International freight forwarding company observed 10% lead conversion rate with Zoho CRM

About the company

Founded in 1989, Cargo Services Far East is a leading global logistics solutions provider and international freight forwarder based in Hong Kong and China. A pioneer in the industry, the company is a modern service provider of end-to-end cargo solutions for shippers and consignees across the globe. In a little over three decades, CSFE has expanded and set up operations and offices in Taiwan, France, India, South Africa, Singapore, Italy, Japan, Korea, the UK, and the USA. The company has also established associated companies in Australia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Myanmar, Mauritius, Madagascar, Pakistan, Dubai and Egypt, and has built a global network of agents covering 50 countries.

CSFE boasts 6,000+ employees and 100,000+ customers internationally.

Why they chose Zoho CRM

Until 2019, CSFE had been using an internally developed system to track sales activities. Although that system served its purpose, the company understood the greater scope of a CRM system.

It was on the hunt for a single system to track sales activities, conversions, and the efficiency of sales campaigns across a total of 16 branches in China. Their ideal solution would be cost-effective, too—and that's how Zoho CRM came into the picture.

Zoho CRM was completely implemented within two months. After successfully testing the implementation and adoption in a few pilot offices in China, Zoho CRM was rolled out to every single office in the country. Currently, 130 users access the system on a daily basis to carry out their day-to-day activities—95% of users being in China and the rest in Europe.

Personal selling to 50,000 customers made easier via Zoho CRM

As an export-led business, CSFE hugely depends on partners around the world and trade shows for leads. These leads are captured in Zoho CRM and then followed up by the sales teams. Zoho CRM is like a huge databank that helps CSFE retrieve and track customer data effectively. The company manages 50,000+ customers and agents on CRM, yet they place great importance on personal selling. In 2021 alone, CSFE conducted over 100 sales activities per day leading to 34,541 activities during the year. As a result, a single system that facilitates meetings, calls, and emails has proven to be extremely beneficial for the company. Through the integration with Microsoft Outlook, emails sent out to customers are instantly reflected in the customer record on Zoho CRM.

With Zoho CRM, CSFE saw a 10% conversion rate in 2021.

Facilitating management

The company considers Zoho CRM an optimal tool for branch management as well. Dashboard metrics are the very first point of reference for users when logging in, and serve as a quick look for management to oversee ongoing activities at various stages inside the company. The Reports feature, which allows branch managers to see quantifiable numbers in terms of performance, is a favorite among the team. With certain parameters set in place, management has access to accurate information on the activities conducted, conversion rates, campaigns, and more.