Visual Exposure’s Digital Transformation with Zoho One

Introduction

The Beginning of the Journey

Visual Exposure (VE), a leader in signage and visual technologies, has built its reputation on delivering exceptional custom solutions. From pylon signs towering over highways to sleek corporate branding, from illuminated signage to dynamic digital displays, VE is a trusted name in the signage industry. As the company grew, its operations expanded across three distinct business units:

Visual Exposure Zoho One Implementation

Visual Exposure (VE): Focused on physical signage, encompassing design, fabrication, and installation.

Visual Technologies (VT): Specialized in digital signage, commercial lighting, and electrical installations.

WeFab Signs (WFS): Served as the manufacturing hub, producing the physical signboards and components required by VE and VT.

But success came with challenges. Their growing clientele and increased project complexity began to stretch the limits of their existing tools and processes.


Recognizing the Need for Change

For years, VE relied on disparate systems like Sugar CRM, SAASU, and Google Sheets. While these tools had served their purpose in the early stages, they now created more problems than solutions:


Disjointed Operations: Separate systems meant data silos, where vital information about leads, quotes, and jobs was scattered, making collaboration difficult.

Time-Consuming Workflows: Manual processes for tracking leads, managing jobs, and generating quotes consumed valuable time and left room for errors.

Compliance Gaps: Managing safety documentation like SWMS (Safety Work Method Statements) was cumbersome, risking delays and potential non-compliance.

Customer Expectations: Clients demanded real-time updates and seamless communication, which the existing setup struggled to deliver.


It became clear that VE needed more than just new tools—they needed a robust, tightly integrated platform to unify their operations and prepare for the future.


The Partnership with FI Digital

Determined to overcome these challenges, VE partnered with FI Digital, a trusted Zoho implementation partner. FI Digital proposed Zoho One, a robust, integrated platform to address VE’s needs. Over the coming months, FI Digital worked closely with VE to reimagine their operations, weaving Zoho’s tools into the fabric of their business processes.


A Unified System for Seamless Operations

The transformation started with a bold vision: unify the operations of VE, VT, and WFS under one platform. FI Digital implemented Zoho CRM, Zoho Creator, and Zoho Books, creating a seamless workflow across departments

Visual Exposure: A Journey Toward Operational Excellence with Zoho One

An Industry Leader in Signage Solutions

Visual Exposure (VE) has built a stellar reputation as a leading provider of signage and visual technologies. From crafting towering pylon signs to illuminated corporate displays and intricate digital signage, VE is  the name businesses trust to transform their brand visibility. Operating across three core business units, VE caters to both traditional and digital signage demands:

  • Visual Exposure (VE): Experts in physical signage design, fabrication, and installation.
  • Visual Technologies (VT): Specialists in digital signage, commercial lighting, and cutting-edge electrical installations.
  • WeFab Signs (WFS): The powerhouse for manufacturing and fabrication, supporting VE and VT with physical components.

As their projects grew in scale and complexity, so did the challenges of managing operations across these business units. VE knew they needed to rethink their systems and processes if they were to keep delivering excellence at scale.

When Success Outgrew System

For years, VE had relied on a mix of tools like Sugar CRM, SAASU, and Google Sheets to manage operations. While these tools had served their purpose in the early days, they began to falter as the business grew. Challenges piled up:

  • Scattered Information: Critical customer and project data were spread across multiple tools, leading to delays and confusion.
  • Manual Bottlenecks: From tracking jobs to generating invoices, the manual workflows were slowing everything down.
  • Compliance Pressures: With safety and compliance requirements growing stricter, manually handling SWMS (Safety Work Method Statements) and other documentation was becoming a liability.
  • Customer Expectations: Clients expected seamless communication, real-time updates, and a higher level of service than the existing systems could support.

It became clear to VE that their success had outgrown their systems. They needed a solution that could unify their operations, automate workflows, and support their ambition for growth.

 

Enhanced Customer Management with Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM became the heart of VE’s operations, centralizing all customer and project data. The integration began with VE’s website, where every lead captured through Zoho Forms was automatically synced into the CRM. 

All customer interactions, quotes, invoices, and compliance documents were housed in Zoho CRM, eliminating data silos and creating a single source of truth.

​​Empowering Operations and Service Delivery with Zoho Creator

To manage the complexity of their projects, FI Digital built a custom digital workspace in Zoho Creator. This workspace allowed VE to track jobs across their business units:

  • Fab Tasks: Monitored every step of the manufacturing process at WFS.
  • Design Tasks: Coordinated creative workflows, ensuring designs met client expectations.
  • Install Tasks: Managed on-site installation projects, complete with pre-job checklists and automated SWMS generation.

The system ensured that tasks flowed seamlessly:

  • From Start to Finish: When a deal was marked as “Closed Won” in CRM, a job was automatically created in Zoho Creator. Tasks were assigned to managers, who delegated responsibilities to their teams.
  • Accountability at Every Step: Pre- and post-job checklists ensured that every detail was covered. Tasks couldn’t be marked complete until all requirements were met.
  • Built-In Approvals: Managers reviewed tasks for approval, providing feedback or rejecting tasks if revisions were needed.

Financial Control with Zoho Books

Zoho Books provided the financial backbone for VE’s operations:

Invoicing Made Easy: Once a quote was approved in CRM, an invoice was automatically generated in Zoho Books.

Payment Terms and Credit Limits: CRM and Books worked together to enforce customer-specific payment terms, auto-populating due dates and monitoring credit limits.

