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As I go about my day, I occasionally see an opportunity for Salesforce.com to streamline or enhance some aspect of an organization with which I interact. I finally decided that I should start taking note of such opportunities. The result is as follows:
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Physical Therapy Appointment
Thursday, March 30th, 2006 @ 6:00amI injured my knee several weeks ago, and have been seeing a physical therapist twice each week for the past three weeks. This morning, when I arrived, the office manager said, "Good morning, Ian. Who are you scheduled to see this morning?" I replied, "Denise. But, doesn't your scheduling software track that?" She explained that it did, but that she was currently in the billing system and that it was faster to ask me than to switch over to the scheduling system. After Denise was done beating me up, I walked by the receptionist on my way out and the receptionist called out, "Ian, remind me again: what insurance provider are you with? Did you pay your co-pay?" I answered her questions and said, "Doesn't your billing system track that?" I spent the next fifteen minutes hearing about all of the limitations of the hodgepodge of software they have assembled to manage the office.
Salesforce.com could easily be adapted to capture patient information, therapist work schedules, appointment management, and billing. Their exercise equipment is topnotch, and so are the therapists; streamlining patient interaction via a well-conceived practice management system would really legitimize the office.
Call From a Storage Vendor
Thursday, March 30th, 2006 @ 8:45amAfter arriving at the office and having an hour of quiet to catch up on emails, I received a phone call from Derek, a sales rep for a large storage device vendor. I immediately recognized his name and his voice as he had called me only two weeks prior. Also, Suzanne (who I imagined to be Derek's internal sales support) had called me only yesterday to tell me that Derek was going to be in the Philadelphia area next week and wanted to see if would be willing to meet with him. When Derek called me two weeks ago, I explained that we had little use for the large storage devices that his company manufactures due to our business model of strategic outsourcing. When Suzanne called me yesterday, I re-explained the same and asked her to kindly remove me from their contact management system. Susan apologized and agreed to do so. You can imagine my disgust when I heard Derek's voice and realized that Derek didn't remember our conversation from two weeks ago and was also oblivious to yesterday's call from his internal.
After expressing my disgust to Derek and reiterating that I would like my name removed from his CRM, I hung up the phone and briefly daydreamed about starting a Salesforce.com consulting company and deploying Salesforce and a new sales process to one of the world's largest storage vendors.
Searching for an Easter Gift
Thursday, March 30th, 2006 @ 1:00pmMy wife is a purse collector. Most of her purses take up room in our closet and see very little use. But, since purse collecting is one of her primary forms of recreation, I don't say too much about it. For the past couple years, she has been very hot on a particular brand- Vera Bradley. So, I thought it might be nice to buy my wife a Vera Bradley purse for Easter. Specifically, my wife has been talking about a backpack style purse. I called the local gift shop that I know my wife frequents to ask if they have a Very Bradley backpack in a "pink and green flowery pattern."
They lady who answered my call explained that there were several patterns that fit the vague description I provided. However, she very patiently asked a series of questions and eventually was able to determine which pattern I was seeking. She then explained that the backpack isn't manufactured in that pattern. Unfortunately, I don't have a "plan b" gift in mind.
This shop is ripe with CRM opportunity. If they tracked their customers' profiles and purchases in a CRM system, my phone call would have been much more productive and most likely would have resulted in a sale: "I'm sorry but the backpack is not available in that pattern. I notice your wife purchased a small hand bag in our 'Pretty In Pink' pattern a few weeks ago, and I do carry the backpack in that fabric. Can I set one aside for you? Also, I notice your daughter's birthday is around the corner. When you come in to pick up the purse, I would be happy to help you pick out a gift for her." I'm sure the last thing this small gift shop needs is a huge IT infrastructure. But Salesforce.com, or another hosted CRM, would require no additional hardware or software, could be set up very quickly, and would create a number of new and interesting sales opportunities.
Let the Grilling Season Begin
Thursday, March 30th, 2006 @ 6:30pmIt was a nice warm night in the Philadelphia area, so I decided to uncover our grill and see how it made it through the winter. It started right up, so I gave it a quick cleaning and called our local bake-at-home pizza place to order a pizza to grill.
I have ordered the same exact pizza once a week just about every week in the spring, summer, and fall for the past two years. But, every time I call, I'm treated as a brand new customer. A robotic, "How can I help you? What is your name? What is your phone number? It will be ready in fifteen to twenty minutes."
Why aren't restaurants run like businesses? Salesforce.com, a couple custom objects, and CTI would completely change the customer interaction. I envision, "Thanks for calling Bake At Home Pizza. Is this the Smith residence? Good afternoon, Mr. Smith. I notice you enjoy our Mexican Pizza. If you like spicy food, you might want to try a new addition to our menu, the Hot Pepper Deluxe. I see you live around the corner?I will get your order prepared right away."
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