PFM Intelligence Group is an organization with a global reach. Its core activity is gathering data for others. The challenge was that it needed to gather data for itself in order to prepare for future growth.
- Fully integrated asset management (>15,000 assets, including automated updates from various sources)
- Cravit has developed a bidirectional integration with a specialized field service management system.
- Handling of more than 600 orders per month and a very large number of active subscriptions
- Advanced Odoo customer portal for ticket information and registration
Users: : 115
Industrie: Data services
Kantoren:
Customer since: 2018
Website: www.pfm...... .com
Who is the PFM Intelligence Group
PFM’s office is located on an industrial estate in Alphen aan den Rijn. Behind its façade lies a highly compact organization that holds a unique position—both in the Netherlands and beyond—in the collection of visitor data for shops, shopping centers, retail streets, and train stations. In addition, PFM provides custom solutions for drive-thrus and operates a repair center for communication products that serves the whole of Europe.
Michel l’Amie is a Senior Operations/Projects Manager. His organization has been running on Odoo since October 2018, but it is a work in progress that is never truly finished.
What was the challenge
“We measure everything for our clients, yet we had hardly any data on our own business processes,” says Michel. The ambition to continue growing within Europe—and from there, to conquer the global market—made PFM realize that its many isolated, siloed operations, each with its own way of working, had to be addressed. The choice was either to make incremental adjustments or to undergo a radical transformation and start with a clean slate. It was a significant challenge to align the bespoke, highly specialized systems that had developed within each discipline—ranging from disorganized files in Dropbox to custom-built, proprietary software.
PFM Intelligence Group is characterized by a customer-focused and committed team that takes immediate action. The volume and pace of order processing are extremely high. The need to ensure the organization runs efficiently in terms of processes, and to gain insight into business operations, were the reasons for transitioning to an all-encompassing system.
Why choose Odoo
Michel has a fascination with IT and, thanks to his previous work experience, was already familiar with business processes and systems. His research process included visiting various ERP vendors and attending webinars. In addition, he consulted reviews to gather further information, which gave him a solid understanding of the market.
The decision to choose Odoo was driven by cost-effectiveness, its open-source nature (offering flexibility), and its modular design. The choice of Cravit was based on the desire to partner with an Odoo Gold Partner. A reference visit to one of Cravit’s clients, followed by a Proof of Concept that included a gap analysis, proved to be convincing.
How was the project approached?
An "oil slick" implementation approach—starting with a simple, accessible feature that brought everyone in the organization into contact with the system immediately: leave registration. This fostered organization-wide engagement and buy-in. Since then, all applications have been rolled out in phases over the course of approximately ten months.
How was the collaboration with Cravit?
The client-supplier relationship is characterized by co-makership. “Cravit advises starting with the basics, then building upon and improving them. That is still how it works today,” explains Michel. The compact project team—consisting of Michel himself, along with a project manager and a developer from Cravit—operates through an iterative improvement process, guided by weekly reports. In Michel’s view, this is what makes the combination of Odoo and Cravit unique: objectives are met, while Odoo itself is continuously optimized.
What has Odoo contributed to?
Odoo has provided PFM with greater insight into its own business operations, ensuring that various functional areas are now well-integrated. While no overall cost savings were achieved—partly because PFM was already using some of its own proprietary software—the phasing out of additional, more expensive software packages did lead to better cost control and a simplification of the overall system.
PFM utilizes two unique features. One is a custom helpdesk dashboard based on the Odoo helpdesk system, which allows relevant KPIs to be viewed in real time—both on a TV screen and within Odoo.
In addition, there is a self-developed module: the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). This module focuses on PFM’s clients (WHO). By incorporating map and photographic data, it reveals not only WHERE a client is located, but also WHAT services or products they are receiving. Fifteen years of PFM’s history are encapsulated within this single module. It provides PFM Intelligence with the unique capability to operate with a location-oriented approach and to achieve its growth objectives.
Want to know more about PFM? Visit the PFM website: www.pfm-intelligence.com