Gain Visibility and Profitability on Tenders with Zoho
The company is a Canadian architecture firm active in various project types and business sectors. A significant part of its development relies on responding to tenders, a process demanding in terms of time and resources.
Before the project, information was primarily managed using Excel spreadsheets, sometimes spread across multiple files and versions. This situation limited the team’s ability to gain a clear and reliable view of its opportunities, and more importantly, to measure the actual profitability of the time invested in tenders. They therefore called upon Tooly to structure their data and gain decision-making clarity with Zoho.
The Challenge
Before Tooly's involvement, the firm faced several challenges:
Reliance on inflexible and difficult-to-maintain Excel spreadsheets;
Multiplication of file versions and lack of up-to-date data;
Absence of clear indicators to measure the profitability of tenders;
Difficulty tracking the progress of opportunities in the pipeline;
Lack of global visibility on the best-performing sectors;
The Objectives
The mandate aimed to:
- Centralize opportunities and data in a single database;
- Abandon manual management via Excel in favor of a structured system;
- Provide better clarity on the status of opportunities in the pipeline;
- Implement indicators to evaluate the profitability of efforts;
- Empower the team in data monitoring and analysis.
The Solution
Opportunity Centralization with Zoho CRM
Tooly deployed Zoho CRM to consolidate all opportunities into a single environment. Pipelines were structured to reflect the different stages of tenders and the firm’s business sectors.
Automations and Notifications
Automations were configured according to business sectors and opportunity types:
- Automatic notifications sent to the right people based on stage or sector;
- Simplified assignment of follow-ups to relevant resources;
- Improved consistency in opportunity processing.
Analysis and dashboards with Zoho Analytics
Zoho Analytics was used to transform CRM data into clear and segmented dashboards. These visuals notably allow for:
- identifying which sectors generate the most value;
- comparing efforts invested and results obtained;
- gaining a quick overview of overall performance.
Tooly Project Approach
The project was conducted using a structured methodology:
- Initial needs assessment to clarify objectives and desired indicators;
- Weekly meetings to continuously adjust the solution;
- Prioritization of needs based on their impact on return on investment;
- Client support throughout the implementation.
Success Factors and Next Steps
The project’s success is based on a clear scope, well-defined objectives, and the client’s constant involvement throughout the engagement. Close collaboration with Tooly allowed the Zoho solution to align with the firm’s daily reality.
The next phases envisioned focus on marketing, particularly the use of Zoho Social to support the firm’s visibility beyond tenders and to complete the existing Zoho ecosystem.
After integration
Results and Benefits
Following the implementation, the firm benefits from concrete gains:
Clear dashboards segmented by business sector
Quick overview of the most profitable opportunities
Better allocation of efforts to higher-value projects
Centralized, reliable, and accessible data for the team