From paper files to an integrated revenue system in 10 months

A 20+ year legacy system replaced by marketing, sales and service in HubSpot

At a glance

Company: Würth Leasing AG, B2B leasing for SMEs, Switzerland

Services: HubSpot CRM, revenue process design, enablement

Timeframe: 10 months to the first integrated revenue system

Result: Replaced a 20+ year legacy system, one customer view, automatic lead routing, 4 languages

Overview

In 10 months, Würth Leasing replaced a system more than 20 years old and largely paper-based processes with an integrated revenue system in HubSpot. The key was a redesigned sales process: first the target operating model, then the technology. Today, field sales, inside sales and marketing work with the same customer history, enquiries are routed automatically, and the company has its first data foundation for evidence-based sales management.

The starting point

Würth Leasing is a financial services provider offering B2B leasing, primarily to SME customers in Switzerland, served in four languages. When Malte Lindberg took over as the new CEO, he wanted to reposition the company while growing the business. This is what he found:

“An organisation with very dedicated employees, but also structures and systems that had grown organically over many years without really being renewed. Our system at the time was more than 20 years old. A large part of the work still relied on paper files and manual processes.”

But the real problem was not the age of the technology:

“What we lacked above all was an end-to-end view of our customers. And with it, the foundation for truly data-driven sales management. If you want to reposition a company and grow at the same time, you need to know: Where do our leads come from? Where do we lose deals? How do we ensure customers receive consistent service regardless of individual employees?”

Field sales and inside sales also worked in silos, with different information about the same customer. In a market where leasing products are similar, customer service makes the difference.

“In many cases, one standard product can be substituted for another. But the advice, the willingness to help, being reachable, how I communicate with the customer, what it feels like for the customer to work with us: that still makes the difference.”

What changed

1. Transformation rather than a software switch.

Instead of “painting existing processes orange”, the project started from scratch with the question: What would we build in sales and customer service today if we could start from zero?

“If we had simply transferred our existing processes into a new system, we might have ended up with modern technology, but we would still have been a long way from a better organisation. First the target operating model and processes, then the technology. Otherwise, in the worst case, you simply digitise old, inefficient processes.”

2. The people involved from the start.

Sales, inside sales and marketing helped shape the target operating model in joint sessions. SalesPlaybook contributed process expertise and experience from other projects, while remaining pragmatic about day-to-day work alongside ongoing operations.

“The focus was not on a technical discussion, but on the sales process and how to put it into practice. You do not have to reinvent every wheel, but the solution ultimately has to fit the organisation.”

3. One customer view for everyone.

Field sales and inside sales now see the same customer history and treat customer enquiries as a shared responsibility, with clearly defined ownership.

“Previously, everyone worked in their own silo. Today, field sales and inside sales no longer work with different information; at the end of the day, they see the same customer history. I should qualify that: not all project steps have been fully implemented yet. But we are working on it.”

4. HubSpot as a system that works for employees.

New enquiries are routed automatically by asset category and region. The time to the first customer response is measurable. Communication is consistent across all four languages, and marketing is directly connected, including partner forms.

“This reduces our dependence on individual people and ensures enquiries are handled systematically. I can now track how long it took before a customer was contacted.”

Before and after

• System: A legacy system over 20 years old and paper files → an integrated revenue system for marketing, sales and service
• Customer view: Information in silos → a shared customer history for field sales and inside sales
• Lead routing: Dependent on individual people → automatic routing by asset category and region
• Response time: Not measurable → traceable for each enquiry
• Communication: Inconsistent → consistent across 4 languages
• Management: No data for sales management → a data foundation for evidence-based sales management
• Speed: Instead of a rollout lasting several years → the first integrated revenue system in 10 months

Why HubSpot and why SalesPlaybook

Würth Leasing found SalesPlaybook through the HubSpot Solutions Partner Directory and was impressed by its examples and presentation. Three factors drove the platform decision: Malte’s own experience with HubSpot at a start-up, the combination of capability and flexibility, and a partner who would tailor the system to the organisation.

“HubSpot is very powerful, but also has the flexibility needed to build the processes and then adapt the technology to those processes. And we needed a service provider who would work with us to adapt the system so it works as well as possible for us.”

Results

The result

The strongest endorsement came from outside: Würth Leasing had just hired a new head of sales who had not used the system before. “He has been here for a little over two weeks and is absolutely delighted.”

For Malte, however, the greatest value lies in what is now possible:

“We are building a data foundation that allows us to manage and continuously improve our sales. This numbers-based improvement process, as practised in start-ups, has not yet reached every company. Our ambition is to use this approach to become the most efficient and customer-friendly provider in the market.”

And technology brings people closer to customers:

“The decision-maker at a medium-sized company wants to pick up the phone and call Mr Lindberg, rather than some service number. With technology, we create the capacity for everyone in customer-facing roles to have the time to take care of exactly these enquiries.”

Malte’s advice to other CEOs

“The most important thing is not to treat the whole undertaking as a purely IT project. The question is not which CRM we want, but: How do we want to win, serve and develop our customers in the future?”

“You should not automatically carry everything over just because it has always been done that way. And you should involve the people doing the practical work as early as possible. A system can be technically excellent: if it does not make employees’ daily work easier, the transformation will not work. Technology is an enabler. The real value comes from more satisfied customers, better processes, better data and better decisions.”

What comes next

• Launch newsletters and further marketing automation in the integrated system
• Work with the new head of sales to build sales management on the new data foundation
• Continuously refine processes and unlock further efficiency gains