As the Front Row Solution Company Success Manager, I have a
unique insight into our customer’s success stories as well as the challenges
they experience.
A key part of my role is to work with any new customer and
help them create all the materials that we need to build and customize the
Front Row system for their company. I am also heavily involved in training new
users on the system, and getting them prepared prior to launch. After launch I
will move the client over to our customer support team but only after I feel
they are set up for success and am comfortable with their rep usage and compliance
levels.
Post launch, I am always anxious to hear how our customers
are using the system, and hear what successes they have – but I'm also
interested in hearing from senior management and executives about what they
think of our system. By talking with and forming strong relationships with
senior managers, I am able to gain valuable insight into our opportunities to
improve, but also hear a number of wonderful success stories.
A recent conversation I had with an owner regarding the
geo-location services or rep tracking is a great example. This owner has a
growing business and is working on expanding his sales staff from 25 to 40 over
the next year. When discussing functionality before launch, I asked about
whether or not he would like to track his reps. I explained that this meant
that we could show on a map where the rep is when a sales report is submitted
from the field and compare where the actual account is. This makes it very easy
to see how a sales rep is planning their day and if they are actually out in
the field working vs. making sales calls from home.
Most high level sales people we work with love this feature
as having an accountable rep is something they have never had before. This
owner was adamant that this was a violation of privacy and absolutely not
something he wanted to implement.
About 6 months post launch I had a call with the same owner
and discussed a problem he had with unproductive new reps. These reps were not
hitting sales goals and the owner didn't know if the reps were even out making
the required number of daily sales calls. This owner had many calls with his
sales managers about this problem and he didn’t know if it was a problem with
the managers training their new staff, the products they are selling or with
the new reps themselves.
Reluctantly, he decided to turn on the geo-location
capabilities. This had an immediate and amazing impact on the information this
owner was looking for. Just having the information he needed and never had
before completely changed the outlook he had. Knowledge is power and the
geo-location function gave him the ability to make informed and appropriate
decisions regarding his staff.
This is one story that I like to relay to new customers
about the type of information we can deliver and the positive changes we make
for customers every day.
“Front Row-Solutions is the best CRM/reporting tool I have
ever used and has had a significant positive impact on our company. Because of
its ease of use and sales rep engaging features I get 100% compliance from my
sales reps every day. With this incredible compliance, the information I get
from the field is consistent and meaningful and my decision making is more
relevant. Sales rep activity and productivity is up, revenue is up and profit
is up.” –Michael Gaertner
By Michael D’Hollander
