Salesforce helps Design Within Reach increase sales

Design Within Reach (DWR) makes authentic modern design accessible to anyone. The company’s offerings of iconic furniture designs—like those by Eames and Noguchi—are stylish and built to last a lifetime. By transforming its business with Salesforce and launching an employee social network, the company makes data and information as easily accessible as its once hard-to-find Bertoia chairs.

DWR’s first customers were individuals with an eye for mid-century modern. Today the company serves everyone from purchasing agents outfitting major hotels to small interior design firms to individual consumers saving for an Eames Lounge and Ottoman. As the company’s business expanded from residential to commercial, it needed to make it easier for employees to collaborate and share information. DWR tapped Salesforce to track opportunities and assign leads. Custom Web forms ensure that leads are quickly routed to the right person for a faster close.

According to Bethany Kemp, VP of Information Systems, “There’s a lot more competition online than there was in the early days of our business, so it’s more important than ever that we build close connections with our customers. We’re offering more personalized services—like helping customers design their spaces—to differentiate ourselves from other furniture providers.”

Salesforce helps DWR’s service center manage cases and keeps detailed records of all interactions via email, phone, or the Web so account executives can answer questions and solve issues as quickly as possible. DWR also uses Remedyforce to manage internal cases for the IT team.

DWR recently launched a contract sales division that works primarily with large architectural or design firms. Reps use iPads and iPhones to show sales presentations, look up customer information in Salesforce, input opportunities, and place orders. “These types of sales have a longer lead time—as much as 6 months,” explains Kemp. “Salesforce is helping us expand our capabilities so we can serve commercial customers.”

An employee social network, powered by Salesforce Chatter, helps account executives stay connected and collaborative in order to efficiently make recommendations for customers. According to Kemp, “Our sales teams started by using Chatter to share success stories—so other reps could get ideas that would help close their own deals—and expanded to solve problems across every level of the company.”

Chatter also helps employees quickly get answers for product-related questions—like dimension details, available finishes, or when a backordered item will become available. Chatter is available on mobile devices so reps can use it to get answers anytime. “Our employees are answering each other’s questions,” Kemp says. “Reps are happy because they get information quickly, and our operations team is happy because we can focus on strategic projects.”