Learn How A Company in the Energy & Utilities Industry Boosts Revenue and Simplifies the Sales Cycle with Salesforce

The Challenges

For our client in the Energy & Utilities Industry, adopting new technologies to support their sales operations was a daunting task. After relying on Excel documents and paper documentation for years, the switch to Salesforce was a difficult, yet worthwhile transition. As a manufacturer of industrial valves that are used in the Oil and Gas Industry, our client’s business operations were complex and required the right solutions in Sales Cloud to improve operational efficiency and boost sales. 

Our client was looking to implement a standardized and robust CRM for their employees to utilize, particularly their sales department. Sales reps didn’t have a CRM in place to manage customer information and data. This was creating several problems for employees, including inconsistencies in sales data and miscommunication between departments. Outdated Excel documents were being emailed between staff members, which prolonged the sales cycle. Without a CRM in place, our client was losing out on potential deals and could not efficiently attend to the needs of their current customers. 

In addition to these challenges, our client was in need of a standardized pricing system with the option to customize information such as lead times and shipping estimates. Before working with Kelley Austin, there was one staff member in charge of updating an Excel spreadsheet with product and pricing information. This would be emailed to staff members multiple times a week, which would often lead to confusion among the sales team as to which documents were the most up-to-date. 

The Solution

To solve these challenges, our team was able to implement Sales Cloud to unlock the full potential that a CRM can offer. With Sales Cloud, our client can access data about their users and user profiles, set limits to what those users can do, and easily view accounts and contacts all in one place. Before implementing Salesforce, team members didn't have a single source of truth in terms of accessing customer data. Team members were using multiple spreadsheets and documents in their daily sales processes, which often meant contact information was inaccurate. With Salesforce, every team member has access to the same up-to-date contact information, which reduces errors when sales reps reach out to customers and leads. 

Our team also built a unified price and product list for our client. Now the entire staff has access to a user-friendly product and pricing list in Sales Cloud. Part of this build-out included adding an estimated shipping time for each product out of the hundreds listed to account for the current supply chain and manufacturing constraints. Before we added this feature, customers would have to call or email our client to get shipping information, which further delayed closing deals.

With Sales Cloud, our client can access data about their users and user profiles, set limits to what those users can do, and easily view accounts and contacts all in one place.

To enhance the sales process for our client, we used a contract object with a simple template so that team members could go in from their opportunities, create a pdf contract, and apply special discounts if needed. This allows our client to keep track of which customers should receive certain discounts based on volume sales yearly. With just a few clicks, team members can generate and print a full contract, whereas before, they were hand-typing contracts one-by-one. 

Customer Impact

Before implementing Salesforce, our client was relying on multiple sources of information about their customers, leads, and products. This was slowing down the sales pipeline and ultimately costing our client time and money. After implementing Salesforce, our client’s team members now have access to the same information in one system including accounts, contacts, price books, lead times, and more.

Our team also simplified the process of creating contracts and quotes using a contract object in Sales Cloud. This has improved the sales process for our client’s sales reps who can now focus on closing more deals. With Salesforce, sales reps can work more efficiently and gain back some of the time they were spending on tedious processes such as typing out contracts and searching through spreadsheets. 

After several training sessions in Sales Cloud, our client is confident in the value that Salesforce is bringing to their team and business. Sales reps have the tools they need to close deals faster and more efficiently with easy access to customer data and contact information.