| The software-as-a-service (SaaS) model is disrupting | | | | eye on the enhancements coming in the native |
| traditional approaches to business analytics. The long | | | | transactional reporting features. Also keep in mind |
| deployment cycles, high costs, complicated upgrade | | | | what Neil Raden noted in his paper called, Accelerating |
| processes and IT infrastructure required of traditional | | | | Analytics Success with On Demand: |
| on-premise business intelligence solutions are no longer | | | | "Porting a desktop application by removing its user |
| acceptable in the era of on demand. Instead a new | | | | interface and replacing it with a Web front-end masks |
| breed of analytic solutions has emerged that are | | | | the fact that its internal operations have not been |
| simple to set-up and simple to use and deliver | | | | migrated to an on-demand, multi-tenant architecture. |
| immediate business value. | | | | The result is likely to perform poorly, to require |
| The difficulty for customers is in knowing where to | | | | time-consuming labor for upgrades and patches, and |
| start. With well over 50 analytic applications to choose | | | | quite possibly to be discontinued when the vendor |
| from on the AppExchange and native transactional | | | | releases its "real" on-demand product at some point in |
| reporting features constantly improving in the CRM | | | | the future, likely with no satisfactory conversion path." |
| application itself, it can sometime seem like the status | | | | Native Dashboard Applications |
| quo of "Excel Hell" is the easiest and safest choice. | | | | There are many interactive, real-time charting and |
| Unless you're happy managing and maintaining those | | | | Adobe Flex-based analytic dashboard components on |
| unwieldy spreadsheets, pivot tables, disconnected | | | | the AppExchange today. Some are easier to set up |
| Access databases, and numbers that often don't even | | | | and use than others. Most are eye catching. The |
| add up, here is primer to help you move from sales | | | | native dashboard applications often impress |
| force automation to acceleration with on-demand | | | | executives and non-analyst roles in the company, but |
| business analytics: | | | | because they are built on the underlying transactional |
| Understand Your Sales Analytics Requirements | | | | platform, they typically do little for the people struggling |
| If you're a Salesforce administrator, you already know | | | | with disparate Excel spreadsheets and historical |
| how important it is to become proficient with the built-in | | | | reporting and analysis requirements. Keep in mind that |
| reporting and dashboard capabilities of the application. | | | | a nice-looking, mashed-up dashboard widget may |
| If you're not already up to speed, be sure to sign up | | | | have "demo sizzle" and may even make sense for |
| for a training course, watch a Dreamforce | | | | your business process, but all dashboard-focused |
| presentation on the community website, and try | | | | applications on the AppExchange are not alike. Be |
| downloading a few of the free dashboard applications | | | | sure to find out about the vendor's vision to go beyond |
| on the AppExchange. (Adoption Dashboards, for | | | | operational or embedded business analytics for one |
| example, are a great introduction and jumpstart to | | | | transactional system in order to determine if they'll be |
| dashboards and they'll also get you familiar with the | | | | able to meet both your short-term tactical and |
| process of installing applications on the AppExchange.) | | | | long-term strategic on-demand information access and |
| But this is only the beginning. Inevitably with Salesforce, | | | | analysis requirements. |
| as is typical of transactional reporting, you're always 4 | | | | As stated earlier, definitely download the relevant free |
| or 5 reports away from answering the question you | | | | native AppExchange dashboard applications to |
| really want to answer. | | | | jumpstart your sales analytics initiatives and to get |
| To understand your sales analytics requirements, you | | | | comfortable with the AppExchange experience. |
| need to consider the following:o What information do | | | | True Analytic Applications |
| sales managers, the CFO and the CEO need today to | | | | Also known as online analytical processing (OLAP), it's |
| be successful? (Having a clear understanding of their | | | | important to look for analytic applications that are built |
| objectives and success metrics is critical. How many | | | | on a separate data platform designed from the ground |
| of these questions can you answer today?)o What | | | | up with user interactivity and information analysis in |
| business questions are the most difficult to answer | | | | mind. They will allow you to monitor and track historical |
| today? Who is asking these questions? When and | | | | trends and get answers to ad hoc questions, not just |
