This project is part of the If I Did It Again series, where I revisit projects, I've led in the past. The goal is to redesign them, proposing a more democratizing product, updated to today's technologies, and to seek partners interested in bringing it to life.
Idea: Free and Simplified CRM for Sales Teams.
To overcome these challenges, a solution addressing specific barriers is required. A CRM designed to be intuitive and accessible, with a clear focus on effective training, could help mitigate the lack of technological knowledge. Concrete demonstrations of how the CRM improves the efficiency and performance of the sales team can dissipate resistance, fostering a smoother and more effective adoption. Investing in effective training and communication programs will be crucial to changing perceptions and maximizing the benefits of CRM implementation.
Problem
Companies face significant challenges when organizing their sales teams, leading to excess operation and often difficulties in effectively and variably compensating their sales representatives. Factors such as a lack of technological knowledge, the excessive cost of CRM systems, a lack of awareness of their benefits, and resistance from the sales team contribute to obstacles in adopting these tools.
Where Does This Idea Come From?
This idea stems from research conducted with my team during my role as Omnichannel Manager for Muebles Jamar SA in Barranquilla, Colombia. We gathered both qualitative data (in-depth interviews, guided usability studies, ad hoc interviews, etc.) and quantitative data (sales study by channel, salesperson, sales team performance, classification of sellers by performance, etc.). The research results are proprietary to the company and will not be disclosed.
Over time, in my role as Digital Transformation Manager at H Ujueta SAS, I had the opportunity to validate some of the previously acquired data. This allowed me to revisit the challenges faced by the sales team from a unique perspective within a different business context.
Combining the insights gained, I formulated the idea that I will present here.
Sales Team Studies
Most of my work experience lies in the retail industry, and having been involved in various omnichannel projects, it is common to encounter evaluations of sales representatives. Each company classifies them as they see fit, but, in general, they are measured along two variables: One variable is consistently related to the sales volume of the representative, while the other often gauges the salesperson’s skills, such as their rating on the Net Promoter Score or internal exams assessing product knowledge and adherence to customer service scripts.
| Level | Low sales | High Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Experienced | Sales Representative on Observation | Model Sales Representative |
| Lack of knowledge | Sales R. for Replacement or Retraining | Sales Representative to Train |
- Model Sales Representative: Referring to those salespersons who stand out as role models, due to their high performance in both sales volume and skills, including excellent customer service.
- Sales Representative to Train: Indicates salespersons who show potential but need training to enhance their skills and performance.
- Sales Representative on Observation: These might be individuals whose performance is not yet clear or who need closer monitoring for a more accurate assessment.
- Sales Representative for Replacement or Retraining: Refers to salespersons who, due to low performance or lack of skills, may require more drastic measures, such as replacement or an intensive retraining program.
Why Do They Sell More and Better?
Once the sales representatives falling into the “Model Sales Representative” classification are identified, an examination is conducted to understand the behaviors, actions, and habits that make these representatives stand out. This is achieved through field observation, in-depth interviews, and textual analysis of customer feedback received by these sales representatives.
Common Findings Across Different Studies
These are some of the characteristics and behaviors of Model Sales Representatives:
- They employ tactics to generate empathy with the customer, such as making them believe they are receiving preferential treatment, a favor, or advice.
- They create their own CRM using available tools like cellphones, notepads, spreadsheet, among others. In these platforms, they store demographic criteria, preferences, and/or payment capacity. In some cases, they even note who makes the purchasing decisions (the boss, the spouse, the expert, etc.).
- They follow tactics proposed by management and coordination, but they are not rigidly attached to them; if they don’t work, they abandon them.
- They are often the ones who dare to request more from their coordinators and bosses.
Is it Possible for Everyone to be a Model Sales Representative?
The aim of this project is to ensure that all sales representatives simulate and execute the same tactics, processes, and habits as the company’s top-performing salespeople.
It’s important to consider that:
- There is no parity in the educational level among the sales representatives.
- There is no parity in the digital literacy of the sales representatives.
- The age range of the sales representatives fluctuates between 21 and 55 years.
Common requests from sales representatives when this type of project is proposed:
- “I want to preserve my clients; if I attended to them, they are mine.”
- “If I serve and sell better, give me more clients.”
- “I want to see what the marketing team does to help me sell.”
