About SONAX
SONAX has been a German pioneer in car care and vehicle surface preservation since 1950. Regardless of whether it's a small car, a mid-size vehicle or a luxury car - whether in motorsports, in the tuning scene or in the world of classic automobiles, SONAX is always at the side of car fans and experts when it comes to the perfect automobile appearance.
Today, SONAX GmbH is represented in over 100 countries with around 450 employees, and the leader in Europe. SONAX shelves are best placed in specialized retail outlets, DIY stores, gas stations, car washes and garages.
Consistent customer orientation and an uncompromising commitment to innovation are behind their steady business success. Over 50 SONAX field service employees make their way every day to their customers in the Germany-Austria-Switzerland region to uphold this long-standing record of excellence.
Why automatic route planning?
Years ago, routes were planned manually by the field service. This sometimes led to a game of chance on the road. In large sales territories, representatives had to consult a map to see where the next customer was located. Unnecessary radial trips and high frustration were the result.
I always detested route planning during my time in the field. You come home on Friday evening and then sit for at least four or five hours to create a reasonable itinerary. The first customer call on Monday would then mess up the entire schedule, so I had to start all over again.
Florian Behmer, Sales Management Assistant
Route planning software was thus introduced - but not yet portatour®. This represented a small improvement. But the solution was not flexible and could not react to unforeseen events common in daily field service. Unexpectedly changed appointments disrupted the entire schedule for the week. Nearby customers were not taken into account. For Florian Behmer, based on his 27 years of field service experience, it was clear: SONAX must continue to search for a solution that could cope with the daily bump and grind of field service. A customer who calls should not unleash planning chaos, but rather should be dynamically scheduled right away.
Following the end of the contract with the old route planning system, the time had come. Florian Behmer, in his role as assistant to the sales leadership, created an overview of the top providers. portatour® met all selection criteria: dynamic, user-friendly route-planning software that could be fully integrated into the main data system, Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Excellent customer references spoke in favor of portatour® and thus made the decision very easy.