Astra : Sales Activity Management

Challenge: The growing needs for a cross-platform application

Astra International as one of the largest automotive producer and distributor in Indonesia with more than 200.000 staff across 192 companies utilized a Sales Activity Management (SAM) application to simplify the AUTO2000 salespeople to manage their sales leads, prospects, and customers’ data.

However, the application was a native app that can be accessed only by using android tablet. Hence, users with different devices couldn’t access the app because a native app developed essentially for one particular mobile device and is installed directly onto the device itself.

At Astra International, the needs for a cross-platform application is growing and the ability to accommodate for this lies in building a responsive design application. Hence, Astra International asked Suitmedia to re-build the app to make it fits perfectly for any device and works for every user, regardless of browser choice.

Solution: A progressive web application

We decided to re-develop the app, from Android native to HTML5 web-based application, and use Web API to communicate with the main system. In case you never heard of progressive web application, it’s experiences that combine the best of the web and the best of the apps. Promising offline capabilities, improved speed and performance compared to both apps and websites.

The way that progressive web apps work allows for faster loading times on all types of content, and no install required. Technically, this is due to something called service workers, which work separately from the website, only requesting the raw data and not any style or layout information.

When launched from the user’s home screen, service workers enable the progressive web app to load instantly, regardless of the network state. It loads quickly, even on flaky networks and loads as a full screen experience. The app responds quickly to user interactions with silky smooth animations. It also feels like a natural app on the device.

Without going into too much technical details, suffice it to say that SAM Advance application is responsive, which means we built it with an optimal viewing experience, easy reading, and navigation with a minimum of re-sizing, panning, and scrolling, across a wide range of devices (from desktop computer monitors to smartphones). Until now, this progressive web application has succeeded to bring a better user experience for the Astra International employees.

This solution is now used by multiple sales operation

In recent time, SAM Advance application has proven its benefits and convenience in eliminating unnecessary costs and drives results throughout the entire sales cycle of Toyota Sales Operation (TSO). SAM Advance enables the Toyota Sales Operation to make customer-centric calls armed with customers, product, pricing, sales history, and promotional information so that they can deliver a faster, smarter, and higher level of customer service. The Toyota Sales Operation also able to quickly and easily gather important market and customer information continuously.

After seeing how useful the application is for the company’s sales growth, some sales teams under PT Astra International Tbk also started to use the application, such as Daihatsu Sales Operation (DSO) and BMW Sales Operation (BSO). DSO and BSO believe that SAM Advance will make all of their sales processes become more efficient and well-organized. They are also using the application as a solution to collaborate without restriction because SAM Advance fits perfectly for any device and allows each salesperson to use the device best suited for the role.