- “I have a lot of free time that I could be using if you bring me more clients.”
The application should be so user-friendly that it educates without the person realizing they are being trained. It should evoke thoughts like ‘Of course, that’s how it should be!’, ‘It’s obvious’, ‘Exactly’, ‘This is what I need’.”
This was the emblematic phrase I established in the project team at Muebles Jamar SA, and I bring it to this new project as it encapsulates the essence of an optimal user experience.
Sketchy ideas for the Project
The ideas presented here come from collaborators in various projects as well as my own contributions over time. All these ideas aim to enhance the user experience, taking into consideration the necessary software architecture for their implementation. In this description, I will provide a simple summary of how the interface works for the user (the sales representative), without delving into technical details.
This is not a list of features but rather a compilation of some of the ideas that both the team and users deemed most valuable.
- Sort the product list: first, those the customer likes the most within their budget; second, the best-selling ones in the category.
- Provide a daily list of customers closer to making a purchase for the seller’s daily management.
- Utilize the downtime of sellers in the physical store by sending reminders to call customers.
- Forward chat conversations from interested customers to store sellers who are currently available.
- Distribute the sales commission among the sellers who attended to the customer before the purchase.
- Allocate the commission based on the number of effective interactions with the customer and the NPS of each seller.
- Allow the seller to compare themselves with other sellers from the same store, city, and country.
- Have the app instructs the seller on which customer to call automatically.
- Enable sellers to predict the credit amount based on customer data.
- Have the app recommend credit based on customer data and the type of product.
- Allow sellers to send personalized messages to the recommended customers of the day.
- Have the app create advertising messages for sales and recommend the seller to contact the customer to inform them of the message.
- Let the app suggest the best channel to contact the customer, considering contact preferences and the probability of purchase through that channel.
- Allow the app to send messages via phone, email, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.
- Have the app send a promotional message to the customer for each contact detail the seller adds to the platform to ensure the information is correct.
Reflections on My First Experience Leading a Similar Project
In my debut leading a similar project, functions were structured as user stories and categorized by three criteria: technical feasibility, business priorities, and user satisfaction. Each criterion was rated on a scale from 1 to 10, and the sum of these scores indicated the priority functionalities for design and programming. This approach enabled continuous improvement in real-time, yielding immediate results in optimizing the operations of the sales team.
Additionally, covert observation was implemented to supervise the customer experience. The designer in charge of user research sporadically but consistently monitored the interaction of the sales representatives, ensuring that the application improved not only the seller’s experience but also that of the end customer. Furthermore, we conducted a quantitative analysis through tests with control groups, where sales representatives in the test group had the application, and those in the control group did not, both within the same store. We also tracked the Net Promoter Score (NPS) of customers served by both groups. It was observed that sales representatives with a business intelligence application showed better results in NPS and sales.
How Does This Experience Transform into an Idea?
The idea is straightforward: an application as described has the potential to benefit all businesses with an on-site sales force. With data backup on users’ devices, the Freemium version is ideal for small businesses seeking an intuitive and cost-effective solution.
Application Business Model:
Freemium
- Allows the formation of groups with one administrator and up to 8 sales representatives.
- Data backup is stored on users’ devices, without utilizing the cloud.
- Does not feature automatic marketing capabilities.
Paid Version
- Provides work structures for more extensive organizations, covering roles such as sales representative, coordinator, store manager, regional manager, among others.
- Offers data backup in the cloud with complete control by the application administrator within the company.
- Grants total control over customer information, allowing storage or integration with other data platforms.
- Incorporates automated business intelligence powered by sales data throughout the company.
- Includes intelligent marketing automations.
Let’s design an app for sales teams, simplifying CRM and team management
Let’s prepare everything. Definition and project control.
Let’s clarify the design process and scope of this project
These will be the steps I will attempt to follow for the execution of this project. The research phase will be based on the information described earlier, utilizing the knowledge gained and researched over the past 6 years of work experience. Therefore, I will refrain from duplicating interviews or tests.
- Define Goals:
- Clearly outline the objectives of the project.
- Define what success looks like for both the user and the business.
- Create Personas:
- Develop fictional characters representing different user types.
- User Journey Mapping:
- Visualize the user’s experience from start to finish.
- Identify touchpoints and potential pain points in the user journey.
