myself and my employees. And you have to get the hang of it right away, because otherwise you’ll quickly fall behind. Looking back, we were actually already in the midst of a major training program right from the start. Here’s a good tip for anyone facing the same challenge: make it clear to your people that they need to be on board right away. So it’s not the case that your IT partner does all the implementation work and you receive the necessary training afterward. You learn to master the system as you go. That organic collaboration with clear two-way communication has certainly paid off for us.”
“Our assignment for Alistar was clear from the start: provide us with a modern and future-proof CRM system, but we avoid custom solutions. Our old system taught us that a tailor-made application comes with too many limitations. And those limitations hinder flexibility. This was a message that Alistar took to heart throughout our entire project. A well-defined schedule and clear communication did the rest.”
Beyond all expectations
“Did everything go smoothly? Certainly not, because as with all projects of that scale, numerous obstacles cropped up along the way. For example, the external import of our customer data caused us quite a few headaches. The structure of that data made the import process particularly time-consuming and left us falling behind schedule. At those moments, the Alistar project managers handled their roles with the utmost professionalism. They steered us in the right direction with a steady hand and also urged us to make decisions. Otherwise, the entire project risked getting bogged down in chaos.”
That approach worked, because the end result is excellent. We achieved more than we had hoped for. Finally, we have a CRM system that contains all our data and is accessible anywhere, anytime.
Nathalie Van der Cruyssen, Head of IT, Finance, Logistics, and Environmental Affairs at Heel Belgium
“That approach paid off, because the end result is fantastic. We achieved more than we had hoped for. Finally, we have a CRM”…a system that contains all our data and is accessible anywhere, anytime. And thanks to Power BI, our reporting capabilities have improved by leaps and bounds."
“The best proof of a successful project? The fact that our employees had very few questions. Aside from a few minor details, we haven’t had to make any major adjustments yet. So our people picked up the system quickly and efficiently. It’s the perfect illustration of how user-friendly it is—another important goal we achieved.”
Clear bird's-eye view
“What sets Alistar apart? It’s the big-picture perspective that allows the consultants to quickly get a sense of the company they’re working with and its needs. They then translate those rapid insights just as efficiently into an action plan that works.”
