EIMSKIP: Implementation of a Modern CRM Platform Across 18 Countries - Exclusively Virtual

Eimskip needs a strong sparring partner to help them with their digital journey, focusing on Dynamics 365 CRM and CE. The Dynamics 365 project involves 55 offices in 18 countries and a total of 1635 employees.

The goal is to create one global Eimskip team where processes and systems are adapted to provide the company's and customers' best service.

The first workshops between Eimskip and Delegate were held in Denmark and Iceland, but then Covid-19 hit, and from March 2020, all workshops were held virtually. The concerns that arose in the beginning were quickly dispelled, and the project went ahead at full speed with only virtual meetings. .   

"We ran the first project as an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), where we implemented and began using Dynamics 365 CE and CRM for our service department. Then, we could roll out the solution globally. This important project had to start Eimskip's digital journey and show that the solution could succeed." 

– Hilmar Karlsson, CIO at Eimskip 

The key ingredients for success were:    

• Strong project rhythm with regular meetings and planned workshops.   
• Close collaboration with Agile SCRUM, Teams, and Azure DevOps.  
• Lots of trust and autonomy. The project was a partnership from the start, and all participants were free to solve problems and try to find solutions responsibly.  

• Strong support from Eimskip's leadership, with the CIO and CEO as essential stakeholders.  

 
The MVP was an implementation of the following features in Dynamics 365 CE and CRM:  

• Account Management to handle accounts and contact information for both customers and leads.   
• Segmentation for simple customer segmentation on different dimensions.   
• Activity Management to track phone calls, emails, and appointments.   

• Communication Reports to capture specific customer communication and knowledge sharing. 
• Service Requests to support management and collaboration between service departments for customers.   
• Bookings for employees to handle and get an overview of bookings of shipments and shipment services.   
• Booking Templates for easy support of recurring bookings.   
• Customer KPIs to display financial information for accounts in Dynamics 365 CE.   

• Integration to SAP to access master data for accounts and shipments. 

 
"The second project we embarked on was restructuring a legacy operations application in Norway, where our offices reach the Arctic Circle. With COVID-19, we were nervous that the necessary business requirements workshops would not be possible, but we worked through the pitfalls. With a team from Iceland, Denmark, and Norway, we worked entirely virtually to gather the business requirements, draft a document package proposal, and choose the right vendor to replace the application." 

– Hilmar Karlsson, CIO i Eimskip 
 
Nøgleleverancer fra processen var:   

• AS-IS and TO-BE process diagrams in Norway, involving 10 top users in Norway. 
• A customer journey map for Norwegian customers involves super users and a core customer. 

• Architectural drawings.   
• RFP process, all meetings, demos, etc., conducted virtually.   
• Virtual contract signing. 

With close collaboration, trust, and careful preparation, Eimskip and Delegate have proven that a challenging digital journey can continue fully in a virtual environment. As always, change requires good communication, a greater focus on workshop facilitation, and embracing the opportunities that new virtual platforms, such as Teams, virtual whiteboards, Planner, and collaboration on content, can provide.   

Eimskip's digital journey continues with a plan for the next three years, providing everyone with a clear overview of where the transportation company is headed. Delegate will help establish a new global sales process and assist in implementing Marketing Automation on top of the CE foundation that Delegate and Eimskip have built together.