Understanding business and sales reality
OBJECTIVE
A CRM system is a key tool in professional services. Used well, the system can provide robust client and opportunity insights, automate and optimize the sales pipeline, and streamline workflows while reducing manual tasks. But what if the platform is a one-stop shop for a variety of lines of service, industries, and projects… and it’s global? It would be easy to endlessly add features to the system in hopes of streamlining processes for all, creating a ‘feature factory’ that never quite hits the mark. Instead, I pitched a research study to dig in and understand the business and sales reality experienced by the partners at the firm. By understanding what they are really doing to sell and grow the business, and the problems they are experiencing, we could then figure out ways to optimize the experience and truly deliver value.
MY ROLE
As the lead researcher on this project, I spearheaded the user research initiative, conducting 1:1 sessions with 30 senior executives from around the world. These qualitative, generative conversations were designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the sales and business realities that CRM users experience daily. I facilitated these loosely-structured sessions, allowing participants to drive the conversation and organically segue towards their Salesforce usage. Additionally, I triangulated our research findings with prior research, analytics, strategic thinking, and feedback from Salesforce stakeholders to ensure a robust and comprehensive understanding of user needs and challenges.
DELIVERABLES
1. **Research Findings Presentation**: Presented detailed findings and insights from the study, highlighting key themes such as the importance of partner-driven culture in Salesforce adoption, change management challenges, and the need for tailored opportunity attributes.
2. **Strategic Recommendations**: Provided high-level recommendations to mitigate identified issues and drive business results, including the reprioritization of scaled agile Epics and roadmaps to incorporate new initiatives based on the study's insights.
3. **Stakeholder Reviews**: Conducted reviews with stakeholders to gather early feedback and ensure alignment with strategic goals, refining recommendations based on their input.
4. **Next Steps Proposal**: Developed a proposal outlining actionable next steps to implement the recommended changes, including training programs, support materials, and ongoing user engagement strategies to ensure successful adoption and sustained improvement.
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