- Information Architecture:
- Organize content and structure to facilitate navigation.
- Create sitemaps and wireframes to plan the layout and structure.
- Prototyping:
- Develop interactive prototypes to visualize the design.
- Test and iterate on the prototype to refine the user experience.
- Visual Design:
- Apply branding elements, color schemes, and typography.
- Create a visually appealing and consistent interface.
Considerations and limitations
Points to Consider
These are the aspects that have already been investigated, and business definitions have been formulated based on the previous experiences mentioned in this project:
Research
- To understand the target audience, click here.
- Analyze competitors and industry trends.
- Conduct user interviews, surveys, and usability studies.
Outside the scope of this article
In this project, we won’t be able to develop a product in production. Consequently, the steps involving Usability Testing, Implementation, User Feedback and Iteration, Accessibility, and Launch and Monitor will be presented as proposals rather than based on experiential data.
User Experience Design Process
In this project, we won’t be able to develop a product in production. Consequently, the steps involving Usability Testing, Implementation, User Feedback and Iteration, Accessibility, and Launch and Monitor will be presented as proposals rather than based on experiential data.
Objective: Design of a Simplified CRM Application for Sales Teams
This project focuses on designing a free and user-friendly Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application for sales teams. It targets two main user types: retail store sellers and retail business administrators. The application aims to optimize sales operations, drawing inspiration from the best practices of successful sellers. With a special emphasis on organization, accessibility, and effective training, it seeks to overcome barriers associated with the lack of technological knowledge and resistance to change present in both user groups.
Success Criteria
Success Criteria for the Sellers
Success will be assessed through the satisfaction and loyalty of retail store sellers. An essential criterion is to make sellers feel that their work is made easier, and they can increase their sales using the application. The goal is to provide effective tools that significantly improve the performance of sellers, contributing to the individual success of each store.
Success Criteria for the Business Administrators (Retail Stores)
For retail business administrators, the focus of success lies in Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ensuring revenue acquisition through the application. This encompasses effectiveness in inventory management, data analysis, and the generation of detailed reports. The freemium business model, with basic functions for sellers and additional features for administrators in the paid version, will be evaluated in terms of its impact on profitability and market acceptance.
Success Criteria of Business (APP)
The business model of the CRM APP is based on offering a freemium version with essential features for retail store sellers and a paid version with additional features for administrators. Indicators to assess the success of the business include:
- The number of downloads of the application, both for the freemium and paid versions.
- The percentage of conversion from freemium to paid users and the average time for this transition.
- Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) generated by users of the paid version, along with the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC).
- Customer Satisfaction Index (NPS) and Customer Retention Index (CR) for users in both versions of the application.
- Return on Investment (ROI) of the project, considering costs associated with the development, maintenance, and marketing of the application.
User Personas & Reseach
How Were These User Personas Developed?
These user profiles are the result of my five (5) years of experience leading generative exploratory studies through in-depth interviews at two retail companies, in my roles as Omnichannel Manager and Digital Transformation Manager.
Researchers
During these projects, I was supported by a team that included roles such as product owner or project manager, data analysts, user experience researchers, experience designers, and researchers with qualitative and quantitative scientific expertise.
Research
In-depth interviews and usability tests were conducted at different stages of each project. Participants in these studies included sales associates, store managers, customers, and executives.
User Personas: Inside store
Javier the salesman
Demographics
- Age: 28 years
- Gender: Male
- Location: Barranquilla, Colombia.
- Technology: Smartphone and social media.
- Sales Experience: 8 years.
- Income: Basic salary plus sales commission.
- Educational Level: High school or technical.
- Marital Status: Married with little children.
- Race: Mulatto Latino.
- Socioeconomic Level: Low.
Bio
Javier has been working since he completed high school. His work experience spans various industries, from shoe stores to hardware stores. He lives with his young wife and their one-year-old son. When sales are slow, he engages in maintenance or construction work during his free time. He uses a budget-friendly smartphone to manage customer contacts, communicate with them through social media, and make calls.
Goals
- Increasing your sales commissions.
- Having more resources to support your family.
- Generating more customer traffic for sales.
- Making sales easier and faster.
Needs
- Better work tools for customer service and sales.
- Utilizing time to serve more customers.
- Being heard by superiors to present ideas.
