Enhanced Usability and Reporting from Salesforce Improves Performance at ETS

"Going to Salesforce was like going from a Hyundai to a Cadillac. We've seen a dramatic improvement in the way our managers manage their staff because they can see how long something stays in the pipeline. The data is there so there's greater accountability—and that boosts performance"


Challenge
  • ETS, a provider of customized education solutions, outgrew its existing Onyx CRM system when the sales team grew from 4 reps to 70
  • ETS's pipeline reporting accuracy was hit-or-miss due to inconsistent use of the existing CRM system
  • The organization required a solution with easier reporting capabilities and universal access
  • Previous CRM system was more complicated, so usability was a key requirement for the new system

Solution
  • Although the company's back-end ERP system was PeopleSoft, ETS selected Salesforce SFA for its on-demand approach, which minimized IT resource requirements
  • Gartner Group's assertion that "If a person can use Amazon.com, they can use Salesforce," lent credibility to Salesforce's ease-of-use message
  • In just ten weeks, salesforce.com's Professional Services team deployed Salesforce SFA to ETS's sales and marketing executives, as well as external vendors with Microsoft Outlook integration (both on- and off-line)
  • Using Force.com Builder, ETS created a custom object for tracking the educational accreditation details of its customers, along with tabs for data tracking
  • Dashboards deliver real-time customized reports, including outstanding opportunities, activity, error, and pipeline reports
  • Auto-response emails with Web-to-lead features incorporate marketing into customer outreach efforts

Results
  • With full access to customer contact, managers can see if a customer has purchased something from ETS in the past
  • Account views can be tailored based on the customer's type of organization, such as K-12, higher education, and corporations
  • Salesforce Marketing enables measurable ROI and data segmentation for effective, targeted marketing campaigns
  • On-demand platform gives ETS access to sales data once located on the premises of external vendors
  • Increased accountability attributed to an accurate and complete pipeline management
  • Real-time reporting dramatically increases visibility throughout the organization
  • The success of Salesforce SFA has other ETS groups wanting access to the application, along with plans to adopt other Salesforce applications, such as Salesforce Service & Support
  • Plans to integrate wireless features, possibly via Salesforce Mobile, will provide anytime, anywhere access to customer information
 
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