Case Study｜KUREHA CORPORATION

'90% enter data after returning home'... issues with existing systems highlighted in the survey.

ーPlease tell us about your company's sales activities.

Maeda: In the Packaging Materials Division, we are in charge of managing rounders who are responsible for creating sales areas and sales promotions at supermarkets and home centers. We handle products designed for household use, such as "NEW KreWrap" household plastic wrap and kitchen consumables such as the Kitchintosan series.

The main mission of rounders is to implement sales promotion plans decided by the sales department with the headquarters at the stores. Even when there is no such plan, I visit stores as much as possible to talk with the person in charge and hear information from him or her.

ーWhat prompted you to introduce UPWARD?

Mr. Maeda: Basically, we had been using a different system arranged for our own use to manage daily reports and activities, since we had to go directly to the office and return home. However, we found that in some cases daily reports were being entered into this system outside of work hours, so we conducted an investigation, which brought to light the following areas for improvement.
Nearly 40% of the rounders took more than 30 minutes to write their daily report
・ More than 90% of the rounders input their daily report after returning home
There were also complaints such as "I hardly get any response from the sales staff even though I try my best to input the report" and "I have to think carefully about the text at home in order to fill in the word count". To solve these problems, we decided to revamp the system and review the input items.
The existing system was not suited for input from smartphones, and there were many cases where the information was written from a computer at home. We decided to introduce UPWARD.

Sato: Because our offices are located all over Japan, we do not have many opportunities to meet with them and explain the operation of the service in person. It is important that the service is easy to use and as easy to handle as possible for the field rounders.
When we actually introduced UPWARD, despite initial resistance, we were able to start using it without any problems after a single lecture, and we received comments such as "it is easy to use" and "it is easy to use. The average reporting time was reduced by 13 minutes, from 20 minutes to 7 minutes, and the rounders also taught each other how to use it, giving us the impression that they were able to use it right away.
There are still some rounders in rural areas where we have not yet been able to meet in person to explain the system, so there are still issues to be addressed, but I think we have been able to reduce the workload of the members who are using the system.

Rounders are important 'messengers' between manufacturers and shops.

Maeda: The information that rounders report to us is an important asset for a company. Since not all sales representatives are able to visit all stores, rounders also play an important role as messengers connecting what we want to do as a company and the actual stores.

In some aspects, we are able to see and feel what is actually going on in the field and get supplemental support for areas where sales has not been able to follow up.
Before the introduction of UPWARD, we had to download all the reports filled out the day before, pick up who had visited how many stores and what kind of reports they had received, and forward them to the sales department. Even though the reports were picked up, the data was very heavy because it was compiled from all over the country, and there were problems with capacity and speed.
Since the introduction of UPWARD, the sales department can immediately check the lounger reports on Salesforce, so we no longer have to go through this hassle. We could have done this before, but instead of having to log in to another system and refer to it..., we can now refer to it seamlessly, which saves both parties a lot of time.

Sato: I really appreciate the timely information coming in from the stores. In fact, in our sales promotion planning, we make use of live feedback from rounders at the stores on a daily basis, such as "This campaign is not getting a good response.
Just recently, I received feedback on a report that "pancake mix is selling well at the supermarket," which gave me the opportunity to create a new plan. The report is accompanied by photos of the actual sales floor, so I am able to check the photos and come up with ideas.
Another thing that made me very happy after introducing UPWARD was a comment from a rounder who said, "I have one more dish for dinner now that I have more time to myself. The person who accompanied me when we first introduced UPWARD, said that inputting daily reports into the existing system was a task that used to depress him even after he got home... but with UPWARD, he can now complete the reports during his work time, which has reduced his psychological burden.

For us, there are many advantages, such as making it easier to access photos of the sales floor in the past and easier for salespeople to refer to reports, but the most important of all is that we have reduced the workload of the rounders. However, I still feel that we have not fully utilized the system yet, so I would like to continue to emphasize the importance of information coming from rounders in the field and make effective use of it in the future.

We want to eliminate gaps in the field by using Salesforce and UPWARD.

Mr. Maeda: Right now, we are just using it for reporting, but in the future, we would like to have rounders who are actually observing the field use the Chatter function (*) and other functions to proactively communicate with the head office and sales department.
(*) Chatter function: A bulletin board function attached to Salesforce and UPWARD. Various communications can be made by linking data such as activity reports and information about business partners.
Once a month, the sales department gives instructions to the store floor on what they want us to do, but we would like to share detailed updates and gaps in what the sales department is planning and intending to do in the field throughout the country, rather than having it be a one-way communication from the sales department to the rounders.
I personally feel that the role of "connecting" between the field and the company should be strengthened.

Sato: When you start something new, there is always anxiety. Some people say, "I feel uncomfortable saying something in Chatter," but once you do, the hurdle is lowered. I would like everyone, including us, to raise the level of the system and use it casually.
In the sales department, the utilization rate was low when we first introduced Salesforce, but now we are actively exchanging information about various stores and other companies. We would like to have our rounders utilize Salesforce one more step and communicate more actively with each other.  

Mr. Maeda: I hope the system will be more easygoing and usable by everyone.