The TPV is a mobile sales force automation system that supports the commercialization and distribution of cigarettes for Souza Cruz – a multinational in the sector served by Teclógica for 15 years. The system reaches 250,000 retailers through 2,000 sales representatives and delivery drivers distributed throughout Brazil.
Among the functionalities of the TPV are direct integration with the company’s corporate system (order registration and supplier data), reduction of rework, and reduction of the possibility of errors. Greater control and visualization of strategic information for the company and salespeople also stand out.
What are the benefits of the system?
The benefits of the system include adaptation to the geographical and tax particularities of each region, immediate invoicing with Cash-and-Carry (Direct Store Delivery), issuance of tracking reports, surveys of commercialization statistical information, and the monitoring and validation of Merchandising tools and product inventory.
Other facilities brought by the system are software adjustments through the remote distribution of patches – streamlining the system distribution process – and communication contingency, utilizing both GPRS mobile transmissions and modems.
Humberto Moisés, IT Manager at Souza Cruz, comments that Teclógica worked with the available structure and has already adapted the system for a future structure.
“Today our salespeople work with much more robust and scalable equipment, and the system works perfectly just like the old equipment,” he states.
Two major results of the TPV, according to Humberto, are employee satisfaction and the improvement of the system without any impact on operations.
“In addition to gaining a fast solution focused on problem-solving,” he adds.
The manager also comments that Teclógica was chosen to implement the system due to the long-term partnership.
“Teclógica demonstrated business knowledge, technical knowledge, and partnership in resolving issues,” Humberto highlights.
Teclógica’s Vision
Maurício Luís Nunes, a contributor at Teclógica, shares his testimony about his participation in this project. Watch the video or read the report below:
1) How was it participating in the project?
It was 6 years of working alongside the TPV application and other auxiliary applications in the same area at the client Souza Cruz. I got to know several company units, traveled to various cities in Brazil, accompanying TPV application pilots, developing user training, and executing requirement gathering for new application functionalities. It was great!
2) How was the interaction with the client?
The sales area in any organization is always very dynamic, and when we talk about developing or executing maintenance for a sales force management software, the complexity and importance to the client’s business make the work even more interesting. In TPV, I worked with several areas, both IT and business. This diversity could change with each new functionality or version, depending on the focus given to the system version. With Souza Cruz, we always had this joint work between IT and the business area.
3) Of the stages you worked on, which one did you like the most and why?
Developing a systems solution goes through different stages, and all of them have their importance in the execution of any project. In the case of TPV, a stage that is a differentiator in projects is certainly the pilot monitoring. In this stage, we have only a few users (salespeople) in the field with the new version, and they are monitored locally during their normal workday. For me, this stage was the most interesting because it allowed us to monitor the execution of the new version in the field, understand the actual usability of the application by the salesperson, and identify new opportunities for improvements. Furthermore, at the end of this stage, we managed to arrive at a much more stable solution with minimal impact on the business area.
Mauricio Luís Nunes is a Systems Analyst at Teclógica.
