Technology Leader Increases Sales Power, Implements Strategic Marketing

Situation

Since 1988, Perot Systems has delivered technology-based business solutions to customers worldwide. The company’s portfolio of interrelated services—including consulting, business processes, applications, and infrastructure—provides the expertise organizations need to control costs and cultivate growth.

Perot Systems collaborates closely with each customer to craft an integrated, specific solution. One-on-one relationships form the backbone of this Plano, Texas-headquartered company, but explosive growth left Perot Systems struggling to maintain close ties while following up on new leads. Since the 1990s, revenueat Perot Systems leaped from U.S.$700 million a year to $2 billion in 2005. The number of associates rose accordingly, growing to 18,000 around the world.

Because of this significant growth, Perot Systems quickly outgrew its sales force automation tool—software that was developed and maintained in-house. Part of the company’s growth came about through acquisitions, and the sales automation tool did not have the ability to incorporate the customer and sales information newly owned by Perot. As a result, Perot began to experience difficulties capturing, tracking, sharing, and reporting on customer information across the company. That software tool also did not support Perot’s proprietary sales methodology. Perot Systems sought a comprehensive solution that could be implemented quickly and would handle the highvolume of customer contacts and communications taking place on a daily basis within Perot’s proven sales process.

In addition, Perot Systems sought a solution that would address neglected marketing needs. Campaigns were too isolated: Teams were unable to record and see which prospects and customers were targeted, why they were approached, and with what method. Also missing was information on subsequent events. Therefore, it was difficult to ascertain how prospects and customers responded to marketing initiatives, how sales executives engaged with these opportunities, and what the results were.

“We just didn’t have a solution in place that would have allowed us to implement even the basic tenets of marketing,” says Bryan Britz, Corporate Marketing and Strategy at Perot Systems.

Solution

In just four months, Perot Systems selected and deployed Microsoft Dynamics™ CRM. Throughoutthe implementation, Microsoft Consulting Servicesprovided expert guidance and support. The company then integrated the solution with a sales portal built on Windows® SharePoint® Services, as well as Microsoft®SQL Server™ 2000 Service Pack 2, to enhance reporting and make customer and campaign information available to the company’s sales executives. Today, MicrosoftCRM is used by all of the company’s sales executives, account executives, and the marketing department.

Perot’s steering committee for the software selection process considered other solutions, but the company swiftly realized that only MicrosoftCRM offered the sales and marketing management functionality, as well as the customization capabilities, that Perot Systems sought. The flexible architecture of Microsoft CRM could be tailored to fit the specific needs of the company without a single line of code being written.

“We evaluated other products, but we quickly decided upon Microsoft Dynamics CRM,” states Rick Toma, Director of Global Sales Operations at Perot Systems. “The beauty of Microsoft Dynamics CRM was the customization. We were able to customize everything to fit our sales stage methodology—and it was quick, thorough, and easy to do.”

Using Microsoft CRM, Perot Systems created a centralized repository of customer information that empowers employees to make informed business decisions and run efficient, productive sales and marketing operations. The sales force can document all customer communication and track the progress of leads turning into customers within Perot’s sales process. The marketing team uses Microsoft CRM strategically to create targeted campaigns and then to analyze the response. A close connection allows the sales and marketing modules of Microsoft CRM to interact with each other, so pertinent information is always available to both sales and marketing teams.

In addition, Microsoft Dynamics CRM integrates with the Microsoft Office Outlook® 2003messaging and collaboration client, presenting information in the familiar graphical interface of Outlook 2003and allowing for enhanced e-mailing capabilities. The information entered into MicrosoftCRM is available for direct e-mail communication, facilitating data sharing across teams. More importantly, by presenting data in a graphical user interface already known to users, MicrosoftCRM creates consistency and ease-of-use that gives Perot System employees a common, more productive working environment.

Benefits

“It’s a common misconception that Microsoft Dynamics CRM is just for sales force management. But it now acts as a marketing tool and a forecasting tool, in addition to managing customer information,” says Toma.

