The Problem
The process of sending quotes and product recommendations to customers was complicated and created more work for the customer. The multiple steps it took to gain the information needed and place an order for the products led to a high abandonment rate and customer frustration.
Original System
The original recommendation lists were sent in the form of quotes to customers in a PDF format. As seen in the example the item descriptions can cause confusion if the customer is not already familiar with the product. Additionally, while the current system is great for giving generic quotes, it does not help when giving recommendation lists and trying to expand product selection for a customer.
Hypothesis
The belief is that creating a more digestible quote/recommendation system for current customers will fulfill the need to easily see the product, understand what is being recommended to them, and have the ability to place an order based on the quote/list in as little steps as possible.
We will know this is true when the conversion rate from quote to order is increased.
Feedback
The next step was to collect more feedback, from both sides of the suggestion process, by talking with customers and Sales Reps.
Brick & Mortar Buyer (Liberty Mountain Customer)
“I don't have time to look up every item you're suggesting.”
Liberty Mountain Sales Rep
"People will either blindly order what you're suggesting without caring what the product is or I'll never hear from them again about it (when sending suggestions sent via quote)"
Solution 1
The first solution my web dev team and I discussed was simply adding an option in the internal system that allows a rep to include images of items on a quote. This would make the change simple for the sales rep to understand as it is only one additional step to a process they already are familiar with. It will also be beneficial to the customer because it is giving more context to the items listed on the quotes and therefore more digestible suggestions.
This first brainstormed solution got our team talking about how the main goal is to help our customers so we can ultimately boost sales. While this solution is quick and easy for web dev to add, it still doesn’t help simplify ordering the product and converting the recommendations to sales.
Problem with Solution 1:
Solution 2
Create a page on our front facing site that Reps can make quotes on for their customers. This page would give customers the ability click into items and find descriptions of the product on the live website. It would also allow them to then add those items to their cart once they clicked through the item on the site.
Adding a new page to the site slows down the entire site as a whole. Quotes are only one tool in the sales teams’ toolbox so they will only be utilized occasionally and isn’t worth potentially creating a new pain point for customers if the site is slower.
Problem with Solution 2:
Solution 3
After further conversation with web dev to see what is feasible for the site without sacrificing speed or other important features we reviewed the list of wants and needs we gathered from sales reps and customers.
This solution is great for those who use the website already, but for those who do not regularly use the website it could be a pain point to have to start.
How we fixed this problem:
Sales rep can still import the quote to the website and onto the customer’s account. They just can add a step by downloading the PDF version of the Requisition list so the customer isn’t missing out on any of the information just because they don’t want to use the site. The rep can email that downloaded PDF to their customer and work with them in a setting that works best for them.
Teaching New System to Sales Team
There is already a page on the site for Requisition (Req) Lists that has all the features that are desired to make a recommendation list. By linking the internal quote system to the website Req List, we can accomplish the needs of both stakeholder and user. Additionally we can avoid slowing down the site. Lastly this change is easily accomplished by the Web Dev team and avoids any costly changes.
Problem with Solution 3:
Results
Customer Conversion from quote to sale increased 50%
Sales Reps started using quote tool again as a main form of outreach
Unexpected uses for tool that have occurred in result of the system changes:
Sales Reps use tool for the following purposes:
Suggested Brand load in orders
Preseason programs
Categorical accessory suggestions