The Internet has spoiled us rotten. It used to be that we had to physically travel, wait days for a letter to arrive, or hold lengthy phone conversations to be able to collaborate with colleagues who were located in a different city. Now we can chat online in real time, send documents via email, and even share videos and PowerPoint presentations. We can video conference. The next step? Being able to work on a document or spreadsheet at the same time.
Cloud computing applications allow several users to view and edit the same materials at the same time. This means that for every file folder full of revisions that used to be necessary, we now have just one document—it’s always up-to-date, automatically saved and accessible 24/7. Yet these collaboration tools also allows us to view revisions when necessary. It’s the best of both worlds.
These benefits particularly extend to the areas of customer relations management (CRM), and sales force automation. Cloud computing also allows users in diverse locations to access the same information and applications. All it requires is Internet access and log-in credentials. This can even include mobile devices like smartphones and PDAs. So salespeople can submit customer or order information, which can be reviewed instantaneously by their managers. The warehouse receives an automatically generated ticket. Even the marketing department can view the data, and have it compiled into reports, in order to assess their latest campaign’s effectiveness.
This has huge implications for businesses, and cloud computing applications can be put to excellent use in developing sales force automation and improving CRM. The benefits extend from macro level to the micro, providing information that optimizes both large-scale planning and the daily, in-the-trenches data the sales force needs to keep up. Moreover, this architecture is flexible. This means that if the demand increases in terms of what’s being asked of the servers, the supply can also increase to meet that demand.
Practical Application
Let’s take a look at the Dr. Pepper/Snapple group, which was using Excel alone, with team members keying in data manually. This cumbersome process made for five- to six-week gaps when trying to generate reports and evaluate data. The problem, of course, was that they couldn’t afford to wait five or six weeks. They needed a system that would allow them to access information much faster across every channel of the enterprise.
The cloud computing solution they chose helped prevent duplication of efforts and provided detailed metrics to optimize sales goals throughout the organization. The best part: all the information could be accessed from a common dashboard throughout the organization.
The new suite of applications also made the record-keeping much less time intensive. This redirected their work force towards maximizing sales and greater productivity.
How did the numbers pan out? Dr. Pepper/Snapple saw a 56 percent return on investment annually.
These same benefits easily extend to the tasks involved with CRM, keeping existing customers happy with consistent, reliable service and solutions. Real-time online collaboration means that agents are almost literally on the same page, preventing mismanagement and inconsistencies. When necessary, agents and managers can view the same customer information, and make notes, at the same time.
It might seem ironic, but the ability to collaborate online in this manner can actually improve the customer relationship, because it not only streamlines all aspects of communications and order fulfillment, but it also frees up sales reps and others to actually spend more quality one-on-one time with clients. Online collaboration and cloud computing are technological innovations that also enhance our offline lives.