| why?o Would people prefer to answer their own | | | | static reports. These applications must be simple to set |
| business questions or are they content relying upon the | | | | up and simple to use. They should also be built on an |
| sales operations, business analysts, and/or IT function | | | | underlying on demand business intelligence platform |
| for information?o How do managers prefer to access | | | | that takes care of the "heavy lifting" by integrating, |
| and analyze business information--dynamic | | | | cleansing, and aggregating data from multiple sources |
| dashboards, spreadsheets, pdf, PowerPoint, email, | | | | into a single reporting and analysis interface. |
| mobile device, etc.?o What other sources of | | | | But beware of tools approaches. Instead look for true |
| information do people need to access and analyze in | | | | applications that deliver prebuilt best-practices and are |
| order to achieve sales success? (Note that critical | | | | designed for specific industries and roles. |
| sales data is often locked in financial systems - orders, | | | | When Henry Morris coined the term "analytic |
| bookings, billing information; or lives outside of the CRM | | | | application" over 10 years ago, he defined three key |
| system in spreadsheets--commissions, quotas, | | | | criteria as being essential: |
| forecasts .) | | | | 1) Process support |
| Know Your AppExchange Analytics Options | | | | 2) Separation of function, and |
| In their paper, Sales Management 2.0: Metrics, Not | | | | 3) Time-oriented, integrated data from multiple sources |
| Hunches, Barry Trailer and Jim Dickie from CSO | | | | Also be sure to find out about the trial process and |
| Insights describe the key sales analytics criteria this | | | | how easy it is to get up and running with an |
| way: | | | | on-demand analytic application on your company's |
| "You can decide whether you need to pull and analyze | | | | data. |
| data from multiple data sources (e.g., accounting, | | | | Whatever You Do, Don't Wait for Sales Analytics! |
| inventory, sales, etc.) or just one (CRM). Solutions are | | | | Putting off sales analytics is like putting off winning. But |
| available either way; what you want is an application | | | | for many organizations, getting started can be equated |
| that will allow you to defi ne business rules, historic | | | | to getting fit and joining a gym. You know you need to |
| trends and exception reporting with a minimum of | | | | do it, but there always seems to be a good excuse |
| administrative/set up effort." | | | | not to. In order to get more out of your CRM |
| Here's an overview of some of the AppExchange | | | | investment and drive sales performance with data, not |
| choices available to customers and their pros and | | | | opinions, here are a few suggestions to help make |
| cons: | | | | sales analytics a top business priority for your |
| Production Reporting | | | | company:o Make analytics a business initiative. |
| These are tools designed for advanced report | | | | Determine the metrics that matter and build a plan. |
| developers to create virtually any report on | | | | Executive sponsorship is critical to analytics success.o |
| transactional data. Also known as "enterprise | | | | Think big, but start small. Starting in one department or |
| reporting", these tools typically provide built-in scheduling | | | | even one region will allow you to get some quick wins |
| of pre-authored, highly formatted, "pixel perfect" | | | | and you'll be amazed at how fast word of your |
| reports that may include prebuilt prompts or filters to | | | | success travels. Have a vision to go beyond one area |
| make them seem interactive. For customers these | | | | of the business, but don't let a broader vision slow you |
| tools, can create virtually any join, but the data size | | | | down. The most important thing is to get started.o |
| must be small. Attempting to replicate all of your | | | | Make it about business process. Sales analytics and |
| transactional data in a desktop reporting tool in order to | | | | the lead-to-cash cycle is a great place to start. And |
| get the queries you need will not work. If people want | | | | given that this is an analytics initiative, be sure to set |
| to be able to ask spontaneous, iterative, or | | | | clear goals and measure your success against those |
| trend-based questions of their business data, these | | | | goals at every step along the way. |
| tools are not a good fit. If you have someone in house | | | | In difficult economic times, more and more companies |
| who understands SQL (and SOQL), and you just need | | | | are relying on sales analytics to give them the |
| a couple of static reports delivered, start here. Just be | | | | competitive edge and win. Make sure you're one of |
| sure to find out about customization, support, and | | | | them. No more excuses. No more surprises. |
| advanced report-writing costs up front and keep an | | | | |