Extending enterprise systems
for a more positive customer experience

Engaging veterans with help from CRM

Of the 2.3 million veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, approximately 10 percent have post-traumatic stress disorder, yet only about half seek treatment. Problems with re-entering civilian society are common, and many also undergo financial stresses, sometimes as a result of their long absences from home.

VetAdvisor has taken on the challenge of engaging with veterans to connect them with the support services that they need. The company was founded in 2007 to reach out to veterans and help them access coaching services that provide guidance on issues related to physical and mental health, financial matters and professional development.

To scale up to meet the needs of that large cohort group, VetAdvisor looked for a way to build relationships while automating administrative tasks and providing efficient access to information. “We realized that a customer relationship management (CRM) system was well suited to this scenario,” says Paul Handly, CTO of VetAdvisor. “We could keep track of our interactions with our clients and offer a positive experience for them by providing our coaches with a full, data-driven understanding of their situation.”

After looking at the available options, VetAdvisor chose SugarCRM, a CRM system designed with ease of use in mind. Available onsite, in the cloud or on demand, SugarCRM, which is based on open source technology components, has an active community involved in developing new applications.

VetAdvisor generally contacts potential clients based on lists of returning veterans who may benefit from their services, a step that launches the journey for each veteran. “Although everyone has access to employee benefit program handbooks, the utilization numbers are very low,” Handly says. “We are proactive, and we inform the veterans of the different ways in which we can help.”

A common stressor for veterans is lack of sleep, and a good step in overcoming that is a regular exercise program. “Our clients can opt into a program that lets us track their sleep and exercise schedules through Fitbit apps.” Handly says. “Instead of having to ask them how they slept and whether they exercised, we can start from a point of having this information available, and move the conversation along from there.”

One of the criteria for the selection of a CRM system was that it be open source. “It was important to us that we be able to modify our system as we learned how to improve our outreach, and to be able to pick best of breed partners that could connect easily with the SugarCRM core to create an ecosystem around it,” Handly explains. In addition to using Fitbit for activity tracking, VetAdvisor uses SMS from Twilio for messaging between coaches and clients, and Clicktools for customer surveys that deliver responses back to SugarCRM.

“Our philosophy was to create a platform that frees the user from drudgery by automating input from other sources, and that, in turn, allows everyone to get a good view of the customer,” says Jennifer Stagnaro, CMO of SugarCRM. “Historically, providing such access has been difficult—the software industry, which often mirrors organizational structures, has not helped itself by separating out marketing, sales and service in its product offerings. Typically, only 20 percent of employees use a CRM system.”

By making its system easy to use and integrate with other enterprise systems, SugarCRM has broadened its base. “We often see 70 to 80 percent of employees in an organization using our system,” Stagnaro says.

“Integrations with other systems are critical to providing value to all customer-facing employees,” Stagnaro adds. “One SugarCRM customer, a manufacturer of glass jars, has integrated SugarCRM with its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. The salespeople can see the history of their customers’ interactions with their company, but they can also see what products the companies on their account have bought. Moreover, the salesperson can see if the desired product is available, and, if not, can make recommendations about alternatives, based on their view into the inventory.”