With Unlimited Edition, the Phoenix Companies Ignites Sales, Mobility, Productivity, and Development

"Mobile access to CRM data was critical to productivity in the field. Unlimited Edition delivered it—and more importantly, it permitted us to keep adding customizations in response to user feedback."


Challenge
  • The life insurance division of The Phoenix Companies—a provider of life insurance, annuities and investments for affluent customers and businesses—needed to replace its obsolete contact management systems without amassing large IT consulting and system fees
  • As a large company serving high-net-worth clients, businesses, and institutions, Phoenix sought a new CRM system that reflected its sophisticated base of life insurance advisors
  • Requirements for the new CRM solution also included flexibility, ease of use, mobile accessibility, low-cost modification capabilities, minimal user training requirements, and simplified integration with other apps
  • Furthermore, the new CRM solution needed to minimize the risks of outsourced application development, while keeping resource demands low

Solution
  • After evaluating several leading CRM products, including vertical financial services solutions, Phoenix opted for the customizable Salesforce SFA solution
  • Thanks to smooth architecture alignment between Salesforce and Phoenix, changeover to the new system took less than two months
  • Initially with the help of salesforce.com partner OKERE, Phoenix used the Force.com platform to extend Salesforce, creating customizations to track specialized contracts and the underwriting queue
  • The company also created new applications to manage strategic initiatives, quickly poll users, and track decentralized marketing processes; it then published these apps via the AppExchange for all salesforce.com customers to access with a single click
  • Using the Force.com API, Phoenix integrated several legacy systems with Salesforce to provide consolidated, real-time access to information
  • As customization continued and needs were reassessed, Phoenix opted for an easy upgrade to Unlimited Edition to further maximize ease of mobility and development 
  • The comprehensive features of Unlimited Edition—including Salesforce Sandbox and Salesforce Mobile—helped eliminate the risks of outsourced development, facilitate change management, improve productivity of mobile wholesalers, and enhance user satisfaction

Results
  • The Salesforce implementation cost the company less than one-fourth of the project’s original budget
  • By streamlining communication between field and inside sales within Salesforce, Phoenix has reduced phone and email inefficiencies, boosted productivity, and, in 2005, increased life insurance sales by more than 33%
  • Following its upgrade to Unlimited Edition, Phoenix achieved 96% user adoption
  • With unprecedented tracking of all aspects of the sales cycle, the company can now reliably predict how increased investments will impact revenue
  • Powerful Salesforce customization and integration tools enable users to complete projects with 75% fewer resources than previously required
  • Seamless integration with Microsoft Office applications and an upcoming integration with Lotus Notes boost sales staff productivity
 
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