2 page Case Study - Posted 5/9/2008
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Field Rep Boosts Sales 10 Percent, Saves 1000 Hours with Automated Contact Management
Jeff Sweeney, Regional Sales Representative for Plastic Ingenuity, spends nearly 40 percent of his time on the road, meeting with prospective customers and managing projects for existing accounts. With over 1,700 contacts (and growing), Sweeney turned to Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2007 with Business Contact Manager to help him organize all of his customer information, automate administrative tasks, and free up more time to drive sales results.
Business Needs
Since 1972, Plastic Ingenuity has been a leader in plastic thermoforming, developing custom packaging solutions for the cosmetic, electronics, food, medical, and retail industries. Headquartered in Cross Plains, Wisconsin, the company operates four manufacturing facilities, three sales offices, and two warehouses across North America.
The company’s 15 outside sales representatives spend the majority of their time on the road, building and maintaining relationships with prospective customers and established accounts. “I currently manage around 1,700 contacts across seven states and British Columbia,” says Jeff Sweeney, Regional Sales Representative, Plastic Ingenuity. “Because our sales cycle is quite long—it can take up to two years to land a new account—I need to be able to track every aspect of my interactions with contacts—what I’ve said, when I’ve called, and what information I’ve presented to them.”
Plastic Ingenuity developed its own customer relationship management (CRM) database, but Sweeney wanted more granular control over his contacts. “The majority of my activity is prospecting for new customers,” Sweeney explains. “I needed a tool that allowed me to do more than our in-house database, which wasn’t designed to prompt us with reminders or help us keep track of customer interactions. Within one week, I might need to follow up on 25 quotes and designs, and invariably I’d forget about something. I was writing everything on a whiteboard, which wasn’t very efficient, and it certainly wasn’t portable.” Sweeney began looking for a flexible, mobile solution that would simplify his contact management and increase the efficacy of his sales efforts.
Solution
In 2006, Sweeney decided that in addition to the CRM created by Plastic Ingenuity, he would also make the most of familiar Microsoft® technologies. He upgraded to the 2007 Microsoft Office system, including the Microsoft Office Outlook® 2007 messaging and collaboration client with Business Contact Manager. “I’ve always used Microsoft products,” Sweeney says. “I think Office Outlook is a great tool, so when I saw Business Contact Manager come online, I installed it and started using it right away.”
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Business Contact Manager … is the central repository for all of my leads and customer information. Now I easily manage my 1,700 contacts because I don’t have to keep everything in my head. |
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Jeff Sweeney
Regional Sales Representative, Plastic Ingenuity |
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Sweeney saw an opportunity to significantly increase his efficiency by using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager to automate the majority of his contact management tasks. He uses it to set reminders, schedule follow-up conversations, and manage his customer information. “Anything that I do with regard to a contact I enter into Business Contact Manager,” says Sweeney. “It’s the central repository for all of my leads and customer information. Now, I easily manage my 1,700 contacts because I don’t have to keep everything in my head. I use Business Contact Manager to set reminders for follow-up calls. I use the Linked Records feature so that all of my e-mail messages and appointments are filed under the appropriate account or business contact. It’s all automated so I don’t even think about it.”
Sweeney also uses the reporting feature to insure he’s providing the most attentive service to his customers and prospects. “Before I go on a trip, I use Business Contact Manager to generate a customized report that lists all of my contacts in that territory,” say Sweeney. “Now, I can reach out to every one of those people and won’t forget about anybody.”
Benefits
Sweeney has transformed the way he manages leads, contacts, and customer information. His sales have increased 10 percent, which he attributes to being more efficient, more productive, and more detail oriented as a result of using Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager.
Enhanced Efficiency, Simplified Tasks
In addition to the automated contact management features, Sweeney uses the seamless integration of Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 with Business Contact Manager with Microsoft Office Word 2007 and the Microsoft Office OneNote® 2007 note-taking program to save time and simplify administrative tasks.
“Anything that I can do to eliminate the need to reenter information is extremely helpful,” says Sweeney. “For example, I send out up to 50 mailings per week, which in the past could take me 30 minutes per letter. Now I just click on ‘Contacts’ in Business Contact Manager, click on the ‘Mail Merge’ link, open up the document in Office Word, and in two clicks I have a form letter personalized for that specific prospect or customer.” This feature alone saves Sweeney over 1,000 hours per year.
Sweeney also keeps his project notes, including pertinent e-mail conversations, easily accessible with Office OneNote 2007. “I don’t have to copy and paste text. I don’t have to open any files. I just click the ‘Send to OneNote’ or ‘Meeting Notes’ button in Outlook, and it automatically exports the document to OneNote,” Sweeney says.
Increased Productivity
To help him stay productive while on the road, Sweeney acquired a Samsung i760 Smartphone with Windows Mobile® 6 software and ActiveSync® technology. With it, he also uses Microsoft MapPoint® 2006 business mapping software. “When I’m on the road, I use Business Contact Manager on my Windows Mobile device and automatically link my account addresses to Microsoft MapPoint,” Sweeney says. “I just select the territory I’ll be visiting, click on ‘Refresh Accounts,’ and MapPoint automatically populates maps, directions, and driving times. This saves me at least 40 hours per year in trip planning.”
Increased Sales
Sweeney estimates that his sales have increased 10 percent each year. “With Business Contact Manager, I’m more productive and efficient because I’m more detail oriented,” Sweeney concludes. “I can spend more of my time looking for new business, which is really what I’m paid
to do.”
