AgReliant Genetics, LLC Using Sage SalesLogix CRM on iPad Tablets to Accelerate Sales and Improve Customer Experience

SCOTTSDALE, AZ--(Marketwire - Jan 15, 2013) - Sage North America today announced AgReliant Genetics, LLC, a Midwestern field seeds company, has used a customized version of Sage SalesLogix on iPad® tablets to achieve 95% CRM adoption among its 300 sales employees and accelerate its sales and marketing processes. AgReliant Genetics, which recently became the third-largest U.S. corn seed company, cites Sage SalesLogix as a key contributor to its growth.

"Sage SalesLogix helps our reps reduce 'windshield' time and prioritize visits with customers most likely to buy," said Steve Thompson, AgReliant Genetics director of IT. "We needed a way for reps to work more comfortably out in the field and still access CRM data. With Sage SalesLogix running on iPad tablets, they have everything needed from territory maps that drill into account details to speech-to-text notes that go right into the CRM database. Our sales and customer satisfaction have improved because reps can now manage most opportunities or issues right on location."

AgReliant Genetics markets five seed brands in Midwestern corn and soybean states. Each representative works with a customer base of farmers, dealers and retail operations, traveling approximately 50,000 miles a year while working out of their trucks to service territories. Prior to implementing Sage SalesLogix, sales representatives across all five brands used individual selling processes.

The company's initial CRM deployment showed management the importance of collecting detailed prospect and customer information, managing seed orders in CRM from its fulfillment system, scoring prospects for sales prioritization, and automating marketing campaigns. However, user adoption was just 5 percent due to the inconvenience of carrying laptops in the field.

AgReliant Genetics' IT team and Sage business partner, Sincera Solutions, developed a customized Sage SalesLogix iPad app, piloting a mobile CRM program with a cross section of employees. Within six months, Sage SalesLogix became a companywide CRM system with usage near 95% of sales employees.

In the field

AgReliant Genetics sales reps prefer visuals over to-do lists, so IT has made most CRM capabilities mobile, visual, voice-activated and keyboardless. The company provides iPad tablets to each sales rep, and security provisions include the ability to remotely wipe any tablet that is lost or stolen.

On average, reps will call on over 300 farmers a year. The reps use Google Maps™ on their iPad tablets with color-coded pins' visualizing Sage SalesLogix data to indicate each farming account's current acreage, how recently seed was purchased, and each farmer's unique agronomic specifications including soil type and equipment preferences. Pin colors also change to indicate new sales opportunity forecasts based on previous units purchased.

Another tablet status view indicates where each opportunity is in the sales process (orders pending, shipping, follow-up status and so on). Additional data visualizations show which prospects and customers are in specific stages of marketing campaigns so sales reps can determine exactly whom to call on next. Sage SalesLogix also shows reps which customers and prospects are purchasing seed from competitors.

A speech-to-text call note capability is the most popular among sales reps. They can simply speak into their tablets after sales visits, and notes are automatically transcribed into the appropriate Sage SalesLogix contact, account, opportunity and to-do fields.

The next step for AgReliant Genetics is to implement the Sage SalesLogix marketing program functionality across its entire portfolio of brands. This functionality allows the rep to control the launch of a unique marketing program for a specific prospect or customer. AgReliant Genetics' Wensman Seed brand was the first to implement this type of CRM-automated marketing and has achieved a 35% increase in sales growth since rollout.

Regional sales managers are also using Sage SalesLogix activity reports to identify coaching opportunities with individual reps, creating more accountability among the team and contributing to better customer service. 

About AgReliant Genetics, LLC

Headquartered in Westfield, Ind., AgReliant Genetics is an innovative seed company committed to delivering high-quality seed, providing exceptional service and creating consistent customer value. Created in 2000 as a joint venture between the international seed groups KWS and Limagrain, AgReliant Genetics is ranked as one of the largest field seed companies in North America. AgReliant Genetics markets corn, soybean and alfalfa seed through five U.S. seed brands: AgriGold Hybrids®, Great Lakes® Hybrids, LG Seeds®, Producers Hybrids®, and Wensman Seed®.

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 13,500 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, Facebook.com/SageNorthAmerica, and Twitter, Twitter.com/SageNAmerica.

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AgReliant Genetics' service marks and trademarks mentioned herein are registered trademarks of AgReliant Genetics, LLC or its affiliated entities.