About Clear Vehicle Data

As a major data provider to the UK’s automotive sector since 2012, Clear Vehicle Data (CVD), understands the value of data for business success.

CVD started working with Really Simple Systems CRM in February 2019 having found Salesforce too cumbersome for their business.

Managing Director, Ian Hare, commented: “Before Really Simple Systems CRM I used Salesforce to track sales, while my team would coordinate with monthly meetings using spreadsheets. This un-coordinated approach was unwieldy, using Salesforce for the whole company wasn’t an option as their CRM was too complex and their scaling isn’t suited for a small business.”

“We trialled Microsoft Outlook as a solution, however, we still didn’t have the ability to coordinate accounts. It was clear that we needed a CRM that could easily facilitate our remote working strategy.”

Managing a Remote Team

To meet their company vision “Delivering cost effective automotive data at pace”, CVD develops data solutions and tools that enable its customers to configure vehicle data on their websites, computer systems and other applications. Once deployed, the solutions help businesses such as automotive leasing companies, leasing brokers, car dealers and fleet managers make informed decisions.

Since its inception, CVD has constructed a unique business model; deploying a flat, remote-based working structure that allows its managers and company partners to work independently from various locations in the UK. The CVD sales cycle involves a combination of field visits, phone calls and online demonstrations, building strong customer relationships while assuring prospects are developing the optimal data solution.

Need for Change

The company structure at CVD requires high levels of coordination to ensure success. However, contrary to this, before moving to Really Simple Systems, each staff member had become accustomed to creating their own solution to manage their day to day operations. This made it difficult to track prospects and prone to human error.

This was an important hurdle to overcome as the CVD sales cycle varied from client to client. Ian Hare explained: “Some customers will commit to a sale very quickly, while others can take years of nurturing. Therefore, it is important that a prospects sales progress is transparent, assuring good and consistent customer experience.”

Enabling Remote Working

To choose the right CRM software to implement, Ian broke down the company’s key requirements: “CVD needed a simple CRM which could provide transparent sales data while also being easy to customise to our needs. After some research, we found that Really Simple Systems CRM comfortably met these requirements.”

“Our primary requirement was simplicity. Our team structure comes with unique challenges, and the last thing we needed was a system with unnecessary features that either confused staff or put them off from using it.”

“Really Simple Systems addressed this by being­, well, simple to use. The CRM has resulted in better team communication and coordination and has also enabled the automation of account activities. The simplicity of the CRM has also improved data transparency as users can easily view the progress of a sale, stopping team members from tripping over each other and therefore smoothing our sales process.”

“Clear Vehicle Data’s other key requirement was the ability to customise the CRM. Ian continued: “We needed the ability to label accounts with their industry sector, for example, ‘Leasing Broker’ and which company partner is managing each account/sale. Not only have I been able to make Really Simple Systems CRM suit our unique business requirements, but I have also been able to create custom reports that bring clarity to our sales data.”

Building a Business with CRM

Ian ends: “When you’re a small business working towards growth, each step you take really matters. Really Simple Systems has facilitated this step towards our growth and will continue to do so as we tackle our ever-evolving objectives. It has become an important part of our business – you could say it’s the glue that holds my team together.”

“If you’re implementing a CRM system, my advice is not to over complicate it and make sure the software is simple. Look for a CRM which is easy to use but can grow with your business. We have yet to make use of the full capabilities of Really Simple Systems, however, we’ll soon be experimenting with their marketing module for completing the next step of our growth strategy.”