ZF Aftermarket Unified Global Sales and Marketing on One Platform

ZF, a global leader in automotive technology, marked a significant milestone in its business transformation by rolling out the existing Sales Cloud solution to its independent Aftermarket organisation following an acquisition. This endeavour aimed to align sales processes, enhance operational efficiency, and serve customers in a unified way.

With some 161,600 employees worldwide, ZF is a global technology company supplying advanced mobility products and systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology. ZF reported sales of €41.4 billion in fiscal 2024. The company operates 161 production locations in 30 countries.

Navigating complexity

ZF’s most prominent challenge was integrating WABCO, a newly acquired company, into its organisation. WABCO had an existing Sales Cloud solution, and the united companies needed to create shared ways of working on a single customer platform.

“After the acquisition, we needed to integrate our CRM system, harmonise our sales processes into one, and get everyone onboarded,” describes Markus Witzorky, Head of IT Aftermarket Product, Sales & Service, at ZF Group.

With various systems supporting different business functions, ZF’s complex IT landscape demanded meticulous analysis, compatibility checks, data migrations, and system integrations. Additionally, a new organisational structure after the merger meant that robust project management and clear communication would be paramount in aligning stakeholders and the teams involved.

ZF brought in Salesforce expert advisory firm Fluido, which, in addition to the technology, established common ways of working that bridged the gap between ZF’s various teams and business units. Adopting Scrum practices enabled continuous development and rapid responses to user feedback. This agile approach ensured that the Salesforce solution aligned with ZF’s business needs.

Restructuring Salesforce for efficiency

Before the transformation, one-half of ZF’s independent Aftermarket sales representatives used the old Sales Cloud. At the same time, the other half would transition to Salesforce, which would offer a more modern and efficient way of working. Thus, the project required harmonising processes, seamless integrations, and developing existing solutions.

Fluido restructured the existing Sales Cloud solution, integrating it with Microsoft Dynamics, so that Salesforce could provide access to Master Data Management, giving sales reps accurate and unified customer information. Processes, data models and account structures were aligned to better support sales tasks and facilitate collaboration across regions.

“Fluido had robust expertise in connecting the different systems. The integrations were not easy, but Fluido guided us quickly through any challenges, be it in the technical architecture or on the project management side,” Witzorky says.

After successfully implementing Sales Cloud, ZF turned to Fluido for guidance on migrating to Account Engagement. This involved more than just transferring data; it consisted of mapping the customer journeys, developing opt-in logic for compliance and introducing new campaign management and tracking practices.

Fluido also supported ZF with the rollout, where 700 people were onboarded globally onto the Sales Cloud solution. The training program empowered their sales teams with the necessary skills and knowledge to maximise the solution’s benefits and ensured consistent user adoption of the tool across different regions.

Unified global practices

ZF is now well-equipped to thrive in the dynamic automotive industry. The streamlined sales operations, harmonised working practices, alignment across global teams, and enhanced customer relationships showcase the remarkable results achieved through this collaboration.

“The roll-out was a great success, and we achieved our aim to increase global alignment and work efficiently on one unified platform. With Sales Cloud, our sales representatives can now access unified, accurate customer data and deliver a better customer experience,” Witzorky says.

Furthermore, their migration to Account Engagement has opened up new possibilities for advanced automation and data-driven marketing strategies. It strengthened collaboration between marketing and sales, shifting the mindset from email marketing to demand generation.

“Fluido was more than just an implementation partner; they were a true strategic advisor. Despite the complexity of our internal landscape, they helped us shape the solution together, challenging our thinking and offering fresh perspectives,” says Christian Luehrig, Global Business Integration Lead, Commercial Excellence, at ZF.

ZF’s journey continues as the new Salesforce solution has provided them with a strong foundation for future enhancements and growth:

“We’re now completing the final steps toward having one fully unified CRM by migrating legacy processes into Salesforce. Our goal is to make CRM the single daily tool for our sales teams, connecting all touchpoints, enabling smarter processes, and bringing in innovative capabilities to support future growth,” Luehrig concludes.