TPV is a mobile sales force automation system that supports the commercialization and distribution of cigarettes by Souza Cruz – a multinational in the sector served by Teclógica for 15 years. The system reaches 250,000 retail outlets through 2,000 sales representatives and delivery drivers distributed throughout Brazil.
Among the functionalities of TPV are direct integration with the company’s corporate system (order registration and supplier data), reduction of rework, and minimization of potential errors. Greater control and visibility of strategic information for both the company and the sales team also stand out.
The system’s benefits include adaptation to the geographical and fiscal particularities of each region, immediate billing with Cash-and-Carry (Direct Store Delivery), issuance of tracking reports, collection of commercial statistical data, and the monitoring and validation of merchandising tools and product inventory. Other conveniences brought by the system include software adjustments through the remote distribution of patches – streamlining the system deployment process – and communication contingency management, using both GPRS cellular 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 infrastructure. “Today our salespeople work with much more robust and scalable equipment, and the system works as perfectly as it did on the old equipment,” he states. Two major results of TPV, according to Humberto, are employee satisfaction and system improvement without any operational impact. “In addition to gaining a fast solution focused on problem resolution,” he adds.
The manager also mentions that Teclógica was chosen to implement the system due to their long-term partnership. “Teclógica demonstrated business acumen, technical knowledge, and a partnership approach in resolving issues,” Humberto highlights.
Teclógica’s Perspective
Maurício Luís Nunes, a Teclógica collaborator, 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?
I spent 6 years 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, monitored TPV application pilots, developed user training, and performed requirements gathering for new application features. 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 maintaining sales force management software, the complexity and importance for the client’s business make the work even more interesting. In TPV, I worked with diverse areas, both IT and business. This diversity could change with each new feature or version, depending on the focus given to the system release. 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 are important in executing any project. In the case of TPV, a stage that definitely makes a difference in projects is pilot monitoring. At this stage, we have just a few users (salespeople) in the field with the new version, and they are monitored locally during their normal working day. 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 real usability of the application by the salesperson, and identify new opportunities for improvement. Furthermore, at the end of this stage, we were able to reach a much more stable solution with minimal impact on the business area.
Mauricio Luís Nunes is a Systems Analyst at Teclógica.