- Needing a smartphone and data plan to communicate with clients.
Frustrations
- Increasing sales targets without tools to achieve them.
- Fear of being replaced by other channels such as e-commerce or other types of sellers.
- Not having enough customer traffic to reach sales goals.
- Worrying about another seller stealing what I consider my customer.
Motivations
- Increase in customer traffic. Increase in sales commissions.
- Easy-to-use systems.
- Recognition as an expert in sales and in what I sell.
- Being listened to by my superiors.
- Feeling that the company supports me in achieving my goals.
Use of Technology and Social Media
- Uses WhatsApp to communicate with their clients.
- Utilizes Meta’s networks and TikTok to promote services and products.
- Their primary tool is the smartphone, and occasionally a tablet.
- Connects to the store’s WIFI where they work because they do not have a data plan.
Carolina the store administrator
Demographics
- Age: 45 years
- Gender: Female
- Location: Barranquilla, Colombia.
- Technology: Smartphone and social media.
- Sales Experience: 21 years.
- Income: Medium salary plus sales commission.
- Educational Level: Bachelor’s degree.
- Marital Status: Divorced and with teenage children.
- Race: White-latino.
- Socioeconomic Level: Medium.
Bio
Carolina, a graduate in administration, began her career at a commercial location of a home automation company. She has worked as a manager for external sales teams and in retail stores, demonstrating a keen ability to observe and understand customer behavior in her industry. She lives with her husband and two teenage children. She uses her smartphone to coordinate with her sales team through messaging apps like WhatsApp, and the store’s computer for tasks such as invoicing, cash management, and reviewing reports and emails from the manager.
Goals
- Control tasks and schedules of the sales team.
- Increase overall store sales.
- Boost customer traffic to the stores.
- Encourage old customers to buy more.
Needs
- Motivate the sales team to sell.
- Control the working hours of your sales force.
- Enforce assigned tasks.
- Improve the work environment.
Frustrations
- Without knowing the team’s performance metrics, it’s difficult to help them improve.
- Price changes affecting sales.
- Lack of inventory to meet sales targets.
- Lack of quality customer traffic (close to closing time).
Motivations
- Feeling in control of the sales force.
- I’m excited to meet the goals and secure my commissions.
- I want to have time for my family and myself.
- Professional recognition, I want them to see how good I am.
- I’m excited about the tactics I can demonstrate are effective.
Use of Technology and Social Media
- Uses the smartphone to chat and call their sales force.
- Uses chat-type social networks to share necessary materials for operation with their team.
- We have a desktop or laptop computer in the store where they work to send emails and view Excel reports.
- Has a data plan for the cell phone and WiFi in the physical store.
User Personas: Outside store
María the corp. manager of stores
Demographics
- Age: 35 years.
- Gender: Female.
- Location: Barranquilla, Colombia.
- Technology: High digital literacy (PC and Smartphone).
- Sales Experience: 15 years.
- Income: High salary plus sales commission.
- Educational Level: MBA.
- Marital Status: Not marriged.
- Race: White-latino.
- Socioeconomic Level: High.
Bio
Maria holds a master’s degree in administration from abroad. She began her professional career in a family company, where she worked as a commercial analyst for a car dealership in Florida. Later, she worked as an area administrator for a construction and housing marketing company in Florida. There, she rose to the position of area sales manager, and four years later, she returned to Colombia to work for her father’s company in the retail sector for a niche segment. She lives with her boyfriend and has a cat and a dog. She uses her PC for work: generating reports, checking and responding to emails, entering and operating the CRM, and her smartphone to call her work contacts, employees, and colleagues.
Goals
- María aims to increase overall sales in her area of responsibility.
- Demonstrate her outstanding skills to the board of directors.
- Supervise, train, and manage store managers and salespeople within the stores.
- Oversee, train, manage, and incentivize the sales team.
Needs
- Demonstrate efficiency, effectiveness, and ROI to the board of directors.
- Increase overall sales in her area of responsibility.
- Enhance the skills of the sales force.
- Improve the commission system to incentivize individual performance.
- Use achievement-oriented criteria to identify the top store managers and salespeople.
Frustrations
- Managing a large sales force is challenging.
- Excessive administrative tasks limit time for sales strategies.
- The information systems are basic and ineffective.
