• Ashtead Technology invest in new web-based CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system – ‘Contact Anywhere’
• Web-based CRM means that routine synchronisation is unnecessary
• All customer information is now held in one location, available anytime, anywhere

Every business has a relationship with its customers, grass is green and water is wet! Nothing earth shattering so far – but which companies actually take initiatives to nurture customer relationships?
The answer, of course, is the good ones.
Customer Relationship Management is an area in which most successful companies apply a high level of focus. They recognise that their business lives or dies on the perception their customers have of them, and it follows that this perception is improved when businesses understand customers and their needs.

CRM systems enable companies to maintain information on their customers so that they can serve them better in the future. This can be in any number of ways, all of which rely on customer information. For example, if you know which products your customer has, or what his needs are, you are then better able to contact him when you have some relevant news, such as a product upgrade or a new version, or a service is due, and better still you don’t have to bother him with information that is not relevant to him.

Historically, many CRM systems have been based on software programs that are run on PCs (usually laptops) that connect to a central server occasionally in order to update information – a process known as synchronisation. However, synchronisation is a process that often fails, resulting in unforeseen costs and time delays.
The reliance on synchronisation of remote PCs means that the data on such systems is, by definition, out of date. Furthermore, the maintenance of an internal server, and software on remote PCs, is a situation that might appeal to IT Managers but less so to the Financial Director!

James Carlyle, General Manager of Ashtead Technology’s new facilities in Hitchin, has used a number of CRM systems in the past, and was therefore extremely interested when he heard that a new web-based service had been created that resolved all of the problems with conventional CRM systems.

Ashtead Technology specialises in the rental of technical equipment in the fields of 1) Non-destructive testing 2) Remote visual inspection, and 3) Environmental monitoring, and it is a member of the Ashtead Group – one of the largest equipment rental companies in the world.
Ashtead’s customers come from a diverse range of industries, and as such it is vitally important for James to have access to comprehensive data on his company’s customers. As James says, “When a customer contacts Ashtead Technology, it is vitally important that all customer information is stored centrally, so that it will not matter if he is speaking with someone in technical support, sales or accounts. We will all have the same, up-to-date information, so that we can respond immediately”

Ashtead Technology have been using Contact Anywhere since November 2004, and James Carlyle reports “anyone with minimal experience of the Internet would find Contact Anywhere very easy to use. At Ashtead Technology staff training has been completed in a fraction of the time that would have been taken on other systems. Existing data was quickly incorporated and following a short initial training session, we were up and running”

Ashtead Technology use Contact Anywhere as a customer database that can be used to improve customer service and for sales and marketing activities. For example, it is possible to quickly and easily create targeted mailing lists, and a number of reports are available that show prospective business in the ‘order funnel’. Having used Contact Anywhere for nearly 3 months, James Carlyle comments “ one of the major benefits is that costs are completely ‘budgetable’ in that there are no extra charges for upgrades or for consultants to fix synchronisation problems. Add to that the fact that my staff can update our database at any time of day, anywhere in the world, and you have a very powerful tool”

For further information, contact:
James Carlyle, General Manager
Ashtead Technology Ltd
Tel. 0845 270 2707
www.ashtead-technology.com

Note to editors: Ashtead Technology is a member of the Ashtead Group, one of the largest equipment rental companies in the world. James Carlyle, General Manager attributes Ashtead Technology’s success to three issues: “we provide technical advice on what to rent and how to use it; we deliver when we say we will; and our equipment is always tested and ready for use”