D&S

Digital Transformation at D&S: Achieving Digital Excellence with Avidly and HubSpot

Diersch & Schröder (D&S) is a long-established company in the energy sector with numerous subsidiary brands. Through its collaboration with Avidly, digital processes were established, synergies were created, and a comprehensive CRM and marketing strategy was implemented. Another key project in the partnership with Avidly was the successful establishment of the EMOVA brand.

Challenges

Before collaborating with Avidly, D&S relied heavily on analog processes and a fragmented IT infrastructure with isolated solutions.

Key challenges included:

Lack of transparency and data silos between subsidiaries, preventing synergies
No existing CRM system
Inefficient, analog processes, such as fuel card application processing taking up to 7 days
No centralised marketing and CRM strategy
Different sales processes and no digital lead management
No dashboards or reporting options for marketing and sales activities
Unstructured marketing and campaign processes with untapped data potential
No systematic approach for customer loyalty and service surveys

"One of the biggest challenges was convincing management and employees of the necessity of this transformation. Change management in an established mid-sized company is a massive undertaking." - Simon Reiter, Head of Marketing, D&S

Solutions

Following preliminary analyses, the Diersch & Schröder team recommended implementing a group-wide CRM system. HubSpot was chosen as the central platform for managing current and future business relationships across the entire organisation.

This was the first centrally managed system in the energy division, connecting both operational and management levels.

The CRM system enabled:

Transparent interfaces between sales, operations, and marketing

Improved control and monitoring capabilities

More efficient data usage for better customer acquisition and retention

Flexibility to adapt to changing customer needs and market conditions

A 360° understanding of customers and their needs

With Avidly’s support, D&S successfully digitalised and optimised key processes:

CRM Implementation: Group-wide HubSpot CRM system deployment and training for 150 users

Marketing Automation: Development and implementation of a centralised marketing strategy

Data Management & Synergies: Structured and GDPR-compliant data collection to improve customer communication in HubSpot

Process Automation: Increased efficiency in multiple areas, including streamlining the fuel card application process

Websites: Consolidation and migration of nearly all energy-related websites to HubSpot

Replacement of Legacy Systems: Migration from Salesforce to HubSpot

For the first time, digital transformation allowed synergies between different D&S brands. Campaigns developed for EMOVA were adapted for other brands like Card&Drive and Energu.