The Transformation of “Kukuruza Production”: How CRM has changed the video production studio’s customer service?

In a field where every project is unique and requires careful planning, control and coordination, CRM can structure business processes, automate routine tasks and improve customer interactions.

Oleksandra Kulikova, CEO of renowned Ukrainian video production studio Kukuruza Production, shared her experience of implementing CRM with us. How did it happen? Let’s find out more…

Oleksandra Kulikova, CEO, Kukuruza Production

• How did the story of what is now a well-known Ukrainian studio for video production begin?

In the beginning, our team consisted of only three people who worked on a freelance basis. However, as time went on, we felt it was time to move forward and create something bigger and more ambitious. We wanted to start working with big brands. Today, our clients are well-known companies such as Lenovo, NovaPoshta, etc. These projects once seemed beyond our reach, but we continued to pursue our goal and eventually we succeeded. Another priority was community development. We started our activity in Kharkiv, where the video production industry and the realization of large-scale projects were less developed compared to Kyiv, and we aimed to change that. The organization of non-commercial film and visual arts projects, the implementation of many social initiatives and active work on new social projects are still ongoing.

The year 2022 was a period of a complete relaunch for us. You could say that we started from scratch. If we used to focus entirely on the Ukrainian market, implementing large projects for clients such as EVA, Rozetka, Prom.ua and others, then we changed our strategy and expanded to Western markets.

We now work successfully in the USA and Europe, filming projects in Italy, Poland, the UK and France. We’re proud that we didn’t give up, that we grew in numbers and quadrupled our revenue. Our forecasts point to even more growth and development in the future.

• How did you realize that the implementation of a CRM system was necessary for the further development of the company?

You know how it feels when you are working ” on the go”, doing things in Excel. We were using the Notion application, which allowed us to create a kind of makeshift CRM, but with limited functionality. We already had some databases and understood the importance of automation, but there was always a feeling that CRM was time consuming, expensive, complicated and intimidating. It was a barrier we had to overcome. We managed with spreadsheets for a while, but if you want to grow, scale and develop your sales operations, you realize that you need to gather your strength and implement everything.

• What challenges did you face during CRM implementation, and how did you overcome them?

Initially, we searched for the optimal solution independently. We implemented one CRM system, though I can’t recall its name now. We bought an annual subscription but only used it for three months. Despite all the configurations, we realized that it wasn’t right for us. We then continued our search and tested NetHunt CRM, which was more suitable for our needs.

At one of the workshops, we met a business analyst from CRMiUM who showed us real cases of how the system was working successfully in other companies. All in all, we could have built it ourselves or employed a freelancer, but it’s a matter of time and attention. I always follow the principle:

“Why invent the wheel when you can buy it?” CRMiUM presented us with highly relevant cases and we were convinced.

NetHunt CRM implementation results

CRMiUM business analyst shares experience:

Kukuruza Production had already implemented NetHunt CRM, but its functionality was hardly used. Most of the work with prospects and projects was done through Notion, which lacked convenient sales management features. CRMiUM’s task was to configure the CRM to manage the sales process: from lead generation to closing deals, and then to transfer the project to Notion. The main settings and integrations achieved were:

• Integration of NetHunt CRM with the Notion application, enabling:

— Automatic creation of a new project in Notion when a deal reaches a certain stage, reducing manual data entry and minimizing errors

— Synchronization of comments from the CRM system to Notion, allowing all communication history and important notes to be stored in one place, ensuring transparency and accessibility for all project participants

— Automatic addition of a project link in Notion to the deal card in the CRM system for quick access to data

• The integration of NetHunt CRM with Finmap was configured so that projects and customer records could be created directly from the CRM system:

– This way managers do not need access to the financial service

– Payments are automatically displayed in the CRM, allowing them to see payment receipts immediately without having to contact the accounting department

• Previously, managers tracked payments in Google Sheets and the fact of payment was not recorded in the CRM. This is why the “Payments” module has been created to track customer payments
• In the “Deals” module, a sales funnel has been set up. This allows managers to follow a defined process and management to track the current stages of work with each client

• Integration with LinkedIn was set up to efficiently acquire cold leads. This allowed managers to track interactions with prospects directly in the CRM, reducing manual work and increasing lead processing accuracy
• To improve sales management, reduce manual work and increase lead handling accuracy, a dedicated funnel was created in the CRM

As a result, the company has been able to optimize its business processes and focus on key tasks, increasing overall efficiency and profitability.

Kukuruza production – results and plans:

• How did the team react to the system upgrade? Did they adapt quickly?

I’m lucky because I have a team that reacts well to new implementations. We have always introduced a lot of new things; our field requires constant development. Otherwise, after a few years, you just stop being competitive. So I’m happy that it all worked out. Another important factor was the almost 24/7 support from the CRMiUM team. There were many small issues that the integrator quickly resolved on an ongoing basis.

People quickly accepted the changes and the team breathed a sigh of relief as the chaos between different systems disappeared

Production was in Notion and sales was in CRM, so the integration improved our processes significantly. Everyone sighed with relief and said, “Finally we can focus on more important tasks and metrics”.

• Could you tell us about the impact of CRM on the company: changes in work and customer interactions?

There are still many plans and improvements to be made. What we have definitely achieved is to minimize the risk of losing customers. Nothing gets lost now, which has a positive impact on profitability and team motivation. It also allows us to monitor manager effectiveness more clearly, which is undoubtedly important for leadership. The last thing we haven’t fully implemented yet is the collection of feedback. Overall, everything is finally structured and everyone clearly understands their role and what needs to be done.

• What additional integrations with other applications or services are you planning?

 In the future we plan to set up data transfers from marketing to track sales and advertising analytics. We also want to start building company-wide reports for both sales and marketing.

• What advice would you give to companies that are still hesitating about implementing CRM?

Firstly, if your company doesn’t already have a CRM system and you are considering implementing one from scratch, I would recommend that you first familiarize yourself with the solutions on the market and seek expert advice. Then install and test the options that seem most appropriate. Our own experience has shown that using an integrator is an important step, as they will help you understand all the nuances of implementation and can greatly simplify the process. Secondly, if there is a need for additional customisation or migration from one system to another (which often becomes necessary as the business grows and processes change), it’s better not to stay in one place, but to ‘take a risk’ and embrace the changes. For us, this has been the best decision as all processes are now automated and no information is lost.

Conclusion:

Every company has its own unique business processes, team “character” and, of course, unique customers. The implementation of a CRM system must take all these factors into account.Many people make the mistake of relying on external recommendations when choosing a CRM, without considering their own needs. However, it’s crucial to conduct a detailed analysis of your company’s specific needs, identify the key processes you want to automate, and understand exactly what functionality is required. 

As Oleksandra noted: “Why reinvent the wheel?”. Get professional help from the CRMiUM team, Ukraine’s № 1 integrator. Optimize your business processes and finally “breathe a sigh of relief” by eliminating routine tasks that consume time and resources. Focus on what matters.