Canon's Silent Warriors: Making Internal Processes More Efficient with Mr. Ramachockalingam Sam
Sometimes, we tend to take the convenience of digitisation for granted. We appreciate how it has made our lives easier but often are blissfully unaware of the many hours of gruelling work invested to make it possible. Worse still, we fail to recognise the people that work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that we get a seamless digital experience – people such as Mr. Ramachockalingam Sam, a salesforce system administrator at Canon Singapore.
We conducted a session with Sam to find out more about how his work has helped to ease the internal processes at Canon Singapore. Here’s what we learnt:
Tell us about your responsibilities here at Canon Singapore.
As the sole administrator of the Salesforce system, I customise applications for our sales department. After our sales team visits their customers for the day, they’ll come back and key all the prospects and activities of the day into the system. My job mainly deals with application consultation, system design and system administration – I help to customise these applications for our sales staff, who in turn get to save valuable time and reach out to more prospects.
Can you tell us more about this process?
Each customer is different, so we will tailor this application to suit the customer’s needs. With these customisations, our sales team can easily access the system and key in any relevant details, such as the products and services that the customer might require.
Educating the sales staff on this process is also part of my responsibilities. This requires me to have a clear understanding on each products’ specifications and be well-informed on the prospective customer’s business. Before starting on the customisation, I will have a discussion with the sales team to collect all their requirements and assess the feasibility before proceeding. Good communication between the sales staff and myself is key to facilitate the process.
Admittedly, there have been some challenges in implementation process. Initially, the sales team was hesitant to adopt a new method of doing things. However, through our continuous efforts, we eventually overcame this challenge and the sales team now appreciate the efficiency and convenience of this system. To help them with the transition, I usually conduct a training session, and also make myself readily available should they have any queries or clarifications.
What visible benefits do these digital sales applications have?
One such benefit would be better time management. Previously, the sales team required at least a day to prepare the delivery request manually. Now, all they have to do is click a button and everything is settled. This lets the sales staff better manage their time and prioritise their activities. They are also able to check their calendars to see upcoming tasks or events, as well as focus on or prioritise opportunities in the CRM.
Our administrative department faced the same problem when following-up on orders. One order from a client may require multiple products, which translates to many man-hours spent on preparing order forms. They used to take two hours to arrange a delivery previously, but now with my system it can be done in just ten minutes.
Another benefit is better visibility into customer information – having these applications digitally stored in one place also allows management to have a bird’s eye view of all the processes. This way, they’re able to easily access and check all the sales forecasts and results at one glance. It also gives management key insights when making decisions – with all the information easily accessible, they can quickly prioritise deals or help customers with any issues. They’re also able to see when a sales person needs assistance, in turn translating to a better understanding of customers’ goals and issues. The sales staff are also able to see all of their accounts, contacts, opportunities, activities and so on chronicled in a single place.
What has kept you working at Canon Singapore after all these years?
In my opinion, Canon Singapore truly leads by example. Canon Singapore is continually looking for ways to innovate and improve processes – which is exactly what my job scope is all about. Customers can be assured by our company’s philosophy and desire to innovate. Technology is always evolving, and it’s evolving at a rapid rate. I’m glad Canon Singapore does everything they can to keep up with this, fully embracing and adapting to digitisation!
Canon Singapore has also recognised my efforts by awarding me with several breakthrough awards, which are given to staff who have helped improve certain workplace processes – all of which I’m incredibly grateful for.
The award that I’m most proud of is the Gold CSPL President’s award given to me by Canon Singapore’s very own President and CEO. This is evidence of how they lead by example as a technology company. Such recognition motivates me to ensure that my work continues to make processes more efficient and productive for everybody here at Canon Singapore and beyond.
Canon’s dedication to constant innovation truly exemplifies its position as a leader in technology. In line with the company’s corporate philosophy of kyosei, which translates to ‘living and working together for the common good’, Canon continually works to boost the efficiency of both internal and external processes.
Follow Canon Singapore on LinkedIn, as we showcase more of our valued staff in the months ahead!