We integrated with the CRM! When great teams rally their efforts

We can’t understate the hardships behind platform integrations, but today we can triumphantly claim that OSA and “Conecta”, a SAP Cloud based CRM, are integrated within SALFA’s operation.

Resilient vices haunt local industry, like separation between systems and department silos. Despite the contemporary cultural shift towards digitalization and informational speed, they keep slowing down processes instilling resistance to improvement.

Integration is a desirable dream for multiple departments. There’s a common interest in standardizing data on all digital tools, in eliminating bureaucracy and re-typing, in systems that can converse in the background and in users having an easy and seamless experience between the platforms they use.

But alas, in technology, the road to what’s simple is most often complex.

Teams from OSA, SALFA AUTyCAM (automotive) and Deloitte Chile (Conecta SALFA, SAP Cloud based CRM) gathered in work meetings for months with integration as a common goal.

“Building up the working muscle for these meetings was one of the most difficult parts of the project.” - ensures Gabriel Zahr, Head of National Logistics and Operations at SALFA AUTyCAM. “It was really tough to keep constantly discussing, checking and double checking every part of the integration flowchart design” - he recalls.

But then, to reap what we had sown.

Now the sales team can request VIN allocations for their CRM listings in OSA Andes, which is nested inside tabs within the CRM (Conecta), and the logistics team assign them directly in the OSA Platform.

“We finally were able to channel the flow of processes in a way that invites the users to behave the way everyone wanted within their labor in the supply chain, mainly eliminating a lot of paperwork previously done by hand, which did make everything slower. We could lower the percentage of manual mistakes and the time it took to get the job done” - Gabriel added.

Now with the Sales department, the Logistics department, OSA, Conecta and SAP on board, working with shared data; the positive user feedback arrived quickly. Comments like “If this is so easy, why aren’t we using this right now” adorned the path close to finishing the design process.

After an intense but successful roll-out, usage of the platforms flows seamlessly. “Administrative sales assistants used to take even a couple days registering a VIN assignment request and then it could be weeks before they took it into account. Now as soon as I get the reservation order, I take my sales opportunity, list the price and request a VIN allocation. I’m saving myself some steps, it’s simpler, faster, friendlier. I liked it a lot.”- thanks Felipe Said, Truck and Trailer Salesman, while he contemplates the current need for constantly relearning the ever-shifting processes.

We hope these improvements will ease Felipe’s and many other OSA users’ work, so they can focus on what’s important in their job as humans, leaving complex paperwork for the integrated machines.