Mercell, a Norwegian company that provides online e-tender and procurement platforms for organizations and government agencies, has grown significantly in recent years. BearingPoint has helped to facilitate a smooth data integration.
The Norwegian headquartered Mercell supplies systems to governments and organizations for public e-tendering and procurement. These systems also ensure that the tenders (for example European tenders) comply with all relevant European legislation and regulations and/or local guidelines.
Over 3,300 buyers in Europe currently use the Mercell platform, including an increasing number of Dutch organisations. The growth of Mercell has gained momentum in The Netherlands after Mercell acquired Negometrix and CTM Solution in 2021.
As with any deal, an acquisition is only successful if the integration also runs smoothly. As Mercell has acquired numerous companies in recent years, Mercell's management decided to set up a separate workflow specifically focused on CRM integration.
Together with a Mercell project team, consultant Joost Kuckartz was given the task of ensuring that the CRM processes of Negometrix and CTM Solution fit seamlessly within those of the parent company. The team was also involved in the integration and migration of all data.
The team started by mapping current CRM, sales, and customer success processes. “This allowed us to see how the different parties carry out their CRM activities,” Joost explains. “More importantly, we were able to work towards a common denominator and map out actions to bridge the differences.”
At the same time, the available information was used to identify improvement potential. Joost: “An acquisition is an excellent opportunity to standardize and improve the new way of working.” In defining a new, improved blueprint, BearingPoint was able to draw on many best practices from the CRM landscape, both in the procurement world and beyond.
In the fourth quarter of 2021 the project team had its plans ready, and the actual implementation started. Data migrated from the old CRM to the one Mercell was using, sales and customer success managers were trained in the new way of working, and automation through workflows and scripts were introduced in the CRM system.
The project team has also drawn up an 'integration toolkit' for Mercell. With this the Norwegian company, which plans to acquire more companies in the future, now has a standardized implementation plan it can use in subsequent integrations. The plan describes how to smoothly integrate the processes and data of an acquired company into the Mercell family.
After six months with the client, the project came to an end in December 2021. “Mercell has a very nice ambition and a great atmosphere, and I was sad that my project came to an end there”, Joost reflects. “I like standardizing and automating, and I feel that my enthusiasm was carried through beyond the team I worked in. I am proud of the progress that has been made.”
Joost Kuckartz
Senior Consultant