By: Citrix


Headquartered in Irvine, California, the Momentum Group is a $40 million, fastgrowing supplier of contract textiles. With three brands - Momentum Textiles, Textus and LoomSource - Momentum Group functions as an umbrella organization. The company provides the office, healthcare and hospitality markets with a wide selection of upholstery via a field sales force of approximately 35 representatives.

Key Benefits

► Double-digit sales growth in a market slump
► Threefold increase in new projects tracked
► Competitive advantage from cutting edge technology
► Streamlined IT administration Applications Deployed
► Web database of fabrics
► GoldMine CRM
► UNIX-based AR/AP
► Web-based sales reports

Networking Environment

► Citrix MetaFrame� Presentation Server running on one IBM xSeries 345 server and one generic Intel server (housed at an offsite data center)
► Microsoft Windows Server 2003
► Qualcomm CDMA 1xRTT wireless WAN; SBC T1, Sprint Frame Relay WAN; local LANs at 5 branch locations
► Panasonic Toughbooks, various PCs, Wyse and NeoWare thin clients

THE CHALLENGE: A SEAMLESS SOLUTION TO INCREASE BUSINESS AGILITY

Faced with a major industry downturn, Momentum Group sought a way to boost sales through a competitive differentiator. The company wanted to make it easier for its sales representatives to access information during face-to-face customer meetings - in particular, the huge library of more than 6,000 fabric samples customers can choose from.

"In the past, our sales representatives had to physically carry in a selection of swatches, and inevitably, the customer wanted something else," said Roger Arciniega, president. "Having to make additional visits with a different selection of fabrics slowed down our sales cycle and made us vulnerable to calls by competitors. It could also delay a construction timetable." In addition to its intranet database of fabrics and SKUs, Momentum Group wanted to give sales representatives access to its CRM solution, GoldMine, and other applications from the customer's location.

IMPLEMENTING A CITRIX SOLUTION FOR WORKFORCE MOBILITY

Working with Zumasys, a Gold Citrix Solution Advisor, Momentum Group implemented a wireless information access solution based on Citrix MetaFrame Presentation Server and Microsoft Windows Server 2003. The company's field sales representatives access applications and data via the system over a Qualcomm CDMA 1xRTT wireless network, using Panasonic Toughbook computers equipped with Sierra Wireless AirCards. Other employees, including customer service staff and office workers, use PCs or thin clients over a WAN. The Citrix solution provides access to a heterogeneous mix of applications, including GoldMine, a UNIX-based order-entry application (via terminal emulation), and the Web database of fabrics, among others.


As an existing customer, Momentum Group found it easy to expand its Citrix solution with additional applications and wireless connectivity. Citrix delivers high-performance access to full featured applications over any connection to any device, while avoiding the need for rewrites to support a wireless environment.

MAKING THE MOST OF SALES OPPORTUNITIES

Its Citrix access infrastructure solution has helped Momentum Group succeed in a slow market. Noted Arciniega, "Although our industry has been in a downturn over the last two years, we've been able to grow. Citrix is a significant contributor to this by giving us fast access to our CRM solution, helping us to increase our visibility to sales opportunities in the pipeline and better track them. Prior to the Citrix implementation, we tracked about 200 to 300 sales opportunities per year. So far this year, we have tracked over 1,000 opportunities."

Citrix enables Momentum Group's sales representatives to close sales more effectively by giving the customer access to the full array of fabric choices, so a decision can be made and the order taken on the spot. "If a customer is constructing a new office building and wants a blue pattern for the chairs, we bring several samples along," noted Arciniega. "But if the customer wants something different, the sales representative can log into our website and search for blue patterns. Those criteria might yield 200 choices, with pricing and availability listed. Once the customer picks a pattern, the representative selects it and a sample is sent out."

In the past, bringing the wrong samples could have caused a delayed or missed sale. Now,
on-demand wireless access helps the salesperson make the most of each sales opportunity.

LATEST TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

In addition to driving more sales closings, the Citrix solution gives Momentum Group salespeople an intangible but important competitive advantage - technological savvy. "Our industry in general is not technologyoriented," said Arciniega. "Displaying online fabric samples at the touch of a button is one step away from magic for the customers we serve. We are constantly getting great feedback. Citrix has put us in a very good light in our industry."

The sales representatives also love the solution, which has been a morale-booster in a difficult marketplace. Previously, they relied on printed information and had to transcribetheir notes into spreadsheets or report forms. Now, they can update customer records or place orders electronically. Further, they have experienced excellent performance over the wireless network. "Our Citrix implementation has been a huge success with our sales force, and most of these people are not technical users," noted Arciniega.

"Citrix has become a corporate standard, and we're very happy with the mobile sales force solution it enables us to deliver," concluded Arciniega. "Wireless information access allows us to be more responsive to our customers' needs."

"Our Citrix implementation has been a huge success with our sales force. Real-time wireless access to our online fabric library and CRM application from the customer site allows them to make the most of each sales call." - Roger Arciniega, President, Momentum Group.