Electronics CRM
In electronics the same product is sold at three separate prices: to the dealer, to the corporate buyer and to the end user. The warranty, on the other hand, is tied not to the product itself but to the serial number; when these two pieces of information sit in separate places, both the wrong price is given and the warranty cover ends up being argued over on the phone.
Dealers and distributors are account records; the price list they are tied to is a field on the account. A sold device is a record with its own serial number and the warranty dates are its fields.
- Keep the dealer, the distributor and the corporate buyer in separate accounts and tie each one to its own price list
- Record the device sold with its serial number; follow the warranty start and end from the device record
- Run faulty product return and service requests stage by stage on the record and see recurring faults
- Keep the status of discontinued models and replacement products on the product record and prevent an old model being selected on a quote
| Channel and Price List | The dealer and the distributor are each an account record; the price list they are tied to is a field on the account, and the quote line takes its price from that list. |
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| Serial Number and Warranty | A device sold is a record with its own serial number; the warranty start and end dates are fields on that record, and its owner is tied to the account. |
| Fault and Return Process | A fault report is a request record; because it is tied to the device record, how many times the same device has come in is read from the history of the card. |
| Product Range Status | Active, discontinued and replacement product are values of the status field on the same product record; which products can be selected on a quote is tied to that field. |
In a company selling electronics there is no single customer type. The same product goes to the dealer at the channel price, to the corporate buyer under tender conditions and to the end user at the list price; on top of that the product range changes constantly, a model is discontinued and its replacement takes its place. When the price list is kept in a spreadsheet and distributed by e-mail, it becomes unclear which dealer is using which list; orders for a discontinued model keep being taken for weeks.
In Rapitek CRM the dealer and the distributor are each an account record; which price list they are tied to sits in a field on the account, and the quote line takes its price from there. Because the device sold is recorded with its serial number, the start and end of the warranty sit on the product itself; when a fault report comes in, who the device was sold to and when, and whether it has been to service before, are read from the same card.
The scope of the plans and the separately priced items are written on the pricing page.
