Helion E-Commerce Platform for Building Technology
Customer
Helion Energy (AMAG)
www.helion.ch
Technologies
.NET Core
Azure Cloud
Angular
Disciplines
Consulting
User Experience and User Interface Design
Software Development
With a 100% digital sales process, around 35% savings in sales costs
E-Commerce with smartly developed CRM & ERP Integrations
In cooperation with Helion and Zühlke Engineering AG, a scalable multi-client e-commerce platform called THEIA was developed, which enables a 100% digital sales process and license business models. This is achieved through a large number of sub-applications, which can support various stakeholders and strategic partners of Helion, such as Ikea, Volkswagen, Raiffeisen and also end consumers, through telesales and sales to project management. Clever system integrations with Hubspot CRM and various ERPs, including SAP, but also the user-specific user interfaces for the respective stakeholders, reduced the cost of sales by around 35% and sales from CHF 30 million to CHF 100+ million in 4 years be increased.
«We are five times larger than our second largest competitor. One of the main reasons for this was that we have a configurator.»
Samuel Beer, COO Helion
The E-Commerce Platform at a glance
The application modules of the multi-client e-commerce platform
The THEIA E-Commerce Platform now has various sub-applications that support various stakeholders and strategic partners of Helion, such as Ikea, Volkswagen and Migros Bank, from end consumers to telesales and sales to project management and can ensure seamless data exchange. This also through cleverly designed & developed system integrations via REST APIs of the tailor-made middleware "THEIA Bridge" with Hubspot CRM and various ERPs such as SAP, EsERP or Blueoffice ERP.
This modular building block principle enables Helion to expand or adapt this as the 2nd most business-critical e-commerce platform. The various company takeovers of Bouygues Energies & Services Schweiz AG, or later by the AMAG Group and the associated system changes, such as SAP, were also possible in just a few months.
On average 400 offers per day are generated automatically via the THEIA e-commerce platform
The multi-client e-commerce platform in figures
Increased sales from EUR 30 million to EUR 100+ million in 4 years
Number of employees increased from 130 to 500
35% reduction in cost of sales
On average, configurators generate 400 inquiries per day
80% of all inquiries via configurator
Step-by-step recording of 150 parameters around Binding offer for the installation of any building technology
Application classified as 2nd business critical next to SAP
Self-engineering (co-design) offer configurators for end customers
A component of the e-commerce platform are the various online offer configurators, which assist end consumers in the earliest phase of the sales process. In such a wizard, the end consumer can use the intuitive user interface to automatically generate a target price ( +/- 15%) in a dynamic web offer with just a few clicks, without having to have extensive knowledge of building technology.
These online calculators (solar calculators, vehicle charging station calculators) qualify customer inquiries and thus increase the lead conversion rate, also known as the "hit rate". These intelligent "wizards" can be managed (store rules).
Together with marketing automations, Sales Qualified Leads (SQL) can be generated 24/7 without human interaction. Around 80% of all requests processed reach Helion in this way.
Another important advantage is that these offer configurators are multi-client capable. The user interfaces can be designed individually and in the respective corporate design (CD) / corporate identity of Helion's partner companies such as Ikea, Volkswagen or Migros Bank in the so-called clients. Depending on the requirements, these clients can be completely separated from each other in terms of data technology.
The offer configurators in detail
configurator
Pre-Engineering Applications for Sales & Project Management
After the customer has received a guideline offer via the offer calculator and has thus been pre-qualified, the Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is sent to the telesales, sales and project employees in the second component of the e-commerce platform, the sales and project management applications. further qualified.
This tailor-made and modular CRM software solution makes it possible, in an automated scheme, to support users in telesales, sales & project management without in-depth knowledge of building technology in the sales process and, together with the offer calculator, to reduce the cost of sales by around 35%.
There are optimized user interfaces that display CRM functionalities (lead management, task management, CTI) or KPIs for different users, such as call center or field staff. The additional mobile version with a simplified user interface allows the development, adjustment or finalization of offers together with customers directly on site.
More about the sales and project management applications
tools
CPQ, Support & Integration Applications
The heart of the THEIA e-commerce platform are the CPQ, support & integration applications, which mark the linchpin of data flows, client administration and product logic and complete the 100% digital sales process.
The CPQ solution is the logical and administrative center of the e-commerce platform. It collects and manages rules, variants, dependencies and product data. The core is kept generic to represent all types of products. The administrator area also enables the management of documents, e-mails and checklist templates for users, roles and client system units.
In addition, there is the individually developed middleware “THEIA Bridge“, which enables a modular software architecture with a large number of integrations for seamless data exchange (event bus) on and with the entire platform. These include peripheral systems such as Hubspot CRM and various ERPs such as SAP, EsERP or Blueoffice ERP.
More information about CPQ, Administration & Middleware Software
support
Sitewerk CPQ-framework for individual configurators
For configurators with outstanding UX! Our Sitewerk CPQ framework was developed with the aim of optimising your configuration, pricing and quotation processes. The framework contains all standard features so that we can focus on exceptional UX and seamless integration for your configurator.
The Process behind the Multi-Tenant E-Commerce Platform
The platform has specific and user-friendly assistants for the respective users (end consumers, sales, project managers, etc.), so that users without extensive knowledge of building technology can quickly receive a suitable offer.
Behind these assistants is a three-stage Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solution that qualifies potential customers in a seamless data exchange between different peripheral systems based on around 150 parameters. From the target price ( +/-15%) in the self-engineering online calculators of the end consumer to the binding dynamic web offer with parts list. In this way, the various users - from the end customer to Sales & Telesales employees to the project manager - are guided step by step through the entire sales process and process-relevant parameters are collected at the right time without having to make assumptions. A 100% digital end-to-end process from the 1st guideline offer to the execution and billing of the order has been created!
We feed this digital sales funnel via the online calculators from Helion, the partner companies, digital marketing channels and driving marketing automation measures along the process.
Agile implementation in distributed teams according to Scrum
The project has been going on for several years now and is still ongoing. As is well known, a lot happened during this time - from the energy transition movement to the corona pandemic. An agile mindset was required to assert oneself in this rapidly changing environment, to grow from start-up to market leader with over 500 employees and to gradually pull the e-commerce platform along with it.
The Scrum Framework and a distributed team were defined as a collaboration model - with success!
The development team is made up of customers and Sitewerk employees at various locations in Switzerland and Europe in all Scrum roles. In this way, despite sometimes “remote only”, we were able to work very closely together and react quickly to changing circumstances or requirements.
Is this only relevant for building technology?
No! The THEIA e-commerce platform collects and qualifies leads via this 3-stage Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solution and is basically product and industry independent! The wizard in the online calculator client can be expanded as required and the product logic can be adjusted. Will this also work for your services and products?