CASE STUDY｜TS TOKYO CORPORATION

Aiming to build ongoing relationships by accumulating customer information in UPWARD

- What is your company's business and what are its strengths?

Mr. Wako: Our company is developing a business that creates added value while protecting the safety and security of office buildings with construction methods and materials that differentiate us from our competitors. Our main business is restoration work that occurs when office buildings are vacated. Our strength lies in our value-added services that add beauty plus α, utilizing our unique technologies, such as nonflammable and sound-absorbent ceiling coatings and odor-free paints. We also offer a one-stop shop for professional services such as blind repair and cleaning and window film replacement. For exteriors, we offer safety and security to building users and managers by cleaning, coating, and applying film to stone and aluminum exteriors to increase the value of buildings, and by providing anti-slip flooring in preparation for rain.
In this way, we are developing our business by striving to provide differentiated services that protect the safety and security of office buildings and create added value.
Another feature of our company is that we focus on large office buildings. By focusing on large buildings in central Tokyo, we are able to deal with a wide range of clients while narrowing down our business area. Our vision for the future is to become a value-added partner for our clients by increasing our organizational responsiveness through the use of UPWARD.

- What are some of the challenges you have encountered in your sales process?

Wako: We were not able to centrally manage the history of conversations between sales staff and customers, office drawings, and instructions to the staff who would be doing the installation. This meant that only the sales staff in charge knew the customer's situation and history, so each time the staff member in charge changed, the relationship with the customer had to be built from the ground up. Transactions with customers also tended to be person-to-person, and information was not accumulated in the company, leading to lost opportunities.
When considering information as an asset, it is a waste if it is not accumulated, so we decided to make use of it, which is what led us to introduce UPWARD. We are currently working on the centralized management of all processes and information in our interactions with customers using UPWARD.

Division of labor" in sales achieved by accumulating customer information Focus on acquiring new customers

- Please tell us about your daily sales activities.

Kubota: The sales staff is divided into inside sales and field sales. The inside sales people call potential customers and new customers to make proposals based on the building information registered on the UPWARD map, and when they obtain information on tenant relocations and other new developments, they approach the tenants and enter the information from that conversation into UPWARD. I enter the information from those conversations into UPWARD. Field sales are responsible for responding to requests from customers with whom we have ongoing relationships and managing the interior and exterior construction work.
In fact, it is only this year that we started to separate inside sales and field sales. We believe that UPWARD is the cornerstone of this strategy. Until now, each sales staff member was responsible for everything from obtaining appointments over the phone to negotiating with customers and managing construction work, all by himself or herself. We are now able to schedule appointments while viewing past customer information and quotes, allowing us to conduct sales more strategically. Our sales strategy is characterized by dividing the role of sales into the role of satisfying existing customers to increase beatability and continuity, and the role of acquiring new customers.

Smooth communication between sales and engineering by linking customer information with maps

- How did you come to know about UPWARD?

Mr. Wako: At first, we created an image within our company and were looking for a service with reasonable running costs that could be linked to customer information and maps. After searching for various services and listening to various companies, we decided on UPWARD because it seemed to be the best. We decided on UPWARD because it seemed to be the best. The basic tools were solid, and the ability to smoothly implement the functions we were looking for was a deciding factor.

- Why were you interested in the ability to link customer information with maps?

Wako: We wanted to "visualize" where the office buildings of our clients were located. Not only our sales staff, but also the technical staff in charge of the actual construction needed to be able to see the map and confirm the work to be done at the building when they go to the site.
This would allow for smooth execution of staff assignments and requests for support during construction. When checking information, it is now possible to capture not only tasks in individual offices, but also tasks in other nearby offices and other customer information in an area, which is helpful in coordinating staff and equipment. In this way, the Technical Department uses the map function to check their own schedules and what other staff members are carrying out, and as a tool for exchanging information on the status of the site and requests to bring such equipment and tools. We are also able to share all daily reports and unexpected matters.

‍Simplify input work and consolidate sales activity data Support sales strategy planning with dashboards

Wako: We wanted to not only visualize on-site activities such as sales and construction, but also share and visualize sales targets and sales progress. Until now, we have not been able to share these data using a dashboard-like function, and each of us had to enter our own figures into Excel to check them. With UPWARD, we are now able to share these figures.  

Kubota: Sales staff enter the details of their calls and interviews into UPWARD after they are completed. The data is then aggregated and displayed as dashboards and reports. We review these figures at morning and evening meetings and use them to discuss sales strategies and issues.

Wako: In addition to sales staff, UPWARD was able to consolidate the daily reports and instructions of the technical department, which had been collected through different systems and e-mails.

- Is it too much of a hassle to input activity reports?

Mr. Kubota: We have been working to reduce the input of information to the minimum necessary for operational efficiency. For example, we require the input of information such as invoice shipping dates and addresses that would cause inconvenience to customers if incomplete. We place importance on prioritizing the input content.

- How is the follow-up by our customer success team?

Mr. Kubota: The communication went very smoothly. When we asked them if we could do something like this, they were very helpful in providing us with solid suggestions. They dealt with a wide range of issues, and I think the key to the smooth implementation was that they suggested better methods for our company, such as the contents of maps and reports, how to create them, and how to build a dashboard. The response time was very fast, which I think was a key factor in the smooth implementation.

An environment that fosters ambition born in ‍ digital transformationThe goal is 200% growth!

- Have there been any changes in your organization since UPWARD was introduced?

Wako: As we accumulate information that we have missed in the past, it means that we can use the information for future strategies. We believe that the digital transformationinitiative is inevitable. This trend is unstoppable, and we think it is very significant that we are prepared to do so.

Kubota: I think it has also become useful for strategic sales in the future and for providing guidance to new staff members. I feel that we are accumulating data for the future. Now we can see each other's numbers on the dashboard. Previously, we were only chasing our own numbers, but now our sales staff is encouraged to work hard and compete with each other. We are also able to anticipate and move ahead of schedule, and I feel that our business is moving very well.

- What is your vision for the future of your business?

Wako: We are looking to achieve about 200% growth in our current business. The customer management system is key to that. In the future, we would like to have the companies we partner with include UPWARD to further deepen our business collaboration. What we expect from UPWARD in this context is, for example, if you implement a sales forecasting function that utilizes AI, we believe it will help accelerate our company's growth.

- What would be your message to other companies that are interested in digital transformation in the future?

Wako: While there are various things that each company wants to do, I think it is important to set priorities for what you want to improve the most. I think it is important not to try to utilize all of the functions of CRM and SFA from the beginning, but to first work on addressing the most important issues in the company and realize the benefits.