Iris Group, renowned for its innovative and eco-friendly facility and coating services, has consistently prioritized sustainability and customization for its clients. Their mission is to deliver environmentally conscious solutions while maintaining a high level of flexibility in meeting unique customer needs. 

However, as their business continued to grow, Iris faced a pressing challenge — the need to modernize and automate their marketing efforts.  

By late 2023, Iris’ marketing team had had a HubSpot account for some time but struggled to leverage its full potential. Not only were they unsure of how the tool had been set up, but they also found it difficult to use effectively. Compounding the issue was the fact that their HubSpot licenses were set to expire in just under two months, leaving the team with a limited window to find an alternative. 

To streamline their operations and create synergy with their recently implemented Salesforce CRM, Iris opted to switch to Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (MCAE). That’s where HAVIK stepped in. 

Implementing MCAE under tight deadlines 

Given the time constraints, Iris needed a partner capable of moving fast, while delivering a reliable and effective marketing automation setup. HAVIK, as an expert in Salesforce’s marketing automation tools, was the ideal partner to execute this transition seamlessly and on schedule. 

Our goal was to deliver a foundational implementation of MCAE that would allow Iris to start using the platform right away. This translated to an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) solution, designed to address their immediate marketing automation needs.  

The project, which commenced in mid-November 2023, had to be completed by the end of December, when Iris’ HubSpot licenses were set to expire. To achieve this, HAVIK structured the implementation process into four key phases:  

1. Strategic & requirements workshops: this initial phase allowed us to understand Iris’ business objectives, marketing goals, and sales processes, which ensured that the MCAE setup was fully aligned with their needs.
2. Solution design: based on the findings from the workshops, we designed a solution tailored to Iris’ specific requirements. This included establishing seamless data synchronization between Salesforce and MCAE.
3. Implementation and testing: HAVIK then executed the core technical implementation. Key features set up during this phase included website tracking, form creation, email templates, and a preference center. Each element was rigorously tested to ensure it met the desired functionality.
4. Training & user support: we provided Iris’ marketing team with comprehensive training to ensure they were fully equipped to use MCAE from day one. This involved a hands-on, practical approach that empowered the team to manage their marketing automation processes confidently.  

Key challenges overcome 

The project’s most significant hurdle was the tight timeline — we had just over a month to complete the full implementation. Additionally, Iris’ marketing team was relatively inexperienced with marketing automation, which presented a steep learning curve. Despite these challenges, HAVIK’s experience in MCAE and our structured approach to the project, enabled us to deliver a fully functional system on time and train the team to help them to get up to speed quickly, even under the pressure of the looming deadline. 

The results: a marketing transformation for Iris 

By the beginning of 2024, Iris was fully equipped to begin automating their marketing efforts with MCAE. The immediate benefits of the implementation included: 

• Marketing and sales synergy: one of the critical goals of the project was to integrate marketing efforts more closely with sales. The seamless connection between Salesforce and MCAE provided the Iris team with better insight into lead behaviour, enabling the sales team to act on more qualified opportunities.
• Enhanced marketing insights: Iris’ marketing team gained better access to data and reporting, which allowed them to analyze the performance of their campaigns more effectively. These insights ultimately improves their overall marketing performance.
• A strong foundation for future growth: the MVP implementation provided a robust platform for Iris to continue building on their marketing automation capabilities. With ongoing user support from HAVIK, the team is well-positioned to expand their use of MCAE and further automate their marketing processes in the future. 

A continued partnership with Iris 

Currently, HAVIK provides additional support whenever Iris needs it. While the team is still in the early stages of adopting marketing automation, we remain optimistic about the long-term impact of the MCAE implementation. 

We anticipate that once Iris has the bandwidth to dedicate more resources to marketing, they will be able to fully unlock the potential of MCAE. HAVIK is ready to step in and provide further strategic support, helping Iris take their marketing automation to the next level and ultimately driving more business value through marketing. 

Demonstrating HAVIK’s expertise in fast-paced implementations 

The successful MCAE implementation for Iris Group is a testament to HAVIK’s ability to deliver effective, rapid implementations under tight deadlines. Despite the challenges posed by time constraints and an inexperienced team, our expert approach enabled Iris to begin their marketing automation journey confidently and with a clear path forward. 

The project highlights HAVIK’s flexibility, collaborative approach, and deep expertise in Salesforce’s marketing automation tools — attributes that set us apart as a trusted partner for businesses looking to enhance their marketing capabilities. Need a MCAE partner that you can count on? Contact us!