Finnish Enterprise Agencies

The Challenge: Development based on open dialogue

The Nestor system is widely used in Finland to support emergence of new enterprises. Earlier, it was difficult for the Finnish enterprise agencies to quickly retrieve national data from their CRM system. To ensure continuity of operations and financing, it was of primary importance to develop their performance reporting.

In 2013, the decision was made to renew the CRM system of the enterprise agencies. Pinja designed and delivered a customised CRM system to the Finnish Enterprise Agencies, a nationwide network of qualified business advisors and experts.

Solution: New Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system lessens workload

The association for Finnish Enterprise Agencies wanted a CRM system that would flexibly suit their changing needs. Pinja was selected as the software development partner.

”Our cooperation started well and we were immediately on the same wavelength with the contact person Pinja assigned to us. After acquiring in-depth knowledge of our operations, this person was able to identify and explain to us, from the perspective of software development and technology, the components that we needed to achieve the results that meet our needs. We have now been developing the system already for three years together with skilled software developers. The dialogue has been active and we have made continuous progress. At Pinja, they take good care of us knowing all the time where we stand together”. This is how project manager Taina Jormanainen from the Finnish Enterprise Agencies describes the cooperation.

The intuitive Nestor system includes customer, member and expert registers, an event management tool, a quality manual with procedural guidelines for the enterprise agencies, as well as extensive reporting functions for various data. On the future agenda, the Nestor system will be complemented by interfaces to public administration information systems to improve the efficiency of operations and develop and extend follow-up measures towards an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

Producing up-to-date information is faster

The Nestor system has harmonised advisory services offered to start-up companies on the national level, helped to focus actions and accelerated production of up-to-date information.

”To guarantee continuity of our operations, it is of vital importance that we are able to monitor and demonstrate the effectiveness of the enterprise agencies. This is why rapid information production enabled by the Nestor system in the form of various statistics, graphics and reports has facilitated our work. Our financiers, the media and other stakeholders are interested in industrial and business development trends. In the Nestor system, comparable national statistical data of new established and closed companies is available to us at a touch of a button”, says Jari Jokilampi, managing director of the Finnish Enterprise Agencies commenting on the improved statistics and information production.

”The system has lessened the workload of business advisors in the enterprise agencies, since part of the routine tasks is now performed by Nestor. The system also offers an easy communication channel between different locations thus improving internal transparency. To our customers, entrepreneurs in their early stage of growth, the added value offered by the Nestor system shows as better service, regular communication and the possibility to influence our operations via customer feedback”, Mr. Jokilampi summarises.