Cape Business News and Camsoft: ensuring a smooth digital transition and great client service
Cape Business News (CBN) is well-known for providing one of the leading business media offerings within South Africa. The company has also been a Camsoft Solutions client for the past 21 years, and believes that its partnership has played an important role in allowing CBN to stay perpetually sharp and at the top of its game. This includes its transformation over the past three years from existing originally as a print-based publication, to becoming an exclusively online publishing offering across four separate digital platforms.
This is according to Nelia Roberts, Camsoft Solutions CRM Sales and Training, who clarifies: “As a provider of customer relationship management (CRM) software, Camsoft Solutions has partnered with world-leading OEM software supplier, Maximizer. Together, our CRM solutions and support provide the business intelligence and profiling that allows our clients to benefit from a 360-degree view of their customers, and to stay on top of systems and processes accordingly.
“Over two decades after our business partnership with CBN first began, Camsoft Solutions is still servicing them. Our client in particular notes the ease of use of Maximizer’s software.”
From monthly print newspaper to exclusively digital publishing
CBN was founded in 1980 as an A3 monthly print publication newspaper, which provided insightful editorial content on economic growth, development and business opportunities, predominantly in and around the Western Cape, although with a national distribution footprint.
The publication changed to a digital-only offering in March 2020 and today provides its clients with four digital platforms, including the CBN digital publication, the website, daily email newsletter and social media platforms. Camsoft Solutions played an integral role in assisting with this changeover.
Robin Dunbar, Senior Publisher at CBN, notes that with such a wide variety of vertical industries to cover, it is important for CBN to know that it is operating in a systematic and organised manner at all times.
Camsoft Solutions and Maximizer assist with CBN’s digital transformation
Dunbar clarifies: “During and following our digital transformation, Maximizer’s CRM solutions assisted with an understanding of how CBN’s clients engage with its platforms; as well as helping them to manage their subscriptions on the digital platforms. It was also imperative that all processes were managed according to the implementation of the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act.
“In this regard, Maximizer’s CRM offering allows for full data segmentation by utilising the User Defined Fields (UDF) system, and providing detailed reports on CBN’s customer engagements.”
Roberts explains: “Maximizer’s UDFs are additional fields that allow the client to mould the Maximizer system into each individual client’s business needs and unique business environment, rather than using only the normal system fields which are more generic.
“In this way, CBN has been able to segment its clients according to the various business sectors in which they operate, allowing for the best match of information with each CBN client, and the business sectors which are relevant to them. It also allows CBN’s employees to ensure that they remain compliant with the POPI Act.”
A winning combination
Dunbar notes: “CBN has utilised Maximizer for over 21 years, and as we have evolved, so too has the CRM system – adapting to the latest data requirements and technology. It is also an easy-to-use system, allowing sales teams to set up private data accounts, and avoid duplicate calling of clients and cross overs. Maximizer provides CBN’s sales team with efficient and effective workflow operating systems.”
Roberts adds: “We take pride in our relationship with CBN and are very pleased that the support they have received from Camsoft over the years has allowed them to trust Maximizer as their CRM database, as well as our team. CBN notes consistently that their employees find Maximizer easy to use, with convenient user access rights and sharing of information, and a strong functionality with regards to communication history.
This allows their users to easily reach their own marketing team members – and their segmented clients across the different areas of the data base, while having the comfort of knowing that the data is secure. This has proved to be a winning combination – in conjunction with the ongoing excellent service support that we have provided to them for the past two decades.”
A value-added partnership
With regards to new users, the buy-in from staff members is an easy progression when the entire team has such positive outlooks on Maximizer and the Camsoft team.
Roberts notes: “Our relationship continues to work very well today: CBN team members communicate directly with Camsoft’s support team if they are in need of assistance. Besides this, if I don’t phone my client, I don’t hear from them – that is how smoothly the relationship today is running.
“I therefore make a point of visiting them from time to time, to ensure that value-added contact – they make a wonderful cup of coffee! We are always looking for ways to help each other in business.
“Overall, the relationship that Camsoft Solutions has with Cape Business News is a marvellous example of shared business interests and joint respect – for 21 years and hopefully many more to come in the future,” she concludes.