M-Brain acquired a business unit from Cision Finland and combined the sales organisations

Going strong in today's rapidly paced environment, M-Brain monitors the flood of information in the media world on behalf of its clients. With its acquisition of the monitoring and analysis business Cision Finland, it seeks growth particularly in the field of network-monitoring tools and services based on semantic search technologies.

The acquisition also led to merging of the two sales and marketing organisations. ‘We merged and renewed the sales processes and metrics of the two companies. We also needed a shared CRM solution to put the new policies into practice,' explains Sales Director Marianne Neva, from M-Brain.

Familiar solution, new partner

Microsoft Dynamics CRM, already in successful use by Cision, was selected as the solution for sales, marketing, and customer relationship management. The company decided to upgrade to the newest, 2011 version during the change. Mepco was selected as the supplier via competitive bidding.

‘Mepco has a good reputation as an experienced CRM specialist and a reliable co-operation partner,' explains Neva.

During the deployment, the old information content was transferred to the new system, and the solution was adapted to M-Brain's needs. Simultaneously the improved functionality of the latest version was utilised. The system's rollout took place in February 2012.

‘The deployment was successful and on schedule. Mepco's project management personnel performed their tasks proactively and professionally,' commends Neva.

Harmonised tools and practices

The CRM solution has approximately 30 users - in the sales and marketing departments, business operations, and executive management. The system is used to guide and monitor the pipeline sales process from leads via offers to closing of deals. In addition, the solution manages information about customer visits and daily communication.

M-Brain's essential customer information is now all in one place. Customer processes have been harmonised, and the availability of information has improved.

‘The sales management can now efficiently monitor salespeople's activities, customers at the various stages in the pipeline, the open-offer pool, and - most importantly - forecasting of future sales,' says Neva.

Objectives met with support from an experienced partner

An efficient and user-friendly CRM solution is becoming a vital tool for any successful sales organisation today, and the entire company.

‘Excel tables are decidedly outdated. A well-functioning CRM solution offers excellent means for analysing history, making forecasts, and implementing corrective measures,' emphasises Neva.

The objectives set for the CRM project have been met. Future points of focus will be dashboards for the salespeople and management, as well as mutual integration of the systems.

‘I'm very satisfied with our solution. The ease of use of the system has guaranteed problem-free implementation at the on-the-ground level. In addition, Mepco has done its part excellently,' summarises Neva.

For further information, please contact:

At Mepco Oy: Sales Director Heikki Kontuniemi, tel. +358 50 357 5201 or send e-mail
At M-Brain: Sales Director Marianne Neva, tel. +358 50 323 5214 or send e-mail

M-Brain is the leading provider of advanced analytics and executive-level media-monitoring. Through a unique combination of our own technology and intelligent human filtering, we provide our customers with the information they need for decision-making. After acquisition of the Monitor and Analyze Business unit of Cision Finland, M-Brain's turnover for 2012 will be approximately 11M EUR. The company has approximately 150 employees. For more information, please visit www.m-brain.com.

Mepco Oy develops its customers' business with solutions for customer relationship management, financial management, enterprise resource planning, and human resource management. The company is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in all three of its fields of business. Mepco has also been named as one of the world's top Microsoft Dynamics suppliers on four occasions. Mepco employs around 140 people in Finland, in Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, and Vaasa. Mepco is part of the Accountor Group's Software Division. Accountor Group is the largest provider of financial administration and payroll processing services in Northern Europe. For more information, visit www.mepco.fi.

References and news in English