Weber Food: Automation at Heart, Digitalization as a Mission- Transforming Sales with Salesforce and snapAddy VisitReport

Driving Growth Through Digitalization and Automation

Weber Food Technology has always been a pioneer in automation solutions. Whether through digital products, the use of AR glasses for enhanced on-site customer service, the introduction of its 360° service offering "Weber Guardian," or the "Digital Factory Solutions" for monitoring and optimizing customer production—Weber consistently drives growth through digitalization and automation. This commitment also extends to the company’s internal process optimization. A major milestone was the implementation of Salesforce as the CRM system and SAP as the new ERP platform. Naturally, digitizing the lead capture process became the next logical step on Weber’s digitalization roadmap.

Previously, leads at trade shows were collected manually using printed forms, filled in by hand with notes and checkmarks. Business cards were stapled to the forms, which were then scanned and forwarded as PDFs to the sales team—a process that was both inefficient and time-consuming. Follow-up often took several days, leaving potential customers waiting for a response. It was clear that the lead management process urgently needed an overhaul.

From Tedious Paperwork to Real-Time Sync

Weber Food Technology chose to take a digital approach and committed to a promising provider for three years—aligned with the cycle of the major industry trade shows. However, the solution failed to deliver in practice. It was expensive, offered only limited functionality, and lacked the necessary interfaces for efficient integration into systems such as the company’s CRM. In the end, the process still produced PDF documents that could not be seamlessly integrated into other platforms.

The decision to search for a new solution was driven by the need for a more efficient, faster, and better-integrated way to improve both the quality and speed of lead processing. It wasn’t long before the team came across snapADDY VisitReport—a solution that immediately won over Andreas Wege:

Switching to snapADDY VisitReport was the logical next step. The software’s intuitive user experience, powerful business card scanning, and seamless integration with Salesforce quickly made a strong impression. Since Salesforce had already been implemented, particular attention was paid to how well the new lead capture solution could be embedded into the existing system landscape.

Field-Tested: snapADDY VisitReport at CFIA & IFFA

To introduce the lead capture app, the project manager selected a smaller trade show in France as a pilot, with five users testing the solution on-site. Andreas Wege was present to provide hands-on support, and the snapADDY team remained on standby for any questions. Apart from a few refinements to the questionnaire, the rollout went smoothly—paving the way for a successful deployment at the major industry event IFFA just a few months later.

The rollout was supported by two live digital training sessions, including on-demand recordings for later reference. A digital user guide was also made available via the company’s employee app. On-site, the team held a personal kickoff session prior to the start of the event.

Andreas Wege continued this structured approach at subsequent flagship trade shows, gradually establishing the new, smart lead capture process across the organization. The solution has since made its way to the U.S., where it was previously unknown—and is now being used with great enthusiasm.

The New Process: Fast, Simple, Efficient

Today, Weber Food Technology's trade show lead process is significantly more efficient:

• Lead capture directly at the event:
  Staff use VisitReport on their smartphones or tablets to collect customer data in real time. With automatic business card scanning and customizable questionnaires, they can capture relevant information quickly and accurately.
• Real-time synchronization with Salesforce:
  Leads are available in the CRM during the event itself. The sales team can initiate follow-ups faster and send personalized thank-you emails shortly after the initial contact.
• Tailored to each event:
  Whether it’s a smaller industry fair or a major international trade show like IFFA or Anuga FoodTec, Weber can flexibly adapt the lead capture process to the event format. Custom questions about new product features also help evaluate market interest and trends.

Pro Tip: Tracking for In-House Events

In the U.S., it’s common to use VisitReport in combination with the trade show badge provider’s interface. Inspired by this setup, Andreas Wege’s resourceful U.S. colleagues adapted the lead app for use at their own event. The U.S. team hosted a small Oktoberfest as an after-show event following the IPPE trade show in Atlanta—and used visitors’ existing trade show badges for entry tracking. This also allowed them to identify exactly which trade show attendees had accepted the invitation and taken part in the event.