Redpath Consulting Group

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the sales operations analyst and Salesforce admin at Gravie, an insurance company that uses smart technology and the human touch to reinvent employee benefits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Redpath Consulting Group?

We were using a few CRMs to track and manage sales and customer relationships. We needed to upgrade and consolidate the CRMs that we used to accommodate an increase in products.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted our operations to be streamlined to be able to attain more comprehensive metrics and data. We required a cleaner platform to track potential clients from the early lead stages to the final discussion stages.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We looked into a handful of Salesforce consultant groups in the area. We gathered reviews on each and heard really great things about Redpath, who are also located in downtown Minneapolis, so it just made sense.

Describe the project in detail.

Redpath helped us with Salesforce integration. We discussed our goals for the project and went over the things we liked and disliked about our current system. Redpath created a sales app for us in Salesforce. We had a series of weekly calls to revise the app and discuss changes and improvements to it.

What was the team composition?

We had a project manager and two Salesforce developers on the project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our operational efficiency has increased by roughly a 25% since switching to Salesforce and our reporting abilities have dramatically improved. Additionally, our sales reps have more comprehensive data on leads.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

There was a synchronized workflow between out teams. They were always readily available to answer any questions and had a flexible schedule.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was very impressed with how knowledgeable Redpath’s team is. They did a really fantastic job and created a Salesforce platform that’s truly beneficial to us. I was also blown away by their responsiveness. They really wanted us to succeed!

Are there any areas for improvement?

The only thing they could improve is providing a better introduction program for our sales rep. Overall, though, Redpath is amazing!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the marketing manager at a modern, web CMS provider that serves enterprise clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Redpath Consulting Group?

We wanted to centralize and synchronize our database, build, implement and measure campaigns across all channels, track engagement in the user's entire lifecycle journey, and improve reporting.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed better tools with which to support our growing website and user base. These tools needed to communicate with one another so that our businesses and analytics would be aligned.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

A partner introduced us to a few vendors, and after extensive evaluation, we found that Redpath was not only more cost-effective, but were very pleasant and knowledgeable in what we wanted to accomplish.

Describe the project in detail.

After our initial kick-off, we put together a document that outlined what our goals and needs were. We had joint working sessions every other day in which we reviewed, discussed use-cases, iterated, identified potential issues, and outlined workarounds and resolutions. This was an iterative process until throughout the whole project cycle, from conception and staging, to testing and implementation.

What was the team composition?

We were working with two developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We are now able to track users throughout their entire lifecycle journey, which gives us valuable insight into their behaviors and engagement patterns. We also have analytics that better help us identify potential customers and nurture those who need a bit more care.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Everything has gone off without a hitch. It was probably the most painless working engagement I've ever had with a vendor. They supported and engaged with us daily, taking our calls even when it was last minute. They worked with our changing scope and supported us every step of the way.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Aside from their expertise in the Marketo and Salesforce, their responsiveness and willingness to work around our hectic schedule and needs are next-to-none.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They went above and beyond our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for a content marketing services and software company. We are based outside Minneapolis, Minnesota.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Redpath Consulting Group?

We have been using Salesforce as our CRM [customer resource management] system for 3 years. We recently adopted a marketing automation tool called Pardot that integrates with Salesforce. Unfortunately, we were really struggling with the implementation. We also experienced new challenges in the way we used Salesforce. Both our sales and marketing teams were struggling with data management, the overall sales process, and how to leverage the integration with Salesforce and Pardot. We knew we weren’t maximizing the full capacity of Pardot, but we weren’t sure where to start. We needed someone to help us resolve those issues.

Initially, we worked with another local consulting firm to implement Salesforce, but they grew very quickly. When we realized that we weren’t a good fit for that company anymore, we searched for another partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At that time, we didn’t know how to articulate the challenges we were facing. We did know that we had an issue fully integrating the two tools together. We engaged with Redpath to review our current process and diagnose the issue. Based on those discovery conversations, we focused on Salesforce. For example, we didn’t know how to get the Salesforce customer and prospect data and maintain it. Before we could use our contacts database, it had to be cleaned up, segmented properly, and managed well. We wanted to use that data for email marketing and other segmentation through Pardot.

Our account manager, Rachel, did the sales process and discovery conversations. She matched us with the appropriate consultant. We worked closely with Eric [Marketing Lead, Redpath Consulting]. Those were the two primary contacts we had during the project.

How did you come to work with Redpath Consulting Group?

Redpath did a lot of local marketing events free of charge. They were focused on educating their market. We attended several of Redpath’s events and were impressed with the caliber of their thought leadership and presentations. I also liked the fact that they work a lot with non-profits. The nature of our business has a similar model in terms of the disparate number of stakeholders that are similar to donors and employees. We decided that Redpath was a good fit.

How much have you invested with Redpath Consulting Group?

We spent $20,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2016, and we rolled the project out in January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We enjoyed working with them and continue to work with them today. The project has significantly streamlined our sales process, from inbound to opportunity, thanks to the automations that Redpath helped set up in Salesforce. We also have a business development team that has seen significant improvements in the number of demos they have booked. Because the focus was primarily on the foundation of Salesforce structurally, I can’t speak to the marketing impact we’ve seen.

How did Redpath Consulting Group perform from a project management standpoint?

It was a very efficient process. We primarily worked with Eric, who used a Salesforce project management tool. He followed up with next steps and anything else we needed to discuss internally via email following each meeting. It was great to have one person to go to. He was really focused on our project and always on top of things. If there were issues, then we contacted the account manager. During the last month of the project, we met in person twice a week.  

What did you find most impressive about Redpath Consulting Group?

Their customer service is impressive, and we have an advantage because we’re local. Redpath’s team is dedicated to quality, which is something that we strive for internally as well.

Are there any areas Redpath Consulting Group could improve?

They are a small boutique agency, so they’re strapped for bandwidth. During the sales process, I would have appreciated a little more speed when we had changes in the contract.