Microsoft Dynamics CRM as the solution

Paroc harmonises international sales and customer relationship management with a centralised CRM solution

Paroc, one of the leading providers of mineral wool insulation in Europe, has introduced a new solution for customer relationship management. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution supplied by Mepco will expand into corporation-wide international sales control by the end of 2009.

The Paroc Group needed a centralised CRM solution for harmonised control of the international sales organisation and for improving the quality of customer information. The company did not have an existing common CRM system. Microsoft Dynamics CRM won in the competitive bidding, especially for its user-friendliness. Paroc chose the leading Dynamics CRM supplier, Mepco Oy, as its partner.

The phased deployment started with a pilot version introduced in Poland. In Finland, the system entered production use in October 2008. In 2009, the system will be introduced in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, and Sweden.

The main challenge during the deployment in Finland was in collecting all of the customer information from the numerous separate systems in which it was scattered. This required a great deal of work and testing.

‘Mepco completed our demanding project in a professional manner, utilising an efficient method,' says project manager Arja Okkonen from Paroc Oy Ab.

Extensive tools for sales and customer relationship management

Initially, the system was adjusted for control of sales operations. The solution covers control of the everyday activities of salespeople, contacts, and customer visits, as well as management of offers and agreements. The software can also be used offline on mobile devices.

In spring 2009, Paroc will upgrade to Dynamics CRM 4.0. Simultaneously with the version upgrade, the use of the system in marketing and management of customer feedback and complaints will be increased.

A centralised CRM solution will function as a master system for customer information from which the data can be electronically transferred to the ERP system. Also, information such as data on customers' purchase history will be transferred in the opposite direction.

The CRM system has well over a hundred users of the Paroc customer interface. The number of users will be increased to more than two hundred.

Systematic roadmap brings results

The use of a single centralised CRM solution has unified and enhanced the daily activities in the sales department and made up-to-date customer information available all in one place, to everybody who needs it.

‘The system enables optimal control of sales and marketing activities and allocation of resources. This solution has given us many new opportunities for developing and rationalising our modes of operation,' says Okkonen.

At Paroc, sales and customer relationship management are developed by following a systematic roadmap. The right direction was found with the support of a skilled partner.
‘I'm satisfied with our developing solution, and this experienced partner that listens to our needs. There is still a lot of work to do, for instance, in international deployment of multilingual tools,' Okkonen adds.

Contact points for further information

Mepco Oy: Deputy Managing Director Hannu Kaukonen, tel. +358 (0)400 527 681,
send e-mail
Paroc Oy Ab: Project Manager Arja Okkonen, tel. +358 (0)40 719 0076,
send e-mail

Paroc is one of the leading manufacturers of mineral wool insulation in Europe. Its product range includes building insulation, technical insulation, marine insulation, structural stone wool sandwich panels, and acoustics products. The company has production facilities in Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, and Poland and is represented with sales offices and agencies in 13 countries, all over Europe. The group's turnover for 2007 totalled 462 million euros, and there are roughly 2300 employees. For more information, please visit www.paroc.com.

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