Force.com AppExchange Apps Drive Productivity and Visibility at Fiberlink Communications
Fiberlink managers regularly visit the Force.com AppExchange as their first stop in determining
what tools and resources are available to them to solve new business problems and extend their
Salesforce implementation. With the help of applications from the software-as-a-service (SaaS)
marketplace and the flexibility of the Force.com platform, Fiberlink has increased pipeline
visibility, improved commissions management, introduced a successful channel program, and more.
A longtime Salesforce customer, Fiberlink was historically a business dial access aggregator.
When the company refocused its vision to become a mobile security provider with a SaaS delivery
model, it needed to re-implement Salesforce to address its updated needs. The AppExchange played a
key role in helping Fiberlink managers rejuvenate the company’s use of Salesforce, and leverage it
to drive productivity and business visibility.
Today, Fiberlink enables global enterprises to improve information security and support
mobile and remote workers with ease and confidence. Its technology protects and connects one
million mobile workers in over 700 companies. As an innovator and leader in applying an on-demand
software model to mobile security and connectivity applications, it is only natural that the
company looks to SaaS solutions to solve its own business needs whenever possible.
John McGuigan, director of sales operations and driver of the Salesforce reimplementation,
regularly visits the Force.com AppExchange for inspiration and to determine what tools and
resources are available to solve new business problems and enhance his company’s experience with
Salesforce. According to McGuigan, “The AppExchange is our first stop when we have a new business
need. It is a one-stop shop for business solutions.”
Salesforce and the AppExchange have helped Fiberlink managers successfully deliver on the
company’s new vision. The tool has increased pipeline visibility for better overall business
management, launched a thriving channel partner management program, and improved commissions
management.
|
LucidEra
by LucidEra |
|
Force.com
by salesforce.com |
|
|
|
||||
|
Deal Registration Program Template
by salesforce.com |
|
Adoption Dashboards
by salesforce.com |
McGuigan found LucidEra, a focused analytic solution designed for high-growth companies who want to track sales performance, analyze revenue growth and trends, and proactively manage business and market change. With LucidEra, companies can immediately understand at what stage opportunities are falling out of the pipeline, and capture daily, monthly and annual trends.
Since installing LucidEra, Fiberlink has automated its data collection process, so management can instantly access data and better track its pipeline. Managers can drill down for additional data, or take action if needed. LucidEra has also saved a considerable amount of time in report generation. “Now senior staff has tremendous insight into the movement of opportunities in the quarter. This new information allows them to be much more proactive with their teams,” McGuigan explains. “We used to spend hours preparing reports because we had to look at each opportunity line by line. Now we just open LucidEra and have all the information we need at our fingertips.”
The Deal Registration Program application, available for free from Salesforce Labs, makes the deal submission and approval process efficient, transparent and easy to use. Partners easily submit deals, understand deal registration guidelines, receive deal status emails, and have visibility to the approval thread. Channel managers effortlessly search for existing leads or opportunities before approving a deal registration and have full visibility to deal registration activity and performance through best practice deal registration reports and dashboards.
“The Deal Registration Program has been a huge help in monitoring the channel program,” says McGuigan. “The ability to quickly understand deal ownership has greatly accelerated our sales cycle. The application is a critical component of our channel program’s success. We have accelerated sales cycles now that deal ownership is known and understood.”
The AppExchange played a key role in helping McGuigan address this business issue. Using the AppExchange, he was able to test drive third party solutions; ultimately he determined that Fiberlink’s needs were so unique that the best solution would be to develop a custom application.
Using the Force.com platform, Fiberlink created an application to calculate, approve, communicate, and process commission payments. The application appears on a custom tab in Salesforce. McGuigan comments, “It’s improved our sales team’s attitude toward compensation and given us greater insight into how much and where our commission dollars are spent.”
Adoption Dashboards, another application available for free on the AppExchange from Salesforce Labs, allows administrators to track employee login and usage stats so they can adjust incentives, training schedules and content, accordingly.
Fiberlink now has a strong overall picture of who is logging in and how often so it can maximize usage. The sales team is more diligent about keeping data up-to-date and Fiberlink is able to get the most out of its Salesforce investment.