Perot Systems draws upon the comprehensive set of powerful tools contained within Microsoft CRM to increase its understanding of customers—and to drive measurable improvements to business and marketing endeavors. Microsoft CRM helps Perot Systems to make more effective sales decisions, market products with greater impact, address business concerns early and effectively, and to achieve a more strategic view of the business.

Fosters Large-Scale, One-on-One Customer Relationships

A deep, one-on-one relationship with customers is the key behind Perot Systems success. And, as the company grows exponentially, continuing to develop and nurture these relationships remains a focus.

“We’ve always done business on a personalized,one-on-one basis, and that’s not going to change. Microsoft Dynamics CRM just allows us to continue to offer deep one-on-one relationships with clients on a much larger scale,” says Britz.

By centralizing all customer information, Microsoft CRM allows members of the sales team to track and share customer preferences and account histories, and to promptly resolve any issue that might arise through the use of Perot proprietary service management tools. These tools monitor both problem resolution and ongoing customer service to support Perot Systems’s emphasis on operational excellence as well as its adherence to strict compliance standards, such as ISO9001.

The streamlined system offers employees timely information that allows them to deliver high-quality service at all times.

Increases Sales Power

Capturing a 360-degree view of the opportunity landscape has proven to be a boon. Microsoft CRM allows account executives to first organize leads better and then to improve workflow for enhanced end results.

Through customizations that reinforce the Perot Systems sales methodology, the sales staff has obtained a greater understanding of customer expectations—a third and essential benefit—increasing sales power and outcomes. Team members can find information quickly, answer customer questions more satisfactorily, and ensure results that fulfill or exceed customer commitments. In addition, the standardized forms implemented through Microsoft CRM have increased productivity.

Says Britz, “Instead of sales executives re-creating the wheel, the team can simply fill in a form, checking boxes or hitting radio buttons, for the most part. You can absolutely notice productivity gains.”

Enables Targeted Marketing and Tracking Metrics

“Previously, marketing programs were sufficient as individual efforts. Our growth requires more strategic and integrated marketing philosophies and behaviors. Some leads would occur, but we didn’t have a good sense of who we touched, why we did so, and what their response was. We didn’t even have a consistent way to see if someone had followed up on the lead,” explains Britz.

With the marketing module within Microsoft CRM, Perot Systems now can employ sophisticated marketing techniques—such as audience segmentation—and then track responses with greater precision.

Working intelligently to uncover new business through targeted marketing campaigns provides the means not only to make an initial sale, but also to contact current customers with up-sell and cross-sell opportunities. New audiences can also be targeted through exclusives and service lineinformation that pertain directly to them.

The marketing module inMicrosoft CRM also allows Perot Systems to track—in detail—the results of each campaign. The combination of MicrosoftCRM and SQL Serversupports in-depth reporting. Return on investment (ROI) numbers of marketing activities are now visible, as are metrics on the number of customers to respond to marketing efforts and enter the sales process.

“We made sure we could collect information, analyze it, and get smart about it,” continues Britz.

Greater insight helps ensure not only the effectiveness of future marketing campaigns, but also the ability of the marketing team to respond rapidly, plan strategically, and execute quickly on emerging opportunities.

Supports Sales and Marketing Collaboration

Better connection between marketing efforts and the sales team has eliminated any lack of follow-through on leads. Now, leads generated by marketing campaigns can be easilyassigned to a salesperson through Microsoft CRM. Managers are then able to track the progress of these leads throughout Perot’s proprietary sales process.

“Now, knowing what happened with a lead, we can be sure that leads are not left to wither on the vine,” says Britz. “Marketing is largely about reach and frequency. And to be able to understand who we are reaching and how frequently they’ve been reached—that’s a tremendous return for us.”

Microsoft Dynamics

Microsoft Dynamics is a line of integrated, adaptable business management solutions that enables you and your people to make business decisions with greater confidence. Microsoft Dynamics works like familiar Microsoft software such as Microsoft Office, which means less of a learning curve for your people, so they can get up and running quickly and focus on what’s most important. And because it is from Microsoft, it easily works with the systemsthat your company already has implemented. By automating and streamlining financial, customer relationship, and supply chain processes, Microsoft Dynamics brings together people, processes, and technologies, increasing the productivity and effectiveness of your business, and helping you drive business success.

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