TLC Klima Deputy General Manager Filiz Doğan, along with Sema Tunar, Can Bahtiyar, Serdar Ekmekçi, Kübra Güney, Çağdaş Ateş, and Erdeniz Berk, spoke about their digital success story, achieved with the contributions of Kofana. Doğan, Tunar, Bahtiyar, Ekmekçi, Güney, Ateş, and Berk stated the following:
Sema Tunar: TLC Klima is a 10-year-old player in the air conditioning industry. We started as a small company, but we have maintained very aggressive growth over the years and today we are challenging for a place in the top five in the air conditioning sector, aiming for a turnover of $150 million. The brand we distribute is Gree Klima. Gree Klima is the world’s largest air conditioning manufacturer. It’s a Chinese technology company. It’s a manufacturer that aggressively develops its technology, pushes boundaries every day, and holds a very significant place in the market with every product it produces.
Why Kofana?
Can Bahtiyar: We were previously using a CRM program developed by a local company. Our company is a fast growing company. However, our integration needs both within CRM and with external systems have grown day by day. However, we started to not receive service at the speed and quality we wanted from the company we received service from for that day. Thereupon, both my department manager friends and the company management directed me to look for an alternative. At this point, of course, we needed a platform that had documentation, a strong infrastructure and was developing day by day in order not to repeat the same mistakes and experience the same problems. This is only possible with brands such as Salesforce offered by global companies today. Of course, we started looking for an alternative. At this point, we came together with Kofana Digital, whom we contacted with a different reference. We held our meetings. Among other alternatives, we can say that both the technical power of the platform and Kofana Digital’s customer-oriented approach made Salesforce stand out for us.
Sema Tunar: We believe our collaboration with Kofana has been a successful one. Kofana has been an accessible partner, and the expertise of its team has given us a sense of security. Of course, while we have great confidence in our IT manager’s choices and analyses, I also consulted many colleagues whose technological knowledge I trust. When I asked them what we should choose and why, they all agreed that Salesforce was the right product for our growth potential. All of this combined led to the Salesforce and Kofana journey.
What management gains were achieved through the collaboration with Kofana?
Filiz Doğan: With Salesforce, we have the ability to observe not only the past but also the future based on data. Having all operationally critical data, such as sales, installations, and complaints, integrated on the same platform has accelerated and improved our decision-making processes. Thanks to Salesforce’s “API First” architecture, we have been able to seamlessly integrate our sales, service, and customer experience processes. This architecture provides an infrastructure suitable not only for today but also for future development and growth. As management, we can see more clearly not only what is happening today, but also why it is happening and what needs to be done.
What positive changes occurred in the customer experience department after migrating to Salesforce?
Serdar Ekmekçi: The customer experience department is a new department we created this year as part of our team’s growth. We used to call it customer service, but now we’ve started calling it customer experience. Because customer experience is a whole in the customer journey, and customer service is a very important part of it. When we talk about customer experience, it starts with a person’s first entry into a store, or their call to us, or their visit to our website. It reaches a certain point with the product installation. After that, we establish a relationship that never ends. We sell products with a 6-year warranty. Now, with Salesforce, the diversity of data has become very important for us. We see this diverse data as a whole. I can say that we are now prepared for this. We started thinking about what this person has experienced before, how we have served them afterwards, and how we can potentially serve them in the future. We have now launched the system here, but what excites me and IT the most about Salesforce isn’t what we’ve done so far, but what we’re going to do. Because we have now gained the power to enable one of our clients to become a lawyer client. This means that this person’s relatives can now also buy air conditioners, and we can sell them to them. We could only do this with Salesforce. Because you can’t establish that relationship any other way.
What kind of support and benefits did Kofana provide during the migration process to Salesforce?
Can Bahtiyar: The most noticeable difference for us was the significant increase in our speed of responding to requests from departments, i.e., our internal customers. This is due to several factors. Salesforce is primarily a very suitable platform for a company to become self-sufficient. This is due to both its very strong documentation and the fact that it has a learning platform like Trailhead that allows anyone to learn independently. While the project was ongoing, with the guidance of Kofana Digital, we, as a team, began to become proficient in Salesforce. After the go-live date, we see that our capacity has been increasing day by day.
