Growing SIZA’s Sustainability Vision with Salesforce

Migrating to a Scalable, Cloud-Based Solution

SIZA’s legacy system had reached its limits, becoming increasingly costly and challenging to maintain. With constant legislative changes, the need to add an environmental module, and the growing demand for a user-friendly platform, SIZA decided to transition to a cloud-based solution. CloudSmiths, as Salesforce’s largest partner in Africa, was selected to lead this transformation.

The migration from the legacy system to MySIZA on Salesforce Experience Cloud and Sales Cloud was a complex project, taking nearly 12 months to complete. Despite the challenges posed by the global pandemic, which necessitated a shift to fully remote collaboration, CloudSmiths successfully delivered the project on time. The new MySIZA platform was designed to connect SIZA’s stakeholders with their suppliers, allowing them to access, capture, and monitor data and records in real time.

Customising MySIZA to Meet SIZA’s Unique Needs

One of the critical requirements for SIZA was the ability to provide different screen views for various users, including producers, auditors, buyers, importers, exporters, and administrators. The platform needed to be scalable, allowing for the seamless addition of new users, and capable of sending automated notifications and reminders. The migration also involved transferring data, documents, evidence, and visuals from the existing legacy system to the new platform.

CloudSmiths customised the Salesforce Sales Cloud to create a unified platform that could handle these complexities. The project began with a three-month setup phase to ensure that the team fully understood SIZA’s specific requirements. The resulting MySIZA platform incorporated a range of features designed to eliminate user pain points, enhance data accuracy, and streamline processes. These features included better connections between stakeholders, online chat, integrated secure payments, customisable data fields, and real-time audit tracking and approvals.

Enhancing Operational Efficiency and Security

The new MySIZA platform not only improved user experience with a simple, clean UI but also strengthened operational efficiency and data security. The platform’s design allows for easy navigation, document upload, and viewing, while maintaining strict data privacy and protection protocols. Only appointed auditors can access specific producer information, and advanced security features have been implemented to minimise the risk of certificate fraud.

SIZA’s decision to partner with CloudSmiths proved to be the right choice, as the Salesforce-powered MySIZA platform now serves as the heart of the organisation, centralising operations and enabling seamless interaction among stakeholders. The platform’s scalability ensures that it can grow alongside SIZA’s expanding user base and evolving needs.

Laying the Foundation for Future Growth and Innovation

With the successful completion of the first phase of the MySIZA project, which addressed the immediate challenges of migrating to a cloud-based system, SIZA is now looking to the future. The organisation has once again partnered with CloudSmiths to embark on the second phase, which will focus on incorporating Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for digital monitoring related to water management, carbon footprint, and other environmental issues around producer sustainability. Additionally, plans are in place to develop an API that will allow MySIZA to link to international platforms in the UK, Europe, and other regions.

A Partnership Built on Trust and Shared Values

SIZA’s partnership with CloudSmiths has been marked by trust, collaboration, and a shared commitment to excellence. The values, culture, and ethics of CloudSmiths align closely with those of SIZA, making the partnership not only successful but also enjoyable.