American Pool Enterprises Inc. Uses Sage CRM and Sage 300 ERP to Manage 21 Offices and Supplemental Workforce of 5,000 Employees

SCOTTSDALE, AZ--(Marketwire - Sep 26, 2012) -  Sage North America announced American Pool Enterprises Inc. (APEI) is using Sage CRM to manage business processes for 21 offices, 250 full-time employees and 5,000 seasonal employees. APEI provides construction, maintenance, renovation and lifeguard staffing services to recreational facilities in the U.S. The company, with its Sage Business Partner, consolidated customer data from each office's separate systems into one centralized Sage CRM database for secure, real-time sharing and improved reporting.

"We experienced a rapid period of acquisitions that made data consolidation and reporting increasingly complex," explained Karen Snyder, chief information officer for American Pool Enterprises Inc. "Sage CRM turned a painful and time-consuming reporting process that previously took five IT employees a half-day to prepare into an automated and accurate process that now takes minutes. Sage CRM helps us keep on top of sales bids and the status of each customer relationship while giving us back time to expand other areas of the business."

APEI already relied on a Sage 300 ERP system for back-office accounting, and the option to easily integrate Sage CRM with it on-premises was the ideal choice after considering competitive alternatives with cost and complexity issues. Software-as-a-Service vendors that impose mandatory upgrades, for example, could do so during APEI's busy season, potentially compromising or breaking essential customizations and data integrations.

Sage CRM has become the central hub of APEI's business. Employees use it to better manage sales opportunities from bids through final sales, to enter and track pool inspections from the field, and to schedule and confirm who is working where at any given time. Customer satisfaction ratings have also steadily risen due to APEI's ability to resolve any concerns faster.

APEI also recruits and staffs 5,000 lifeguards for clients during the summer months including some who travel internationally. The hiring process requires adhering to strict compliance guidelines and frequently incorporating new health and safety rules. Snyder says the familiar Sage CRM user interface and speed of customizations makes it easy to adjust data fields or create new reports. A Sage CRM self-service portal also lets lifeguards worldwide apply online by uploading their certifications which reduces employee data entry and speeds hiring cycles.

APEI next plans to implement marketing tools integrated with Sage CRM including Sage E-marketing¹ for targeting email campaigns to specific customers.

"You realize how powerful Sage CRM is when an executive asks you to track something new within the business and you can turn around a new report in 30 seconds," adds Snyder. "The system is so user friendly executives can even run their own queries. I used to spend half my days gathering and presenting data. Now I can use that time more productively to help our business grow."

About Sage
Sage is a leading global supplier of business management software and services for small and midsized businesses. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs more than 12,600 people and supports more than 6 million customers worldwide. For more information about Sage in North America, please visit the company website at NA.Sage.com. Follow Sage North America on Facebook.com/SageNorthAmerica and Twitter.com/SageNAmerica.

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