What advantages did the sales team gain from using Salesforce?
Kübra Güney: Salesforce has become not only a registration system for us, but also a platform that allows us to establish more conscious and prepared communication with the customer. Before meeting with the customer, we can instantly view in our system how many offers he has, how many orders he has, how many of the offers have turned into orders, and what his financial situation is. This visibility contributes to our personal performance and helps us take strategic steps as a team.
How did Salesforce accelerate logistics processes?
Çağdaş Ateş: The biggest benefit was that the processes were managed through a centralized and transparent platform. Being able to manage all processes from order placement to delivery from a single point saved us time and significantly reduced the margin of error. The “dashboard” screen prepared for the TLC Klima Logistics department made the real-time information flow between all other departments faster and more effective. Thanks to updates regarding order status, stock levels, and delivery plans, all other departments had access to the same information, which ensured coordination within the company.
How did Salesforce transform after-sales service processes?
Erdeniz Berk: With Salesforce, our after-sales service processes have become faster and more traceable. From fault reporting to intervention, from spare parts procurement to service closure, we can manage all our processes from a single platform. This has strengthened our internal team coordination and made our communication with customers more sustainable and transparent. With Salesforce, we started automating our payment system. This has saved us a lot of time and allowed us to create accurate payment plans. This has also enabled us to make payments faster and prevent invoice confusion. As a result, we have reduced our manual workload and started focusing on what truly matters. What are these? Improving our service quality and increasing customer satisfaction. These two areas are very important to us, and with Salesforce, we have started to focus even more on them. The limitless possibilities with Salesforce allow us to plan not only for today but also for tomorrow with great motivation.
Sema Tunar: We have a healthy business relationship with Kofana. I believe we can confidently go wherever this collaboration takes us. Hopefully, in the future, the dreams that Salesforce and Kofana have instilled in us will enable us to become a stronger TLC, a much more powerful and dynamic player in the HVAC industry.
The Success Story of TLC Klima
TLC Klima is a rapidly growing company with a 10-year history in the air conditioning sector. Starting as a small business, they have now reached a position challenging for a top five spot in the sector and aiming for a turnover of $150 million. Gree Klima, for whom they are a distributor, has made a significant contribution to this success. Gree Klima is a China-based technology giant, a constantly evolving manufacturer that holds a significant position in the market.
Evolving CRM Needs
TLC Klima realized that with its rapid growth, its CRM needs also increased. Previously, they were using a CRM program developed by a local company, but this program was insufficient to meet their growing integration needs. Therefore, they began searching for a platform with a stronger infrastructure, better documentation, and continuous evolution.
Collaboration with Kofana Digital
During their search for alternatives, they met Kofana Digital. Kofana’s customer-focused approach and technical strength were influential in TLC Klima’s decision to choose Salesforce. This collaboration allowed TLC Klima to observe not only the past but also the future based on data.
Advantages Provided by Salesforce
Thanks to Salesforce’s API First architecture, they had the opportunity to seamlessly integrate sales, service, and customer experience processes. This architecture provided an infrastructure suitable not only for today but also for future development and growth. Management can see more clearly not only what is happening today, but also why it is happening and what needs to be done.
Customer Experience and Communication
The customer experience department is a newly created department that emerged as TLC Klima grew. They focus on improving the customer experience at every stage of the customer journey. Salesforce has become a platform that enables them to communicate with customers in a more informed and prepared manner.
Operational Efficiency and Coordination
Salesforce enabled TLC Klima to manage its operational processes through a centralized and transparent platform. Managing all processes from order placement to delivery from a single point saved them time and reduced the margin of error. Furthermore, the dashboard designed for the logistics department accelerated information flow between departments.
Future Plans and Motivation
With Salesforce, there are no limits to what can be achieved, allowing TLC Klima to plan not only for today but also for tomorrow with great motivation. Having a healthy collaboration with Kofana, TLC Klima aims to become an even stronger and more dynamic player in the future.
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