Plantronics Unifies Sales and Support Data Across Global Offices with Salesforce CRM for a 360-Degree Customer View

Challenge

• The world's leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of lightweight communications headset products, Plantronics needed a CRM solution to better integrate sales, service, and marketing functions and provide a 360-degree customer view.
• With offices around the world, Plantronics needed a central repository of partner and customer data with support for multiple languages and currencies.
• Plantronics wanted a solution that could be easily integrated with existing MRP, email marketing, and knowledge base solutions. The company also required rapid time to deployment.

Solution

• Plantronics selected Salesforce CRM Unlimited Edition for its integrated sales force automation (SFA), marketing, and service and support capabilities. The range of applications available on the AppExchange marketplace also played a key part in the decision to deploy Salesforce CRM.
• With assistance from Salesforce.com Consulting, Plantronics implemented Salesforce CRM for 400 users in less than 6 months with no business disruption. High adoption has resulted in more than 80 percent of customer calls logged to cases.
• Integrations with Oracle MRP, Silverpop email marketing, RightNow, and the corporate Web site enabled a smooth transition and ensure data continuity.
• The company has installed 14 applications from the AppExchange marketplace for advanced dashboards, partner recruitment, channel planning, funds management, and more.
• A custom knowledge base application developed for the call center by salesforce.com partner Appirio guides support people through product symptoms and solutions. Call scripting helps employees resolve issues quickly. 
• Postcode Anywhere from the AppExchange makes it easier for support agents to capture correct addresses at time of entry by cleansing data and correctly formatting addresses.
• A custom order management app developed by Appirio provides tracking and fulfillment of “spare” parts.

Results

• Salesforce CRM enables a 360-degree customer view for more efficient marketing and better customer service.
• Dashboards provide an integrated view of top product and customer issues directly from call center environments for better reporting.
• The custom knowledge base application enables support to respond to customers more quickly; integration with Salesforce CRM provides better issue tracking and measurement.
• Postcode Anywhere and the custom order management applications have dramatically sped up customer mailings, reduced returns, and increased overall satisfaction.
• The company plans to move its worldwide network of resellers on to Salesforce CRM Partners in the future. Mobile access and Microsoft Outlook integration will provide additional efficiencies.