CRM and BI Reporting for Market Transparency in China

An earlier project, from the years before our current focus on AI. We now apply the same experience with data models and reporting where AI agents depend on clean data.

For its China expansion, IBS-PPG needed better transparency across paper mills, decision makers, sales partners, product interests, and active opportunities. Some data sat in IBM Notes CRM, some with local partners, some in web analytics, campaigns, and direct sales feedback.

The challenge was less about a single dashboard and more about the architecture behind it: data sources had to be structured so sales and management could answer the same questions on a recurring basis.

• Which customers and mills belong to the target market, and what status are they in?
• Which products, problems, and campaigns create demand?
• Which partners produce reliable signals, and where does sales need to follow up?

CERTAINCE started with structured interviews with sales and partners. The work produced customer segments, decision roles, lead stages, and topic clusters for the paper industry: from production problems and quality or downtime costs to concrete IBS products.

Local digital touchpoints became data sources: a China-optimized website, WeChat as communication and entry channel, Youku for video, Baidu for search and campaigns, plus forms, chat, email, and partner feedback. Western integrations were replaced where they were not reliable in China.

CRM, marketing, web analytics, and partner data were connected into Power BI reporting for customers, leads, product interests, campaign sources, and sales status. Local teams were trained so data maintenance, integrations, and reporting became a recurring sales process rather than an external project.

The project added hundreds of customers and thousands of structured data points to the IBS CRM. IBS and its channel partners could review market potential, lead quality, and follow-up from one shared data foundation instead of scattered one-off lists.

Power BI made it visible which customers, products, partners, and digital channels deserved attention. China sales became more plannable: fewer disconnected lists, more repeatable decisions about priorities, content, and follow-up.