Azimut Direct Boosts Sales, Enhances Data Management and Saves 650 Hours with SugarCRM
Azimut Direct, a fintech company based in Italy, encountered significant challenges in managing its sales operations and gaining comprehensive visibility into its customer data.
The company, fully owned by Azimut Group, faced limitations due to manual workflows and scattered information systems, which created inefficiencies and hindered growth. Seeking a solution that could centralize data, streamline workflows, and boost productivity, Azimut Direct turned to SugarCRM, a customer relationship management (CRM) platform known for its powerful automation and integration capabilities. Implemented by Impresoft Engage and strongly customized by Azimut Direct’s development team, SugarCRM has become a central force in transforming Azimut Direct’s approach to data management, collaboration, and customer engagement.
What we'll Cover:
Embracing CRM Adoption to Overcome Operational Challenges
As a key player in Italy’s fintech sector, Azimut Direct provides alternative financing solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through services like direct lending, M&A, private equity and bonds. By connecting companies with institutional investors, Azimut Direct supports SMEs in raising the capital they need for growth and development.
However, as demand for these services increased, Azimut’s sales and data management processes struggled to keep up with the volume and complexity of financial transactions.
1. CRM Adoption to Meet the Needs of a Growing Fintech Firm
For Azimut Direct, CRM adoption was more than a technological upgrade—it was a strategic necessity to support its expanding business model. Given the need to give quick responses to an increasing number of clients’ requests, the company needed a system that could handle vast volumes of financial and customer data while enhancing efficiency and accuracy. The company needed a digital solution capable of centralizing data storage, historical records, and indexing to provide the sales team with a complete view of each client, ensuring consistent and high-quality information flow.
SugarCRM proved to be the ideal CRM choice due to its ability to integrate smoothly with Azimut’s existing systems, offering a comprehensive, accessible, and organized repository of customer information. This CRM adoption enabled Azimut Direct to standardize workflows and ensure data consistency across teams, fostering a more coordinated approach to managing client relationships and improving the overall customer experience.
“What we needed was a digital solution capable of storing company data, keeping historical records, and indexing them to create functional profiles, so as to create a standard report for our sales teams containing all the necessary information to facilitate the matching process.”
-Alessandro M., Chief Operating Officer, Azimut Direct
2. Streamlined Operations Through SugarCRM
Impresoft Engage´s expertise in digital solutions and CRM deployment played a key role in Azimut Direct’s successful adoption of SugarCRM. After a thorough assessment of Azimut’s needs, Impresoft Engage supported Azimut Direct’s development team to tailor SugarCRM to optimize the company’s processes, providing tools that allowed for faster information exchanges, cross-departmental collaboration, and enhanced data accessibility.
With SugarCRM, Azimut Direct could finally adopt a unified platform, where customer and financial data could be efficiently stored, indexed, and shared in real-time.
Through CRM adoption, Azimut Direct gained the ability to automate key processes such as deal classification, management reporting, and data tracking. SugarCRM’s centralization of daily data management workflows provided the company with a structured framework for handling complex transactions. This streamlined approach allowed teams to work cohesively, eliminating the need for time-consuming email exchanges and reducing the potential for miscommunication. With all critical data centralized within SugarCRM, Azimut Direct’s staff could access information when and where they needed it, empowering them to respond quickly and accurately to client needs.
3. Sales Automation and Efficiency Gains: 650 Hours Saved Annually
The impact of CRM adoption on Azimut Direct’s productivity was transformative. By automating routine tasks and minimizing manual data entry, SugarCRM saved the company 650 hours of administrative work each year. This significant time savings allowed team members to focus on higher-value activities, such as nurturing customer relationships, identifying growth opportunities, and supporting strategic projects. The reduction in manual workloads also reduced human error, contributing to a more consistent and reliable workflow.
“The strength of SugarCRM undoubtedly lies in its flexibility and scalability. In a constantly evolving market like fintech, it’s impossible not to consider the need to evolve alongside it. Digital tools must necessarily adapt, to avoid creating a closed system with limited durability.”
-Stefano B., Executive Director, Impresoft Engage
SugarCRM’s automation tools empowered Azimut Direct’s salesforce with real-time access to KPIs, work activity data, and timelines, which could be quickly reviewed through personalized dashboards. Each salesperson as well as the management team could monitor deal progress, upcoming meetings, and revenue pipeline with ease. These automated features not only increased individual productivity but also strengthened the company’s ability to track and achieve sales targets.
“If it’s not in the CRM, it doesn’t exist!”
– Mattia G., Manager, Azimut Direct
4. CRM as a Catalyst for Scaling Operations and Business Growth
Azimut Direct’s CRM adoption extends beyond current needs, positioning the company for long-term scalability and flexibility in its operations. With SugarCRM, Azimut is now equipped to support a broader client base and manage a higher volume of transactions, which is essential in the fast-evolving fintech landscape. The CRM’s flexibility and integration capabilities ensure that Azimut Direct’s systems remain adaptable, allowing the company to continue evolving in response to new challenges and opportunities.
One of the key forward-looking benefits of Azimut’s CRM adoption is the ability to reverse its business model by identifying high-potential companies proactively and presenting them to investors. This approach opens new business opportunities adding value for both clients and investors.
5. Enhanced Customer Insight and Relationship Management
Beyond the operational efficiencies, Azimut Direct’s adoption of SugarCRM significantly improved its customer relationship management. SugarCRM’s customizable dashboards and reporting tools provide Azimut with a clear view of client interactions and deal statuses, enabling the company to maintain a consistent and personalized approach in its client relationships. With immediate access to a client’s full history and current engagement status, Azimut’s team can provide tailored solutions that align with each client’s financial needs and objectives.
As Azimut Direct grows, SugarCRM will continue to play a central role in helping the company to remain agile, adapting its workflows and data management processes as it scales.
The Strategic Value of CRM Adoption
Azimut Direct’s journey with SugarCRM illustrates the strategic value of CRM adoption in the fintech industry. CRM systems, particularly those with robust automation and integration capabilities, empower companies to manage data, streamline operations, and enhance customer relationships more effectively.
As fintech continues to evolve, CRM adoption will remain a crucial element in supporting scalability, efficiency, and customer-centricity across the sector. Azimut Direct’s success with SugarCRM highlights how a well-chosen and implemented CRM system can drive both immediate operational improvements and long-term strategic growth, offering a powerful example for other companies looking to embrace digital transformation.
If you want to learn more about how leveraging the right CRM solution could help you streamline operations and accelerate your sales processes, listen to our latest Fuel Growth Podcast episode, Building a Successful CRM Strategy with Aadil Ahmed, EIS.
