HELA Gewürzwerk Hermann Laue GmbH is a German company with a long tradition, now in its fourth generation. With around 600 employees worldwide and 120 years of experience, HELA stands for innovation and quality and is a competent partner for retail, gastronomy, industry and trade. Originally a specialist in spices, the company has developed into a leading supplier of ketchup and spice mixes as well as product developments in the B2B sector. Hela is the second largest branded company in the overall ketchup market.Jan Markus Eichert is national field sales manager in the retail sector and leads a team of 17 sales employees who look after around 4,000 customers. With his experience and innovative spirit, he drives the further development of the sales force. In a dynamic market that constantly presents new challenges, Eichert saw the need to use modern technologies to increase the team's efficiency and flexibility.
Why automated route planning?
Before the introduction of portatour®, route planning at HELA was largely analog. Routes were planned manually using tools such as Google Maps, which was time consuming and often not very efficient. However, the limitations of this system were becoming more and more apparent. Manual planning often took up an excessive amount of time that could have been better spent on customer calls.Special tasks, such as short-term customer inquiries or special campaigns, were particularly problematic, as they often led to inefficient routes. In addition, there was a lack of dynamic adaptation of planning to current requirements. The desire for greater efficiency, planning security and time savings ultimately led HELA to portatour®. The software promised an automated and flexible solution that takes fixed visit rhythms into account while at the same time leaving room for spontaneous changes.
We were travelling in a wonderfully analogue way. Although we no longer had a Falk Atlas, planning was time-consuming and inefficient.
How did the implementation go?
The introduction of portatour® was a complete success at HELA. Thanks to well-maintained data in our Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM and intensive preparation, the transition went smoothly. The software is intuitive and easy to understand, which facilitated acceptance within the team. After just a few weeks, all field reps were able to work with the new system.A special feature of the implementation process was the support provided by two field reps who already had experience with portatour®. They acted as advocates and helped their colleagues to get started. Even skeptical employees, especially in the older age group, were quickly convinced. According to Jan Markus Eichert, after the first training sessions and a month of use, all employees were completely convinced of the functions and advantages of the software.
The program is intuitive and self-explanatory. After the training courses and one month, everyone was completely enthusiastic.
Benefits of automatic territory optimization
In addition to route planning, HELA also decided to use portatour® Territory Optimization, the automatic territory planning from portatour®. Before the introduction of the tool, the sales territories were rarely optimized, usually only once a year and by external service providers. This was not only costly, but also time-consuming.With portatour®, HELA was able to make its territory planning more dynamic in the long term. If customers disappear in a sector or new priorities arise, the software reacts immediately. This flexibility has not only increased efficiency, but also distributed the workload more fairly within the team. In addition, territory planning enables a more strategic approach. New listings or regional focuses can be implemented more quickly and in a much more targeted manner.
portatour® makes work easier, but does not replace thinking. Our employees work with the system to get the best out of it.
Improvements since implementation
Since the implementation of portatour®, the day-to-day work routine in HELA's field force has changed fundamentally. Route planning, which previously took half a working day each week, is now a matter of a few minutes. Field sales employees can concentrate more on their core tasks and have more time for customer visits. The savings in kilometers driven are particularly impressive. Each field service employee drives around 42 kilometers less per day, which - extrapolated to all employees and their working days - means an annual saving of 155,000 kilometers. This not only drastically reduces travel costs, but also protects the environment.According to Jan Markus Eichert, another advantage is the integration of special tasks into the planning. Customers are no longer forgotten because portatour® automatically takes overdue visits into account and plans them. This in turn leads to increased efficiency and significantly increases customer satisfaction. The automatic territory planning has also ensured that the workload within the team is now distributed much fairer. In addition, the successful introduction of portatour® has prompted HELA to expand the system to other business areas. With 33 additional field reps and almost 10,000 new potential customers, the company will concentrate on two additional sales branches in the future.
Thanks to portatour® we can now concentrate on what really counts - our customers.
The best system Sales and Marketing could ever purchase for hitting those execution goals, been using it for over 6yrs and would be totally lost with out it.
Clint Mallum
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This is an amazing appication but it's a bit costly.
beren brechtel
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Pretty great hoping they offer some discounts because it is a bit pricey but the product is excellent mabye just a little less off the monthly bill.
Giovanni Casciello
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Practically perfect application. 🔝👍
Philippe SAUNIER
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Just awesome ! Time saving, savings, optimization, efficiency, performance... No hassle. The only downside is the cost but after all it's money.
Frank Burek
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Relaxed route planning!
Adrian von Gunten
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Great program, use it briefly for Corona-related delivery services in dozens of towns. I was able to do more with the trial version. Too expensive in the short term, probably ok in the long term.
Instalador Sur 2
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Very good app! 100% recommended.
Alberto Bertamino
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unique
Carsten Conrad
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Great software, you just need more time to test it. Or you have top customer data from the start...
Cyril VIEILLY
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the tool is extremely effective, as are those who ensure its marketing and user monitoring! the interface and functionalities have been designed pragmatically and the settings allow you to organize your time according to all commercial priorities and logistical constraints! special mention to P.
Maik Donner
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I've been using it for years and don't want to be without it anymore
Julien Buffetrille
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Really powerful application! Everything is configurable, customer support is assured and nothing can escape your notice. Your customers will thank you! Save time on the road thanks to intelligent route calculation! Well done !
Marvin Heiß
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Very easy to handle
judith bonnemaison
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Really practical. I'm in the trial version but I will definitely buy the full version
Steffen Ohlendorf
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Top.
Snap-on Tools Ingo Schmidt
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I'm totally satisfied
Alberto Abbiati
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Excellent, intuitive and very practical.
Tobias Grasmeier
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Excellent service, we've been using it for years
Ralf Kron
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Best route planning app I've ever used!
Steffen Lis
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It makes work enormously easier. The route is planned super quickly. You can create reports and tasks.
Google Play user
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Top Service
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Works very well!
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Very satisfied, can recommend this app for every field service
Google Play user
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Great App!!!!
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"Very satisfied I can recommend this app to any field service"
Google Play user
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Excellent tool helping to maximise customer contact time.
Google Play user
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Great app for field sales force
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perfect for field service
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So far so good excellent customer service
Google Play user
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"Route planning It's a great program that provides me with excellent support in the field."
Google Play user
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One of the best apps of its kind! Many thanks to the developers, it helps me a lot professionally!!
Google Play user
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Extremely useful, ergonomic and complete.
Google Play user
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great program for route planning
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This app has made my life so much easier and better. It has good customer tracking and reporting. And the customer service support is amazingly awsome.
