Technische Unie
IN NUMBERS
All Customer Data at a Glance – Technische Unie Builds on Dynamics 365 CE
Having all customer data instantly accessible—Technische Unie relies on Dynamics 365 CE
It often goes like this: a customer emails, then calls, and asks yet another question—meanwhile, you’re frantically searching for the right info. At Technische Unie, that information used to be found in Outlook folders, loose notes, and especially in colleagues’ heads. Convenient? Most of the time. Sustainable? Not anymore.
The inside and outside sales teams functioned well for years based on their experience. But customers started calling more often, emailing faster, and expecting immediate answers. At that point, you need more than just a good memory and “the folder in the trunk,” as Herman Winnemuller, Sales Leader at Technische Unie, puts it. “We didn’t have a CRM system,” he says. “If a customer followed up on a question, we had to dig.”
Kevin van der Aar, Business Process Architect Sales at Technische Unie, paints a similar picture. “Everything went through John. If you called John, he’d take care of it. But if John was on vacation for two weeks, that customer wouldn’t buy anything from Technische Unie for two weeks.” The realization grew: a central location for customer information was essential.
Microsoft Dynamics as a Logical Step
Technische Unie was in the midst of a broader digital transformation. Dynamics 365 CE fit right in. “We wanted to record everything related to customer contact in one place,” Kevin explains. “Email, phone calls, cases—all must be immediately available to every sales colleague.”
Technische Unie has 26 sales offices and more than 600 inside sales employees. Now, everyone works in the same CE environment. This has laid the foundation for a 360-degree customer view: service requests, visit reports, and even real-time call information are all on a single record. “You instantly see what’s going on and can respond better to the customer’s needs,” says Kevin.
“We wanted to record everything related to customer contact in one place. Email, phone calls, cases—all must be immediately available to every sales colleague.”
A Project with Structure
For the implementation, after comparing options on the market, Technische Unie chose HSO. “The demo was well put together,” Kevin says, “and the industry references were a major factor. That’s why we chose them.” HSO worked in short sprints. “That was a bit different from how we were used to working,” Kevin explains. “But once we committed, it went smoothly. You knew exactly what was delivered every three weeks.”
Workshops kicked things off. “HSO showed what Dynamics was capable of,” says Herman. “We put together a wish list from that. It was built and tested together.” The approach didn’t stop at IT. HSO change consultants assisted with adoption. Still, Technische Unie quickly took the reins. “After the first phase, we said: we need to own this ourselves,” says Kevin. Key users were trained in a train-the-trainer model, while HSO remained a sparring partner. “HSO was a bit less involved up front, but validated everything.”
38
SALES OFFICES
in the Netherlands
2.300
PEOPLE
work for Technische Unie in the Netherlands
1880
JAAR
of founding
3
DISTRIBUTIE CENTERS
in the Netherlands
Results on the Ground
The new customer record is part of daily life at the sales offices. When a customer calls, the card pops up automatically—integrated with the new Genesys telephony platform. “If a customer asks a question about something discussed two hours ago, you just click to the timeline and you’ve got it,” says Herman. This data proactively fuels the sales teams.
Transferability has also improved. “If a colleague is out, someone else looks up the info on the record and can help the customer immediately,” he says. “That continuity translates into higher NPS scores. You notice that customers feel better understood.”
Complex Organization, Hybrid Landscape
Technische Unie has completed most of a large-scale IT transformation, introducing new modern platforms, including Dynamics. “We live in a hybrid landscape,” says Kevin. “Dynamics isn’t the source for everything, but it is the hub for sales. From CE, you access information from other systems.”
That complexity required ownership. “We’re an organization with 30+ offices that used to have a lot of freedom,” says Kevin. “Now we’re centralizing processes step by step. That’s as much a cultural shift as a technical one.” That’s why most management is now handled internally, with HSO in the background for managed services and new questions. “Take ownership internally. HSO offers structure, but you set the direction. That’s how you get a solution that truly fits your organization.”
“HSO showed what Dynamics could do. We put together a wish list from that. It was built and tested together.”
Next Step: Exploring AI
Technische Unie isn’t standing still. They are now experimenting with a Copilot feature.
“We’re currently testing showing the last three customer actions above the timeline,” Herman says. Large-scale AI scenarios are being explored. With a single customer record, clear structure, and in-house ownership, Technische Unie is ready for any question—and keeps building smart, data-driven service. If you call or email now as a customer, the information is already ready and the conversation immediately centers on your needs.
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