Introduction

In today's business scenario, efficiency in internal processes is a mechanism that accelerates an organization's success. Companies face many challenges in managing the most varied processes and, in this article, we portray a scenario faced by a large customer about the extreme difficulty of managing their sales process. 

Challenge

The company in question is a large, B2B company, and its main offer is consulting in technology services. Although an inherent challenge for almost all companies, the market presents high competition, which requires even more agility in processes and access to relevant data for business management. Unfortunately, as in more situations than expected, when we got in touch with the customer, they faced many difficulties in managing their sales process, among other issues: 

• The need for multiple approvals for the closing of contracts, involving diverse teams.   
• Dispersion of information in dozens/hundreds of Excel files and external systems, which made it impossible to see data in a structured way, namely data related to commercial action and sales.  
• The constant existence of inconsistent or omitted data, and consequently, divergences in the calculation and analysis of results, which, from the point of view of decision support (among other operational factors), resulted in incorrect/decontextualized analyses or decisions.  

Approach

After a detailed analysis and survey of processes, current situation and objectives, the solution proposed by worldIT was structured in the implementation of Salesforce's sales management and CRM platform. 

The choice of a solution considers a broad range of factors, not always immediately impactful but which can prove to be very limiting in the long term, extending far beyond the financial investment associated with licensing, for example.:  

- Features, usability and ease of adoption by users 

- Scalability and reliability 

- Resource dependency and solution robustness 

- Evolution Roadmap 

- Technical and functional support 

- Implementation model 

- Integration capability 

- Additional level and type of customization to the base package (no code) 

- Data security and privacy guarantees 

Taking these parameters into account, the choice was the Salesforce platform, which is the one that naturally presents the best indicators of immediate and future success. In particular, the Salesforce platform is known for having:  

- Hundreds of thousands of encapsulated, ready-to-use core features 

- Associated with one of the largest ecosystems of developers 

- Have a permanent evolution roadmap with new releases every 4 months 

- Relearn with best practices from hundreds of thousands of customers and millions of users worldwide 

- Have dedicated security departments with instance redundancy systems 

- One of the world's largest networks of implementation and support partners 

- Ability to integrate systems with connectors from virtually all data communication protocols. 

In the case of the client under analysis, the choice allowed us to immediately attack the collection and structuring of information in a systematic way in a single silo, and immediately ensure the efficient management of internal processes, the integration of external systems and the centralization of data. In addition, the Salesforce platform offers native tools to eliminate data discrepancies and immediately improve the workflow of all areas involved in the company's sales process. The flexibility and ease of entering information through desktop, tablet or mobile input channels using only one process definition, and ensuring data security and privacy, in line with the company's compliance policies. 

As a practical example, we've outlined one of the processes to optimize – the approval process, Salesforce offers users the ability to automate an approval process with a few clicks and build it within the Salesforce organization.  

In a classic scenario of commercial processes, commercial areas often face the need to confirm their transactions in internal departments (e.g. legal, invoicing, logistics) through an approval process. 

Usually, this process involves many emails to different interlocutors and systems, and there is often a need to ensure confirmations.  This whole process can take time, which is why Salesforce has developed a built-in approval process that can be used to automate getting approval. Once it's set up, the approval request becomes a click of a button. 

Preconditions 

Step 1. Decide who is an approver in your process and set up a queue. 

The approval can be a fixed individual user, or a team of people.   

A queue is basically the name of that group and individuals who belong to that group.  

Step 2. Set up an Email notification. 

In many cases, it is necessary to attach several documents to the process to obtain the approval of the different areas, and there are guarantee validations that do not allow sending the approval request without having the document attached. 

An email notification or alert on the platform will inform an approver or approvers that there is a record that needs their attention. 

Example: GDPR Approval 

Directly through an Opportunity/Proposal registration, it is sent to the GDPR department for approval. In addition to filling in information fields, the validation of the existence of mandatory documentation can be configured so that the ability to send approval allows the process to move forward. The GDPR department analyzes the information, and with one click, proceeds to approve or reject it. 

O utilizador com perfil “SF GDPR” vai receber uma notificação de um pedido para aprovação.  

By entering the order, you can accept, reject or assign it to another user. 

View of the icons that correspond to all approvals required to move forward with an Opp. Icons can be green, yellow, or red, depending on the status of each approval.   
  

Results

Within the first few weeks of implementation, the customer saw significant improvements: 

• The centralization of information on the platform provided a more accurate view of how to improve the quality of their data to be able to more accurately visualize sales results.   
• The agility to request and receive necessary approvals in the sales process has increased.  
• The clear visualization of the status of each process made the flow much more efficient.  

Strategies Used

Several strategies were adopted to ensure the success of the implementation: 

- Salesforce Platform Demo: The platform's potential to solve the main problems quickly and efficiently was highlighted:  

• Because the platform is cloud-based, the need to deal with the infrastructure was automatically eliminated, saving precious time and costs.  
• Using low code for a variety of features significantly streamlines the production process, reducing the time it takes to implement a variety of features.  
• The existence of an extensive community of users facilitates the quick resolution of similar problems, providing access to solutions that have already been tested and validated.  
• The tool's features facilitate the control of the various steps necessary in the company's internal processes, increasing the productivity of the teams involved and improving the analysis of results with integrated and centralized data on the platform.  

- worldIT's experience and knowledge:  worldIT's knowledge of Salesforce was emphasized, with qualified professionals for both the initial implementation of the project and post-implementation technical support. The customer was guaranteed training for Salesforce end users, in addition to technical support for the customer's internal teams that would be responsible for the maintenance and evolution of the tool. 

- Detailed Planning: A thorough planning was carried out, with clarity of the requirements that would be developed and stages of the project, so that the client fully understood the necessary development and the expected results. 

- Delivery of Complete Documentation: Complete documentation on the Salesforce solution was provided, including training manuals, functional documents and technical manuals for the customer's team to ensure autonomy in the operation and maintenance of the new technology. 

- Data Security and Privacy Assurance: Data security and privacy were top priorities, ensuring compliance with company policies. 

Conclusion

This brief example highlights the importance of a comprehensive approach to implementing innovative solutions and the choice of platform and partner. By involving the customer in all phases of the development process, identifying opportunities for improvement, and demonstrating how solutions can solve problems, a relationship of trust and mutual collaboration is established. The constant concern to meet customer expectations positions worldIT as a reference for modern and innovative solutions, strengthening the partnership to face challenges and boost the company's productivity.  

#Salesforce #worldIT #SalesManagement # DigitalTransformation