From e-commerce to
Commercial Operations
Why Van Vliet Duurzaamhout looked beyond e-commerce
About Van Vliet Duurzaamhout
Van Vliet Duurzaamhout specializes in sustainable European timber. The company supplies landscapers, contractors, leisure companies, public-sector organizations and business customers. In addition to standard products, custom work accounts for a significant share of revenue. Cut-to-size boards, project requests, specialist advice and customer-specific solutions are part of the sales process every day.
The Challenge
Van Vliet had a strong digital foundation. The website and online sales channel formed one integrated platform. AFAS supported the company's internal operations.
At the same time, the need grew for greater flexibility in content, campaigns and SEO, as well as for a future-proof e-commerce platform.
During the analysis, it became clear that the biggest challenge was not the webshop.
Online orders mainly consisted of standard and commodity products. The real commercial value was created through custom work, project quotes, specialist advice and customer-specific solutions. These processes are far less suited to a traditional online ordering process and are handled through inside sales, account managers, phone and email.
That is where the most commercial value was added.
These processes were supported by different systems. As a result, commercial employees constantly switched between applications, information was entered multiple times, and there was no complete overview of the order and quote flow across all sales channels.
The Insight
Van Vliet was not looking for more e-commerce functionality. The online environment worked well for standard products and repeat orders. The next step was the commercial operation.
Customers choose how they do business. They order online through their personal Customer Portal, call inside sales, send an email, or work with an account manager on a project.
For the customer, it is one commercial relationship. Van Vliet wanted to organize things the same way internally.
No longer different systems for different commercial processes, but one central commercial operation where all sales channels come together.
The Customer Portal and the Sales Hub are two mirrored work environments that use the same commercial foundation.
For customers
Customer Portal
Each customer works from their own personalized Customer Portal with the right assortment, contract prices, quotes and order history.
For sales
Sales Hub
Inside sales and account managers have their own Sales Hub, where they can instantly open the same personalized commercial environment for each customer that the customer sees. Not by logging in as the customer, but from a workspace designed specifically for sales and enhanced with margins, cost prices, price breakdowns, alternatives, workflows and AI support.
Not the same interface.
But the same commercial truth.
The result is one central commercial workspace. No more switching between systems. Fewer administrative tasks. More time for customers.
Just as importantly, it creates a foundation on which AI can genuinely add value. Not as a standalone feature, but integrated into the daily commercial operation.
The Choice
Van Vliet chose the Commercial Operations Platform.
The Commercial Operations Platform consists of four integrated building blocks. Organizations can start in phases and expand later, or choose the full platform from the outset. Van Vliet chose to support the entire commercial operation from one platform from day one.
Side callout
Did you know?
A Customer Portal is not a standalone product. It uses the same Commerce Engine, pricing engine, security, APIs, integrations and commercial logic as the full Commercial Operations Platform.
This allows organizations to start small and easily expand later with Sales Hub, Commercial Insights and AI & Workflows, without having to reimplement.
The four building blocks
Four building blocks.
One commercial operation.
Sales Workspace
The central workspace for inside sales and account managers. For each customer, the same personalized commercial environment that the customer sees in their Customer Portal can be opened instantly. It is supplemented with commercial information available only to employees, such as margins, cost prices, price breakdowns, alternatives, approvals, workflows and AI support.
Customer Portals
The digital sales channel for customers. Customers order online, view their personal assortment, contract prices, quotes and order history, and handle as much as possible independently.
Commerce Engine
The shared commercial engine behind the Customer Portal, the Sales Hub, Commercial Insights and AI & Workflows.
Product information, pricing agreements, quotes, order logic, commercial rules and workflows are managed centrally here. This means customers and employees always work from the same commercial foundation, regardless of the sales channel through which an order or quote originates.
Commercial Insights
Because all commercial interactions come together on one platform, the entire commercial operation becomes visible in real time. Orders, quotes, customer activity and commercial performance can be viewed across all sales channels.
AI & Workflows
AI agents and workflows use the same commercial foundation and real-time insights. This allows them to automate administrative tasks, prepare quotes, process orders and identify commercial signals.
Beneath this commercial layer, AFAS remains responsible for finance, logistics, inventory management and the rest of the company's internal operations.
The Result
Online remained part of sales.The commercial operation became the starting point.
Customers and employees work from the same commercial foundation, each in a workspace designed for their own role.
Online orders through the Customer Portal and offline sales processes through the Sales Hub are part of the same commercial operation.
Inside sales has one central workspace with real-time visibility into the complete order and quote flow, regardless of the sales channel through which a request comes in.
Marketing has the freedom to continue developing the website independently.
Because all commercial interactions come together on one platform, there is a solid foundation for making AI part of the daily commercial operation step by step.