Aging Summaries: Real-time summaries helped VE track outstanding payments and maintain healthy cash flow.

Boosting Productivity with Extensions

FI Digital implemented advanced integrations to make VE’s workflows even smoother:

Google Address Finder: Simplified address entry, ensuring accuracy and saving time during lead and job creation.

Google Workdrive: Organized all project-related documents—artwork, contracts, and safety records—in structured folders linked to CRM records..

A Partnership for the Future

Visual Exposure’s transformation journey with Zoho One, powered by FI Digital, has positioned them as a trailblazer in the signage industry. By unifying their operations and automating workflows, VE has achieved operational excellence, streamlined compliance, and elevated customer satisfaction.

FI Digital continues to collaborate with VE, identifying new opportunities to enhance their systems and support their growth.

A Partnership for the Future

The transformation delivered measurable results, making VE’s operations faster, more efficient, and scalable:

Improved Efficiency: Manual workflows were reduced by 60%, enabling teams to focus on high-value tasks.

Faster Project Turnaround: Lead-to-deal conversion times improved by 40%, ensuring quicker project kickoffs.

Streamlined Compliance: Automation of SWMS documentation and centralized storage reduced compliance-related delays by 50%.

Cost Savings: Replacing multiple legacy tools with Zoho One cut operational costs by 25%, freeing up resources for growth initiatives.

Better Financial Oversight: Automated financial processes improved payment collection timelines by 30%, strengthening cash flow.

Data-Driven Insights:Custom dashboards provided actionable insights, improving decision-making by 20%.

Challenges

 Fragmented Systems

 

Visual Exposure relied on disconnected tools like Sugar CRM, SAASU, and Google Sheets for various operations, leading to data silos and inefficiencies.

Integration gaps between leads, quotes, inventory, and project management systems caused delays and errors in process execution.

  1. Manual Workflows

 

Key processes, such as lead categorization, quote management, and task assignments, were manual, increasing response times and the risk of errors.

Inventory checks and project updates required significant manual effort.

  1. Compliance and Documentation

 

Managing compliance-heavy processes, such as safety procedures (SWMS) and installation documentation, was cumbersome.

Ensuring traceability and audit-ready records across departments was a challenge.

  1. Customer Experience Gaps

 

Delays in communication and follow-ups negatively impacted customer satisfaction.

Manual processes limited the ability to provide real-time updates to clients.



Solutions

Visual Exposure implemented Zoho One, leveraging its suite of applications to digitize, automate, and unify their operations.

 

1) Unified ERP System

 

Replaced legacy systems like Sugar CRM and SAASU with Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, and Zoho Inventory for integrated management of leads, quotes, orders, and inventory.Activated Zoho Creator to build a custom Manufacturing ERP for managing fabrication processes.



2) Automated Lead Management

 

Integrated lead categorization workflows in Zoho CRM:

Automatically assigned leads based on deal types (e.g., signage or petroleum).

Created tasks for sales or project managers based on lead complexity.

Triggered automated workflows for follow-ups, site visit scheduling, and artwork approvals.


3) Quote and Order Automation

 

Streamlined the quote-to-order process with Zoho CRM and Zoho Inventory:

Automated quote reviews, approvals, and follow-ups.

Integrated workflows to create orders, jobs, and purchase requests upon quote acceptance.

4) Project and Task Management

 

Implemented Zoho Creator to manage tasks related to jobs and installations:

Enabled real-time updates on job statuses and site safety measures.

Automated the generation and storage of compliance documents (e.g., SWMS).

 

5) Enhanced Customer Engagement

Developed an integrated Contact Us form on the Visual Exposure website to capture and auto-sync leads into Zoho CRM.

Introduced email automation:

Sent real-time updates on quotes and orders.

Automated reminders for incomplete tasks and follow-ups.



6) Advanced Reporting and Dashboards

Configured Zoho Analytics to track:

Lead conversion rates, quote statuses, and job profitability.

Real-time inventory levels and project timelines.


7) Survey and Feedback Mechanism

 

Activated Zoho Surveys to collect post-installation feedback from customers:

Automatically analyzed survey responses.

Assigned tasks for negative feedback, ensuring prompt resolution.

Results

 

8) Streamlined Operations

 

Replaced five disparate systems with Zoho One, creating a centralized and integrated ERP system.

Reduced manual workflows by over 60%, enhancing efficiency across departments.


9) Improved Compliance

 

Automated documentation for SWMS, job safety, and installation processes ensured compliance readiness.

Enhanced traceability with digital records stored in Zoho Workdrive.

10) Enhanced Customer Experience

 

Automated workflows reduced response times for quotes and follow-ups.

Real-time updates and email notifications improved client satisfaction.

11) Cost Savings

 

Transitioned from expensive legacy tools to a cost-effective Zoho One platform, significantly reducing operational expenses.

12) Actionable Insights


Custom dashboards provided real-time insights into lead conversions, job statuses, and financial performance, supporting data-driven decision-making.

Conclusion

Visual Exposure’s adoption of Zoho One transformed their operations by replacing fragmented systems with a unified, integrated platform to manage the end to end business processes. The automation of workflows, seamless management of leads and projects, and enhanced compliance capabilities positioned Visual Exposure for scalable growth while reducing costs. With real-time reporting and improved customer engagement, Visual Exposure is now equipped to meet the demands of a competitive market effectively.

 

This case study highlights the successful digitization and optimization of Visual Exposure’s business processes through Zoho One. Let me know if you’d like any refinements or additional details