Lemon helps customers optimize electricity costs and uses FLOWii CRM for project management

Tomáš Hanus gave his company an unconventional name — Lemon. Today, thanks to his long-standing experience in energy and IT, he helps customers optimize their electricity costs. The company is currently growing, partly due to increasing interest from local municipalities in saving public resources. FLOWii CRM also supports the company in managing its projects.

What does Citrón do?

We help customers optimize their electricity costs. We are able to identify savings opportunities even where many would not expect them. We have developed software that can analyze all of our clients’ consumption points within minutes. There is strong demand for our service.

Tomáš Hanus, Managing Director of Citrón

How do you help your customers?

A company contacts us. We explain what we do and start with a free initial analysis of their current situation. To perform it, we need access to energy portals where all data and historical records are stored.

We then present the results to the customer and propose solutions. If they agree, we establish cooperation.

We implement changes aimed at achieving savings. Each measure is monitored online, supported by a sophisticated notification system. This allows us to guarantee that the customer will achieve the agreed level of savings over a given period.

How much have you saved for your clients so far?

Thanks to our recommendations, our clients save more than €2 million annually in total. The median annual savings per client is approximately €1,000.

What is your business model?

Our business model is based on a fixed percentage of the savings we generate for the customer. We agree on the commission in advance and apply it to the total annual savings.

The customer only pays when they see that the solution actually works.

We support our clients over time. Thanks to our application, we can monitor their performance and suggest further measures when needed to maximize savings.

What data do you use for your analysis?

Our analysis is entirely data-driven, based on information obtained from energy portals of municipalities, companies, or organizations.

Customers do not need to install any special meters or sensors. Thanks to our expertise, we can identify savings opportunities using existing data. The only requirement is access to that data.

We don’t tell customers what to do. We show them the current situation and present possible solutions, including tariff and rate adjustments.

In most cases, the change is reflected in the first or second invoice, allowing the customer to clearly see the value of our service.

"I used to think CRM systems were only for large companies. Then we discovered FLOWii, which offers a very good customer support. We tested it and continue to discover new features that help us maintain clarity and order in our business," Tomas Hanus says.

How long does the analysis usually take?

The speed of analysis depends on the region.

In some companies we can complete it within minutes — the client only needs to provide access to the energy provider’s portal.

In others, it may take 2–3 days, as we need to extract data from invoices and connect our platform to the energy data portal. In such cases, we require portal access and invoice scans.

How does FLOWii help to the company

Your business is growing. What helps you manage it?

We currently have more than 200 clients. Initially, there were only three of us — a salesperson, an analyst, and myself as a manager. With our current workload, we now need five salespeople and two analysts.

As we grew, the tools we were using were no longer sufficient.

I used to think CRM systems were only for large companies. I did not feel we were big enough. Then we discovered FLOWii, which offers a very good customer support — a major advantage. We tested it and continue to discover new features that help us maintain clarity and order in our business.

How exactly do you use FLOWii?

We have been using FLOWii for about six months. Compared to before, we are now in a completely different position.

We finally have clarity and visibility. I have a good memory, but the volume of information became overwhelming. Excel was no longer sufficient.

We decided to find a practical tool for data management and project control. In the past, I sometimes misjudged timelines or forgot to follow up with potential clients or issue invoices.

We are very satisfied with FLOWii. The CRM helps us manage projects and identify business partners through a centralized database.

We can track the stage of each sales case — often multiple cases are linked to a single partner. We also plan to track conversion rates from initial contact to closed deals.

We are very satisfied with FLOWii. The CRM helps us manage projects and identify business partners through a centralized database.

Through online invoicing, we can issue invoices in advance and estimate our cash flow. We have connected the invoicing system with our bank account, allowing us to track receivables.

We monitor both issued and received invoices, including due dates and payment obligations.

As a manager, I can monitor the performance of our sales team. If one performs better than another, we analyze why and share knowledge within the team.

We are currently exploring the best way to track company costs. As new challenges arise, the software provides effective solutions.

We can track the stage of each sales case — often multiple cases are linked to a single partner. We also plan to track conversion rates from initial contact to closed deals.

Your company name is quite unusual — Lemon. How it is connected to the energy?

Initially, I considered typical names like Energy Services or Energy Management, but they were already taken. One day, I saw a YouTube video showing how a light bulb can be powered using a lemon and two metal strips. That is when it clicked.

Lemon is memorable. It has a color, taste, and shape — people perceive it through multiple senses.

In the end, someone told me: “If you can introduce yourself as Tomáš Hanus from Lemon without laughing, why not?”

Now I see that the name works — customers remember it. Sometimes I wonder if it’s too unconventional, but it definitely has potential.

We decided to find a practical tool for data management and project control. In the past, I sometimes misjudged timelines or forgot to follow up with potential clients or issue invoices.

Who is your ideal customer?

Our ideal customer is one with multiple consumption points or older, energy-inefficient buildings with long-term energy usage.

We focus on smaller clients — municipalities, institutions, and small to medium-sized businesses.

I recommend that organizations try such an analysis to see if savings opportunities exist. The money saved can then be used for other important purposes.