Belkin Bets on Cloud Computing With Force.com AppExchange and Salesforce CRM

Challenge

• Belkin Corporation, which provides connectivity solutions and accessories for data center, office and home computers, notebooks and servers, MP3 devices, and more, needed a better way to manage customer information so it could more effectively track opportunities and market products.
• The company had been using Excel spreadsheets to store customer data; managers wanted a robust database that would provide more complete views and facilitate marketing campaigns.
• Managers also wanted the ability to do more advanced account planning and pipeline management.

Solution

• Belkin chose Salesforce CRM over Siebel and ACT! for its easy customization and cloud-computing delivery model. With help from Salesforce.com Consulting, Belkin deployed Salesforce CRM Enterprise Edition in just 6 months to users in sales, marketing, and product management with support for 6 currencies and 3 languages.
• The company extended Salesforce CRM’s functionality with applications installed from the AppExchange. Belkin has test driven over 50 AppExchange applications and has installed apps including:

-Auto vCard, to auto-create a vCard file for easy import into personal information managers

-ExactTarget, which enables campaign creation and management with real-time tracking information including open, bounce, and click-through data.

- Riptide Pop-Up Alerts, to easily display an alert message on leads, accounts, and more

- Feature Request Manager, for users to submit and track feature requests

- Project & Issue Management. To prioritize and manage project logistics and the allocation of resources

-Strategic Account Planning: To collaborate, plan, manage and execute goals and strategies for penetrating accounts

-Ready Coach: Video training tool for Salesforce CRM functions

-LinkedIn for Salesforce: Accessibility to contacts and leads, within the LinkedIn database, to expand networking and sales intelligence

• Salesforce CRM houses data on more than 17,000 accounts, and manages tens of thousands of tasks and activities.
• Custom dashboards provide forecasts and track opportunities, bids, deal registrations, customer engagement, and other KPIs.
• Leads are imported from the Web using the Web-to-lead functionality in Salesforce CRM and automatically assigned via designated assignment rules. The company also creates, manages, and measures marketing campaigns using Salesforce CRM Marketing.
• The company built a custom application on Force.com called Sales Forms to handle sales department processes such as sample requests, customer program updates, price change notifications, and rebate program check requests.
• Belkin uses the cases functionality in Salesforce CRM Service to track and solve customer issues.
• With the portal feature in Salesforce CRM Service, customers submit and track their own cases.
• Integration with Microsoft Outlook maintains a record of customer communications and keeps contact information up to date.
• Managers use a Salesforce CRM ideas community to gather and measure feedback to improve Belkin’s Salesforce CRM implementation.

Results

• Rather than develop applications in-house, Belkin easily downloads and installs them from the AppExchange--saving on development and consulting fees.
• Salesforce CRM provides a central repository for customer information and complete customer views; integrated marketing functionality lets Belkin get the most out of each opportunity.
• Salesforce CRM Sales workflows and activity management keep deals moving toward close.
• Fast access to forecasts and KPIs enhance planning and facilitate better decision making.
• More consistent and complete account plans improve forecasting accuracy; increased pipeline visibility improves overall business management.