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Dell Pairs Technology & Innovation to Power the Possible

Since 1984 Dell has been determined to provide access to affordable technology to help people achieve their goals. By teaming with SAP, Dell is able to spend more time helping customers and less time manipulating data. Read about it here.

As a college English major with a focus on writing, my bright pink Dell laptop was my best friend. English majors don't take many tests. Instead, we write; we write a lot.

My Dell stuck with me for four full years of all-nighters, 20-page research papers, and countless e-mails. Now, I'm a full-time writer, and I couldn't be happier.

Dell, which started in 1984 as a PC startup, is now one of the fastest growing, large-integrated IT companies in the world. The company prides itself on connecting customers to their dreams. As Bart Crider, IT director at Dell, put it, "It's always been about making technology more accessible and affordable for everyone."

Keeping the customer in mind

Dell is redefining the products and services customers demand from their technology partners. The company crafts its products and services in a way that enables customers to grow, achieve all their goals, and simplify their lives.

In addition, the company is behind a mission to "power the possible" and supply people around the globe with the technology and expertise they need to do the most good. Dell works with many nonprofit organizations, providing funding and technology. And Dell's "mobile classroom" brings technology and learning opportunities to anyone in the world.

Optimizing time and resources

By listening to its customers and their needs, Dell stays innovative in the market. But recently, this was proving to be a challenge. Up to 80% of Dell's sales force time was spent manipulating data rather than working with customers directly.

As Crider put it, "The last thing you want your sales organization doing is waiting. They need to be engaging with customers; they need to be selling."

To solve the issue of a legacy business intelligence system that couldn't keep up with the need for real-time reporting and analytics, Dell completed a proof of concept with the SAP HANA platform and SAP BusinessObjects business intelligence (SAP BusinessObjects BI) solutions. After realizing the power of this combination, Dell was sold.

Dell partnered with SAP to migrate its legacy solution to SAP HANA with dashboards driven by SAP BusinessObjects BI.

Increased sales productivity

Now Dell's sales team has the information they need at their fingertips and can make important decisions in record time.

The new system standardizes all key performance indicators and metrics across the globe into a consistent dashboard that sales can use daily to expedite decision making.

This new analytical functionality is helping Dell customize each customer conversation. Sales can focus efforts on the popular products for a specific customer's industry and category, driving a consistent and trusted advisor relationship.

In addition, Dell has simplified its development process and cut the time spent on data manipulation by 80%. Customer questions and requests can now be answered immediately, and sales can report any customer changes directly in the system without any intervention from IT.

Dell's sales team can now concentrate on connecting customers with the tools to help them achieve more whether at home, work, school, or anywhere in the world.

Nine years later, I still have my pink Dell laptop. It's a reminder of many years of hard work, good memories, and a desire to keep reaching for my dreams.

To learn more, watch this short video interview with Dell IT directors, Ashley Kanok and Bart Crider.

For more stories, follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

This post was originally published to SCN on SAP Business Trends.

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