Case Studies - Business Technology Services

The Problem

Craft Products Company, a leading water treatment chemical company located in Pittsburgh, PA, needed to increase the visibility of their company and increase their business capabilities. With a solid reputation in the water treatment chemical industry, Craft wanted to create new sources of business to complement their traditional sales and service capabilities. Because the company relied heavily on traditional sales and marketing methods, they did not have a website or use other web and internet-based tools in their business.

The Solution

Backes Crocker worked with the management team to understand their industry and how their business operated. Two service efforts resulted from our analysis - the first was to plan, develop, and implement a website that would provide the foundation for expanded web and internet-based tools use. The second effort was in introducing technology tools and business processes that would allow Craft to expand the way in which they interacted and serviced their customer base.

Having virtually no internal technology capacity within the company, Backes Crocker worked together with Craft personnel on parallel efforts to put upgrade and connect computer systems and software in their location and securing a domain name and web hosting solution. The company was now able to use standard email addresses with a corporate domain name so that sales representatives could communicate with customers via email. A comprehensive website was developed with a design that conveyed a clean and professional message for their customers. In addition to the design features, interactive forms were developed so that visitors could sign up for regular communications from Craft, request a follow-up call, or receive more information regarding products or services.

With a solid technology platform in place, Backes Crocker worked with Craft on an ongoing electronic marketing capability based on an "opt-in" online registration process. The electronic marketing suite included product information, industry event notifications, and e-newsletters that highlight Craft's products and services.

The Value to the Customer

In a short amount of time, Backes Crocker was able to understand Craft's business objectives and how their business worked in order to create practical and value-added solutions for them. While the solutions involved technology tools, the decision on what tools to use and how they integrated with the rest of Craft's business was the guiding philosophy. With a the use of business process and technology tools, Craft is able to efficiently increase their sales and marketing activities to increase their revenues without having to become experts in the inner-workings of technology or software applications. Backes Crocker's long-term services provide the right amount of technical expertise to provide fresh content and expanded services to their customers.