A remarkable 36% increase in revenue, a 33% rise in fully automated orders via EDI, leading to reduced lead times and enhanced quality: The SanData IT-Gruppe has achieved numerous successes in recent years. How did SanData accomplish this feat? Stefanie Schönauer, Head of Inside Sales, Thomas Zenger, Purchasing Manager, and Daniel Mandic, Inside Sales, share their insights from the field.
Partnership focused on customer satisfaction
Hailing from Nuremberg, this mid-Franconian company prides itself on a powerful fusion of IT expertise and innovative solutions, all aimed at making their customers' workday noticeably more enjoyable. As one of the leading system houses in Germany and Austria, SanData offers comprehensive IT services to large and medium-sized enterprises. Since 2015, SanData has integrated ITscope as a comparison platform into their procurement world.
Connected to the SITE ERP system, which has an interface to ITscope, it was a logical step with a future-oriented perspective to also rely on the solutions provided by the Karlsruhe-based company in other areas. To digitally map the entire process from customer order to procurement, the decision was ultimately made in favor of ITscope's B2B shop solution and E-procurement integrations.
"Our collaboration has always been characterized by high flexibility and a joint commitment to finding ways to ensure the utmost satisfaction of our customers," describes Stefanie Schönauer. "We knew that we had the right partner by our side for the introduction of our shop."
The collaborative journey towards digital transformation
By integrating the shop, a significantly higher level of transparency regarding prices and stock availability was achieved towards the customers – providing not only a great benefit for the customers but also greatly facilitating all internal work processes. "We no longer had to constantly create individual offers and communicate prices for each request separately. Instead, our customers could now see the availability of products and corresponding prices for themselves with a single glance at the shop – a massive time saver for us," explained Stefanie Schönauer.
This marked the first step towards more efficient processes. The journey continued with the introduction of customer-specific shopping carts, reflecting the respective valid prices and special configurations for each customer. The introduction of PunchOut interfaces was also crucial, allowing end customers to order directly from their own E-Procurement system while complying with internal procurement guidelines at SanData.
Collaborative efforts pave the way to success
While the restructuring process towards company-wide automation required a high level of commitment from each employee to adapt their existing workflows, most initial challenges were quickly resolved. In times of immediate issues, the ITscope Support team was invaluable: "Having a direct point of contact who is always available, quick to respond, and offers high-resolution rates is extremely valuable," Daniel Mandic explained the excellent collaboration with ITscope's Customer Success and Support teams. "It's a huge advantage that ITscope not only possesses comprehensive knowledge of their own product but also a deep understanding of the external systems used by our customers. Without this expertise, the integration, such as SAP Ariba, would likely not have been as seamless."
Achieving success through transparency: The benefits of B2B shops
Daniel Mandic appreciates the detailed search function, price comparison, and clear product offerings while working with the ITscope shop. Customers also benefit from the ability to select individual manufacturers and create customized shopping carts, allowing for a fully tailored product assortment. Additionally, the option to introduce custom categories and services enables a uniquely personalized shopping experience. Another advantage lies in the seamless order process, which seamlessly integrates with customers' ERP systems. "This eliminates the need for customers to adapt to new systems, as everything is streamlined within their familiar environment," Mandic added.
Through automation towards enhanced quality and reduced lead times
The overarching goal at SanData remains clear - to continue automation across all areas. This includes encouraging more customers to utilize the webshop. "This not only simplifies our internal processes but also improves quality and reduces lead times. It impacts not just sales but also procurement, where manual data entry is reduced through interface utilization. Directly connecting customers to our webshop enhances customer loyalty and supports our aim to achieve even greater growth through the webshop in the coming years," describes Stefanie Schönauer. "Significant progress has also been made in the field sales team. Despite initial skepticism towards the product, almost all colleagues are now on board. They actively strive to onboard their customers to the webshop, which is highly advantageous for us in the internal team," Stefanie Schönauer concludes.
Consistently positive results for SanData
And in conclusion? The three of them are overall very pleased. "We have successfully implemented numerous processes, and it almost feels like we have a second ERP system, considering how well we have integrated the B2B shop into our teams. All stakeholders are well-informed about its functionality across all departments," says Daniel Mandic.
Not only does this positive impression prevail, but concrete numbers also back it up. For instance, the development of email orders showcases this progress: Since 2020, SanData has been able to reduce the percentage of email orders from 93% to under 60% compared to those received via EDI by 2023.
Furthermore, revenue has seen a significant boost: In 2023, revenue increased by 36% compared to 2022 and a remarkable 165% compared to 2021. A similar trend is evident in the number of orders, which has more than doubled from 2022 to 2023 and quintupled compared to 2021.
Es basst scho': The franconian seal of quality for ITscope
Not only do these numbers and the resulting success bring great satisfaction to SanData. "The high level of automation simply brings us significant benefits. Many processes that were previously done manually have gradually been digitized. This is one of our key success factors," explains Thomas Zenger. In true Franconian style, he adds, "If I were to express our satisfaction in numbers, I would give us a classic 8 out of 10 – following the motto 'it's all good, but there's always room for improvement.' - everything's alright, but we can always improve (in franconian dialect: es basst scho, aber bissl was geht immer).”
Are you also looking to kickstart your journey into B2B E-commerce?
With ITscope's E-Commerce solution, system houses can effortlessly create B2B online shops with customized products, prices, and design elements - all without the need for complex custom development. In just a few minutes, the B2B shop is ready for your end customers. The B2B shop solution for business customers is available to you with the ITscope Sales Packages Advanced and Complete.
Curious to learn more about the possibilities of a B2B shop with ITscope? Simply reach out to us:
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from left to right Stefanie Schönauer, Daniel Mandic und Thomas Zenger
Stefanie Schönauer brings a wealth of experience from various departments at SanData. With around nine years in procurement, she transitioned to sales support four years ago and now leads the team for Germany and Austria. Since taking on a leadership role, her focus has been on strategy development and process optimization.
Thomas Zenger has been with SanData for a total of six years. Initially working in operational procurement for four years, he has been the procurement manager for Germany and Austria for the past two years. His main responsibilities revolve around digitizing procurement and optimizing processes in collaboration with other departments.
Daniel Mandic has been a part of the SanData team for two years, focusing on the continuous improvement of the B2B webshop. Collaborating closely with the field sales team to enhance the shop, he also handles the onboarding of new customers. Additionally, he is responsible for the internal interfaces of the ERP system to ensure smooth operations.
The SanData IT-Gruppe is among the most esteemed IT system houses in Germany and Austria. With 540 employees, this system house delivers tailored IT solutions to large and medium-sized companies, offering all IT services under one roof – from consultation, analysis, planning, implementation, maintenance, and training, to the hardware and software of leading manufacturers.
