The Challenge
As Atlantic Pipe Services (APS) continued to grow, managing sales opportunities across disconnected systems became increasingly challenging.
The company had relied on Cosential since 2021 to manage customer relationships and sales activity. However, the platform didn't integrate with the Service Management module in Viewpoint Vista, the system APS used for its operational workflows.
This disconnect meant sales information often had to be entered twice, creating unnecessary administrative work and making it more difficult to maintain consistent records.
The team also needed a better way to manage the complex relationships involved in infrastructure projects. A single opportunity could involve subcontractors, general contractors, property owners, engineers, and other stakeholders, all of whom played a role in the sales process.
APS faced several challenges:
- Duplicate data entry: Customer and project information had to be manually entered into both Cosential and Vista.
- Complex project relationships: Tracking multiple companies and contacts associated with a single project was difficult.
- Disconnected email history: Important customer communications could become inaccessible when employees left the organization.
- Limited sales visibility: The team wanted easier access to customer histories, pipeline information, and nearby accounts.
- Quoting and operational workflows: APS needed better support for developing quotes and connecting sales information with Vista work orders.
- Document management: Tracking master service agreements (MSAs) and renewal dates required a more organized approach.
APS needed more than a replacement CRM. The company wanted a construction-focused platform that could bring its sales information together while supporting its existing operational systems.
The Solution
Atlantic Pipe Services chose Followup CRM to establish a more centralized and connected approach to managing sales opportunities, customer relationships, and project information.
Rather than continuing to manage information across disconnected platforms, APS selected a solution designed around the complexities of construction sales and the relationships involved in each project.
With Followup CRM, the team plans to:
- Reduce duplicate data entry: Connect Followup CRM with Viewpoint Vista, beginning with Accounts Receivable customer synchronization and expanding into supported Service Management workflows.
- Centralize project and relationship tracking: Organize opportunities, companies, contacts, and multiple project stakeholders in one system.
- Preserve customer communication history: Use the Outlook integration to associate relevant email conversations with CRM records and maintain continuity across the team.
- Improve sales pipeline visibility: Use customizable project fields, dashboards, and reporting to track opportunities and better understand sales activity.
- Support more efficient business development: Access historical project relationships and use map-based account visibility to identify nearby customers and prospects.
- Build more consistent sales processes: Establish structured workflows that can support additional users and functionality as the company grows.
A key factor in the decision was Followup CRM's ability to support APS's existing Vista environment.
By planning a phased integration, the company can prioritize its core sales workflows while preparing to connect customer and operational information across systems.
The Results
With Followup CRM selected and implementation beginning, Atlantic Pipe Services has established a clear direction for modernizing its sales operations.
Although the team is still in the early stages of adoption, the transition is designed to address several of the challenges that prompted its search for a new CRM.
The expected benefits include:
- Less manual data entry: Planned Vista synchronization will help reduce the need to maintain customer information in separate systems.
- Better visibility into project relationships: Centralized records will make it easier to track the multiple companies and contacts involved in each opportunity.
- Improved communication continuity: Outlook email tracking will help preserve important customer interactions and relationship history.
- More organized sales information: Custom fields, dashboards, and reporting will give the team a more consistent way to manage its pipeline.
- Stronger collaboration between sales and operations: Connecting CRM information with Vista will support a more coordinated approach to customer and project management.
- A scalable foundation for growth: The initial 10-user rollout creates an opportunity to establish consistent processes before expanding adoption.
For APS, the decision to move from Cosential to Followup CRM represents an important step toward reducing administrative work and creating a more connected sales operation.
As implementation progresses, the team will be able to evaluate these improvements and measure their impact on day-to-day workflows.
Connecting Sales and Operations Through Vista
One of the biggest priorities for Atlantic Pipe Services is improving how information moves between its sales and operational systems.
Previously, Cosential and Viewpoint Vista operated independently, requiring employees to manually enter information in both platforms.
That process created extra work and increased the effort required to keep customer and project records aligned.
With Followup CRM, APS is planning a phased approach to its Vista integration.
The initial focus is synchronizing customer information through Vista's Accounts Receivable module. Future phases are expected to introduce supported Service Management functionality, including work order and service site workflows.
This approach will allow the company to establish its core sales processes first while preparing for greater connectivity between departments.
The goal is straightforward: reduce unnecessary data entry, improve information consistency, and make it easier for sales and operations to work from connected records.
Managing Every Relationship Behind a Project
For Atlantic Pipe Services, a sales opportunity rarely involves just one company.
Infrastructure projects often require coordination among general contractors, subcontractors, engineers, owners, and other stakeholders. Each relationship can provide valuable information for future opportunities.
APS wanted a CRM that could capture these connections without limiting its records to the company responsible for payment.
With Followup CRM, the team can organize the companies and contacts associated with each project while maintaining a centralized history of their involvement.
This is particularly valuable when preparing responses to requests for proposals (RFPs) and invitations to bid (ITBs), where historical relationships and project information can help support business development efforts.
By keeping these details organized, APS aims to make customer and project information easier to access, reuse, and share across the sales team.
Building a More Connected Sales Process
Atlantic Pipe Services is approaching its Followup CRM implementation in phases, beginning with its core sales processes before expanding into additional capabilities and Vista integration.
This approach gives the team an opportunity to establish consistent workflows, organize existing customer and project information, and prepare for future growth.
As the company continues expanding throughout the Southeast, having a centralized system for managing opportunities, relationships, and sales activity will become increasingly valuable.
For APS, moving from Cosential to Followup CRM is about more than adopting new software. It's about creating a more efficient, connected, and scalable approach to construction sales management.
Ready to simplify your construction sales process?
See how Followup CRM helps contractors centralize opportunities, improve customer relationship tracking, and connect sales information with the tools they already use.
Start growing with Followup CRM
Track every bid, follow up on time, and win more work — see it in action.
Request A Demo
.png)