How did Systemhaus Ruge manage to save time while still providing its customers with exceptional service in line with the motto "personal, fast, and reliable"? The solution was a smart strategic decision that fundamentally transformed the company's business model—an approach that could also inspire other system houses.
As the founder and managing director of Systemhaus Ruge GmbH & Co. KG, Kai Ruge can reflect on the very positive growth of his company. Contrary to what the company name might suggest, he views his business not as a traditional system house but as a reliable IT partner. True to his motto "preferably individual and personal," he supports both large and small clients from various industries with all their challenges. "The personal interaction in working with our clients is the most important thing to us. At the same time, we work particularly quickly and combine everything with absolute reliability—a combination that our clients greatly appreciate."
A spectrum of features: Not your typical shop
As an early adopter of ITscope, the founder prefers the term B2B Portal when referring to the ITscope Shop solution: "For us, calling it a shop is too limiting because the solution offers far more features than a typical shop, as seen in the B2C sector." Ruge was also among the pilot customers for the B2B Shop: "Initially, a shop was not an option for our extensive range of IT products. However, as customer requests for such a solution increased, we partnered with ITscope to make the transition to a shop."
Time savings as a key advantage
"Our customers can easily find the products they need in their personal B2B portal without having to wait for quotes. This resulted in significant time savings for us during the quoting phase and allowed us to focus on larger projects and the further development of our business," says Ruge. However, the transition wasn't entirely seamless: a major challenge for the system house was convincing customers to actually use the provided shop instead of reverting to familiar methods. After initial teething problems, the portal has gained customer approval: "Most of our clients now appreciate the diverse possibilities the solution offers us," Ruge notes. "Of course, there are still some individuals who prefer to send a classic email or call us, and that's the only way they want to do it. But thanks to the time saved through the shop, we now have more time for this service and are happy to provide it."
First steps and future visions with ITscope
As one of the pilot customers of the solution, Kai Ruge experienced a structured and effective onboarding. "There were hardly any technical hurdles regarding functionality, and if something didn't work, it was easily resolved by the ITscope support staff," Kai Ruge happily reports.
As the next step, Kai Ruge aims to integrate a portal with a customer's ordering system. The cloud-based shop system meets all the requirements necessary for a so-called PunchOut connection to the industrial customers' e-procurement systems. Connected customers can thus process orders directly from their own system. Through the B2B shop, Ruge can then forward the order directly to distribution or incorporate it into his own ERP system.
"ITscope acts like an additional sales representative for us!"
Through the B2B shops, the system house receives numerous spontaneous orders that Kai Ruge has no direct involvement with, functioning more as a platform. "Sales practically take care of themselves," Ruge states, "We are only responsible for procuring and shipping the goods." This results in additional time savings: "I no longer have to handle quote creation for something like a single keyboard, allowing me more time to focus fully on larger projects," the dedicated managing director reports.
"It's incredibly easy! You can intuitively navigate the system right away, and even new employees don't need extensive training on the portal," Ruge says about ITscope's e-commerce solution. Besides its user-friendliness, he appreciates the ability to showcase the extensive product portfolio with real-time inventory and the self-service options available to customers through the shop. Users can fully inform themselves and independently search for and compare suitable products. "The portal functions like an extra sales team member, significantly relieving our colleagues in the sales team," Ruge enthusiastically reports. "There's really nothing the system can't do—if you take the time to explore all its possibilities. It's a truly powerful tool in everyday work!"
Ready for e-commerce? ITscope gets your B2B shop up and running
With ITscope's e-commerce solution, system houses can quickly create B2B online shops with customized products, prices, and design elements—without the need for complex individual development. In just a few minutes, the B2B shop is ready for your end customers. The B2B shop solution for business customers is available with the ITscope Sales Packages Advanced and Complete.
Want to learn more about the possibilities of a B2B shop with ITscope? Simply contact us:
Kai Ruge, CEO Systemhaus Ruge GmbH & Co. KG
Kai Ruge, the driving force behind Systemhaus Ruge GmbH & Co. KG, boasts 20 years of industry experience. As the founder and managing director, he established the company in 2009. His primary focus is on hardware procurement for medium-sized and larger enterprises. Kai Ruge perceives the company not as a traditional system house but as a reliable partner serving clients across various sectors—from public institutions to medium-sized and small businesses.
Based in Kassel, Systemhaus Ruge GmbH & Co. KG specializes in the distribution of hardware and software products. With extensive experience and strong connections to ITC suppliers, Systemhaus Ruge is known for providing fast and reliable solutions to all IT challenges. Their clientele includes medium-sized businesses, as well as small and very large companies throughout Germany. From mobile computing and software to network components and peripheral devices, Systemhaus Ruge offers its customers a comprehensive range of over 3 million ITC products.
