“We started with basic CRM functionality, but Salesforce has evolved into an integral tool for managing our business.”

In an increasingly competitive global marketplace even giant corporations like Procter & Gamble need to make every dollar count. Procter & Gamble Professional (PGP), a division of the consumer products giant that sells professional cleaning products to businesses, is finding new ways to do more for less. According to Dave Ziegler, Global IT Manager, “Salesforce helps us compete more effectively.” PGP is a leading supplier of concentrated cleaning solutions and automated dilution systems. It also installs and services the systems that mix its products. To move the business forward, the company needed comprehensive views of its customers — including hotels, restaurants, schools, assisted living facilities, and corporations — and the flexibility to adapt to a rapidly changing business. It tapped Salesforce to replace complex legacy systems that were difficult to adapt and expensive to support. Since PGP sells through a network of independent distributors, the ability to easily assign leads, collaborate on deals, and share information is critical. Centralizing everything in Salesforce lets partners and PGP employees coordinate activities and quickly share information between call center, field sales, and technical services teams. “We started with basic CRM functionality — electronic call book and customer records — but Sales Cloud has evolved into an integral tool for managing our business,” says Ziegler. With Salesforce on iPads, PGP salespeople can work from the road, capturing activities and placing orders from anywhere for greater productivity. And, new digital sales aids let reps share more engaging presentations with customers. In addition to showing product specs from their tablets, reps can quickly estimate how much solution a potential customer needs to order, and quickly calculate the savings over using competitive products. Reps close deals faster, and the company saves by reducing printed materials. Service Cloud helps PGP’s customer support teams respond to questions about product effectiveness, dilution formulas, and machine operations. And, with field service teams that conduct both reactive and preventative maintenance, sharing information is also important. “Sales and service need to work in sync with a high degree of collaboration” says Ziegler. “With Salesforce they can execute their jobs faster and more effectively.”

PGP plans to add additional mobile functionality to Salesforce in the future to make it even easier for employees to stay connected and be more productive. “Mobile is the key platform now. Our reps, distributors. and service techs have at their fingertips in the field what used to only be available in the office,” says Ziegler. “With Salesforce everyone at PGP and our partners has the insight into our business we need to continue to grow.”