From rice cakes to extraordinary services with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM

Are you buying a crispy rice, corn or multigrain waffle today? If so, chances are 1 in 3 that it was produced by SanoRice. SanoRice is the global market leader and aims to strengthen that position even more. 

To do so, the Dutch company is focusing on growth and investing heavily in technology. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CRM) and SharePoint on the menu, both service and sales are gaining momentum. Discover their recipe for success.

1. Select the right products

Entrepreneurship is about working hard, making smart choices, daring to invest and ... a dose of luck. Since SanoRice launched their first corn waffles 30 years ago, the demand for healthy, responsible food has grown exponentially.   

"The market is favoring us," laughs Arend van Doorn, CFO of SanoRice. "Our products are gluten-free and much of our offering comes from organic farming. For decades we have been ahead of the market trend toward healthier and more sustainable. But that is obviously not enough to remain the market leader."

2. Respond to your customers' demands and needs

Retailers, distributors and A-brands that sell SanoRice wafers worldwide are demanding. They want a wide assortment, exceptional quality, solid, durable packaging and, above all, an increasingly broad and flawless service.

"We used to sell rice cakes. Now we offer more and more services. A-brands, for example, can now focus more on their core business because we take some tasks off their plate by handling production from a to z. And for retailers, we organize their shelves," Arend says. "It is no longer enough that our products are the best. We need to excel in every area.”

“In the past we only sold rice cakes. Now we offer more and more services. It is no longer enough that our products are the best. We need to excel in every area."

- Arend van Doorn, CFO at SanoRice

3. Streamline and centralize information and communication

To meet those growing expectations, streamlined business processes are crucial. So are fluid, real-time communication and collaboration. "In the past, we kept track of our customer and project information in Outlook, Excel and sometimes even still on paper. A lot of knowledge and agreements were stuck in the heads of our people. With 700 employees, four branches and exports to 40 countries, that became quite difficult and inefficient," Arend said. 

From late 2020, SanoRice manages all information centrally and everyone works together online, via Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft 365 Customer Engagement (CRM). 

The CRM system currently includes four modules:

1. Contact module: all customer details
2. Customer card: e-mail, documents and conversations per customer
3. Module for R&D and accountmanagers which they can follow up samples (request, recipe, shipment date, feedback, needs, packaging, etc.)
4. Module voor business development met sales funnels, forecasts, enz.  

4. Be agile so you can respond to change

Thanks to the new solutions a uniform way of working and "one version of the truth" emerged. Arend illustrates how that has been an ingredient for growth in recent years.    

"A lot has happened since the go-live. For example, grain and energy prices have skyrocketed in recent years and the supply chain faltered. At these times, it is crucial to respond quickly to any change. Thanks to the new Microsoft tools, everyone always has access to the latest information about customers, products, deliveries and appointments. That helps."

Similarly, when SanoRice launched a major rationalization project in 2022 to boost efficiency and profitability, the CRM system played a key role. "Account managers and sales now have an overview in the system of which customers and products we are phasing out and what steps they had to take to do so."

“As a food company, you need to be able to respond at lightning speed to any change. Thanks to Microsoft, everyone always has access to the latest information about customers, products, deliveries and appointments. That enables us to react quickly."

- Arend van Doorn, CFO at SanoRice

5. Manage based on real-time data

Meanwhile, SanoRice opened a new facility in Poland, providing ample room for growth. The new CEO is determined to drive that growth - in productivity and profitability as well - in every way possible. Once again, the new CRM system will be a catalyst.

"As soon as the business plans for each customer are ready, we store them in our CRM system. This way, our account managers get visibility into the sales funnel and forecasts and know exactly what actions they need to take to grow their business and customer portfolio," Arend explains.

6. Work proactively 

"In the past, SanoRice worked very soundly and qualitatively, but rather reactively. With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CRM), we get a much better view of each customer's needs and the steps we need to take. This also allows us to take proactive action and follow it up - which will undoubtedly lead to more growth."

So, more SanoRice on the shelves soon. Enjoy!

How was Cegeka able to accomplish this?

Cegeka sat down with Arend and his team to clarify SanoRice's challenges and wishes and translate them into the best solution. Cegeka implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CRM) and Sharepoint and provided synchronization of customer data with the existing Microsoft Business Central/NAV.

"SanoRice knows exactly where it stands and where it wants to go. That helped a lot with the implementation. It felt like a very collaborative effort - in close cooperation."