A Salesforce-Powered Balkan Success Story

How Saint-Gobain and Attention CRM Consulting Modernized Sales Operations in Albania

Saint-Gobain’s collaboration with Attention CRM Consulting has already transformed operations in Hungary. In the next phase, the two teams brought the same model to Albania—modernizing sales, improving reporting, and enabling transparent, data-driven operations across the organization. The project also delivered a unique international milestone: Salesforce is now available in Albanian.

From Local Success to Regional Rollout

Saint-Gobain has been working with Attention CRM Consulting since 2016, when Salesforce first went live in Hungary. After the acquisition of the Albanian subsidiary, it became clear that the proven Hungarian model could serve as a strong foundation for a unified, region-wide CRM approach.

Although the Hungarian and Albanian sales processes differed significantly, both teams agreed on a key goal: establish a stand-alone Salesforce environment that supports local needs while building on international best practices.

The Albanian organization is small, with employees performing multiple functions in parallel. This required a CRM solution that simplifies daily work, eliminates manual administration, and provides reliable, real-time visibility for management.

Reimagining Operations With Salesforce

The project replaced fragmented, Excel-based workflows with a single, modern Salesforce platform. It introduced standardized processes, automated tasks, and a complete 360-degree customer view—including account ownership, order and invoice history, debt and aging data, activities, and interactions.

Key transformation goals included:

• Rollout across Serbia, Slovenia, and Albania.
• Unified Salesforce architecture supporting sales and customer service end-to-end.
• Reduced manual work through automated, standardized workflows.
• Full Customer 360 visibility for proactive sales and reliable reporting.
• Clearer decision-making via improved dashboards, reporting, universal search, and pipeline transparency.
• Introduction of modern Salesforce features (Lightning UI, mobile access, Outlook/EAC, easy document/photo upload).
• Future-proof scalability through strong integrations (e.g., Navision) and clean data migration.
• Advanced modules for lead and opportunity management, case handling, activity tracking, marketing material control, and optional CPQ.

A Multilingual, Multi-Team Effort

One early challenge was language. The Albanian team needed the system in their native language. To solve this quickly, the Attention team extracted all UI text, delivered it in English, and the local team translated it to Albanian. The updated texts were uploaded into Salesforce—making the platform available in Albanian for the first time.

The collaboration worked smoothly despite communication happening mostly in English. The shared mindset, responsiveness, and structured coordination ensured fast progress and clear alignment.

Project Milestones

The project kicked off in July 2022. Key phases included:

1. Digital foundation: Navision integration, sales and customer service process digitalization, and workflow automation.
2. CPQ implementation: Automated quoting, product configuration, pricing logic, and quote lifecycle management.
3. Data and process structure: Master data management, optimized approval flows, and full Customer 360 enablement.
4. Mobile-first sales: Easy lead creation and account updates via mobile and tablet.
5. Advanced reporting: Manager dashboards for approvals, status reviews, activity tracking, and performance insights.

Leading Through Change

As in most CRM-maturity journeys, the Albanian team went through the typical cycle: initial excitement, temporary frustration, and eventual adoption. Clear leadership support played a decisive role in moving the organization through the challenging middle phase.

The strong collaboration between project managers on both sides ensured continuous communication. Issues were addressed early, expectations were aligned frequently, and decisions were made quickly. This open communication became one of the project’s key success factors.

Tangible Business Impact

During the Go-Live phase, the Albanian team received full training in their own language. By this point, the new quoting model, CPQ engine, mobile workflows, and manager dashboards were all in place.

The results were immediate:

• Sales processes became fully visualized and easier to manage.
• Managers gained instant access to key metrics that previously required combining multiple spreadsheets and manual work.
• Lead status and customer lifecycle became clearly visible, improving pipeline quality.
• The team adopted a more agile, data-driven way of working.
• Online collaboration proved fully effective—even across countries, languages, and time zones.

As one manager summarized: “Everything I imagined about our sales performance is now visible in Salesforce—instantly, clearly, and without manual effort.”

Lessons Learned

The project showed that successful transformation requires more than technology:

• Communication must be continuous and transparent. Silence usually signals a bottleneck.
• Leadership commitment is essential. When the sales leader supports the new system, adoption cascades naturally.
• Mindset matters as much as process. Teams need time, guidance, and clear benefits to embrace a new way of working.
• Remote collaboration can deliver exceptional results when both sides stay open, committed, and solution-oriented.

A Scalable Model for the Region

With Albania now fully live on Salesforce—and with the platform available in Albanian—the project sets a new benchmark for future rollouts across the Balkans. The approach is repeatable, scalable, and aligned with Saint-Gobain’s global standards.

The combined effort of Attention CRM Consulting and Saint-Gobain once again demonstrates how a clear vision, strong leadership, and a well-designed CRM system can reshape daily work, empower teams, and support long-term growth across an entire region.