ThinkEquity Customizes Salesforce to Align with Unique Financial Services Business Model

"Salesforce met our requirements on a number of fronts: its ease-of-use helps us drive adoption; it accommodates multiple third-party integrations; and we were able to customize it to the way we do business. We expect to achieve greater insight into our business as we continue to roll out Salesforce companywide."


Challenge
  • ThinkEquity—a provider of targeted research, investment banking, wealth management, and asset management services for the financial community—required a CRM solution to manage its diverse client base effectively across multiple business groups
  • The company needed a system to track varying levels of service—based on varying degrees of client interaction—to determine rates accurately
  • A small IT group lacked the bandwidth to maintain and host on-premise software

Solution
  • ThinkEquity selected Salesforce Enterprise Edition for its ease-of-use and Web-based model
  • With help from Successforce Consulting—which conducted implementation, customizations, and training—the company initially deployed the solution to its sales and research groups with Microsoft Outlook integration
  • Further integration with Blue Matrix, a Web-based publishing system, updates research information within Salesforce; Xteva integration also provides access to sales commission information from within Salesforce
  • Useful functionality for end users—such as a calendaring feature for requesting client attendance at events—encourages adoption
  • Using Force.com Builder, ThinkEquity built custom sales, research, and wealth management apps to align Salesforce with the company’s unique business model
  • Custom tabs, including Request for Time Slots, Portfolios, Funds, and Fund Distributors, correspond to specific processes
  • Access to information is locked down according to regulatory guidelines and user roles
  • Premier Support with Administration, which includes 24/7 customer care, provides a Salesforce expert to administer the system on a day-to-day basis

Results
  • Streamlined customer management processes—tailored to the nuances of financial services—create efficiencies that drive productivity
  • By accurately tracking client interactions, ThinkEquity ensures it’s charging rates appropriate for the service levels provided
  • Salesforce’s hosted, on-demand model relieves the burden on the company’s IT department
  • A future rollout to its banking and marketing groups will broaden business insight
 
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