- The lack of budget prevents improvement in sales control systems.
Motivations
- Feeling confident in delegating tasks to capable store managers.
- Feeling in control without sacrificing valuable time.
- Demonstrating excellence in management to the board of directors.
- Having the necessary tools to enhance team sales.
Use of Technology and Social Media
- Uses her smartphone to chat and call her sales force.
- Utilizes chat-based social networks and email to share necessary materials for operations with her team.
- Relies on a laptop in the office to manage the CRM, review and send emails, create PowerPoint presentations, and generate Excel reports.
- Has an unlimited internet plan on her phone and Wi-Fi access for the laptop in all company stores and offices.
Claudia a retail store customer
Demographics
- Age: 43 years.
- Gender: Female.
- Location: Barranquilla, Colombia.
- Technology: Smartphone and social media.
- Income: High salary.
- Educational Level: Bachelor’s degree.
- Marital Status: Married with little children.
- Race: Mulatto Latino.
- Socioeconomic Level: High.
Bio
Claudia, a university graduate, works as an employee in a local company, enjoying a steady monthly salary and a permanent contract. Although originally from another city on the Colombian coast, she currently resides in Barranquilla. Responsible for household shopping and procurement for her company’s department, Claudia utilizes her laptop for work-related tasks, such as comparing prices and sourcing suppliers. However, when it comes to personal purchases, she prefers using her smartphone during office breaks and at home. Amidst a deluge of online advertisements, Claudia strives to minimize distractions. As a mother of three – an eight-year-old, a teenager, and a young adult daughter in university – her family heavily influences household purchase decisions. At work, decisions are largely influenced by her boss.
Goals
- Minimize household expenses through savvy shopping and budgeting.
- Enhance efficiency in workplace procurement processes.
- Establish personal relationships with trusted suppliers for reliable procurement.
- Achieve a better work-life balance by optimizing shopping routines.
Needs
- Efficient shopping experiences online and offline.
- Access to reliable, affordable suppliers.
- Personalized attention from vendors for tailored shopping experiences.
- Convenient platforms for price comparison.
Frustrations
- Overwhelmed by online ads and promotions.
- Struggles with work-life balance for shopping.
- Difficulty finding reliable suppliers.
- Dealing with inefficient procurement processes.
Motivations
- Reduce household expenses for stability.
- Improve efficiency at work for career growth.
- Build strong supplier relationships for reliability.
- Optimize shopping for more family time.
Use of Technology and Social Media
- Uses smartphone for communication.
- Shops online for research and comparisons.
- Utilizes laptop for work and occasional personal shopping.
- Engages with social media for trends and updates.
Journey Maps
For this project, I’ve opted to develop and design a specialized journey map. This artifact is intended to:
- Engage multiple individuals involved in the same process within an organization.
- Integrate both the current and planned processes.
Internal Process Journey Map
The aim of this journey map is to visually elucidate the interactions and emotions experienced by employees, including retail salesmen, single store administrators, and the general manager of stores, as well as the interactions among them throughout the assisted sales process for customers.
Differing from an Employee Experience Journey Map, which concentrates on the general processes of the employee lifecycle, such as recruitment, onboarding, training, development, engagement, and retention, this map will focus solely on the specific sales process. As this process can be intricate due to the multiple touchpoints and complex interactions among the various user personas mentioned, it is crucial to create a new artifact with the following objectives:
- Simplify a complex process and render it understandable.
- Take into account multiple user personas within the same process.
- Integrate employee interactions as part of the journey and distinguish them from the brand’s interactions with the customer.
Features and User Stories
If you want to view this project dashboard on the web, click here.
Notas
- El empleado necesita un Employee Experience Journey Map: What is an Employee Experience Journey Map | Advantages of Employee Experience Journey Map (youtube.com): • Recruitment • Onboarding • Training • Development • Engagement • Retention.
- Se necesita diseñar el PIPELINE general para el uso del APP. La edición del Pipeline personalizado puede ir en la versión pro.
- How to use journey mapping for your project | by Roos Voorend | UX Collective (uxdesign.cc)
- Agregar en el jpurney map la forma de interacción por cada acción, es decir, el vendedor por el celular, el administrador general por el pc.
- Podría dibujar en un futuro un Employee EJM para marcar próximas etapas del proyecto.
Leave a Reply