LearningCurv

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Loan Operations at Arixa Capital, who is one of the West Coast’s premier private real estate lenders providing small balance loan solutions to lower middle-market residential and commercial investors and developers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LearningCurv?

We have customized Salesforce around our business model as our LOS system, which required us to hire a full-time Salesforce Administrator.

This person had limited abilities to build the operational machine we needed to support our growth. We also purchased the Pardot module in January 2019 and in six-months had not used it once as we didn't know where to begin.

What were your goals for this project?

We were using the classic version and wanted to migrate to the Lightening version.

We had additional build-outs and workflows that needed to be created without the experience or team to do it. We were seeking training and help on how to implement the Partdot Marketing module.

SOLUTION

How did you select LearningCurv?

I am not sure how we found LearningCurv.

Describe the project in detail.

Once we were ready to get started, I forwarded them the documentation I had on the developments we did so far, we had a scoping call to understand what our needs were and weekly one-hour calls thereafter.

They took the time to understand our systems and back end configurations before they changed anything.

What was the team composition?

I was assigned a relationship account manager and two project managers. Malorie and Ramya have been wonderful, I couldn't have asked for a better team!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have to admit I was skeptical and didn't want to learn a new way to communicate through Basecamp. I was used to having a full-time employee on-site that I could sit in front of and discuss the projects.

It took about two weeks for me to get the hang of the new way, which became a much better solution.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I have never worked with a better group of consultants, who are responsive, knowledgable, and they have made my work life so much better. Malorie is awesome and a new friend after working together for a year now.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

For only $60,000 a year, $5,000 a month, they replaced a $100,000 a year single employee (when you include payroll tax and benefits), with a team of experts in this field.

They were able to quickly correct the former employees' work and assist me with my priority build-outs all while learning our systems and preparing us for the Lightning migration.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I just wish I found them sooner!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the communications director at a firearms manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with LearningCurv?

Initially, we wanted to address some issues with the initial setup of our Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Later, we needed help integrating some new processes to our Salesforce Service Cloud.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they repaired the issues with our Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Then, we tasked them with creating a system to tackle a product recall announcement in our Salesforce Service Cloud. This included inbound and outbound shipment using two different carriers, and they helped us manage this entire process using Salesforce natively. It served to replace a scratch-built system that we had for our standard warranty and repair services.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people on the Service Cloud side, and two people on the Marketing Cloud side. There’s one project manager assigned to each project.

How did you come to work with LearningCurv?

We knew we wanted to work with a US-based company, so our time zones could be synced up and communications could be easier. We found them after doing a Google search for “Salesforce Marketing Cloud administrative partners”.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay $10,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2020, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The Salesforce Service Cloud implementation had a deadline, so it was our biggest metric or success. We met that deadline, and it’s been out biggest success so far. Now, we’re refining things and getting more automation in place.

How did LearningCurv perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve done very well. I have three-hour-long meetings with them, two on Service Cloud side, and one on the Marketing Cloud side. Everything is managed through BaseCamp, which keeps our work organized and allows us to track deadlines. Both project managers have been very good at keeping us on track and assigning tasks to us, as the client, and their team, as needed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to learn new features and applications outside of what they normally do is impressive. When we were doing the shipping recall, they were willing to work with a specific shipping carrier to get us where we needed to be.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, it’s been very smooth sailing overall.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They provide stellar service for the price. It’s like having a team of Salesforce administrators there to help us with whatever we might need.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

As the Global Digital Marketing Operations Manager, at Elekta, a Global Healthcare company that manufactures software and hardware for cancer treatments. I oversee the entire MarTech stack including Marketing Automation and its processes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LearningCurv?

We contracted out LearningCurv to help in the transition from Marketo to Pardot. They got us off the ground running quickly and ahead of schedule practically flawlessly. They provided such wonderful support that we brought them on to consult on Digital Campaigns, our Marketing Automations and Analytics.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to stand up our Pardot instance and perform the migration. Their scope has dramatically increased as our Marketing Automation system matures. LCV is now in charge of Campaign Execution, Analytics and assist in various Marketing Automation procedures.

SOLUTION

How did you select LearningCurv?

LearningCurv was recommended to us as part of our negotiations with Salesforce and came highly recommended. After due diligence, we chose them as our partner for Implementation and continued our partnership to post-implementation.

Describe the project in detail.

They are now currently our execution partner on all email campaigns including build, execution and post-campaign metrics. We have also started to beef up our reporting and analytics to help tell the story of our Data Health, Lead Management and overall KPIs. They've become a trusted partner.

What was the team composition?

LearningCurv always staffs our account to ensure the work gets done. Countless times, we have sprang last minute projects and high priority items and they've done it without a blink.

Jim, the lead consultant and Project Manager on our Global account, is a true partner and is always in the best mood, so, on top of his phenomenal knowledge, is the perfect person to collaborate with.

We also work closely with Project Managers, Email Marketing Specialists and Automation Specialists on a daily basis. The head of the CRM consulting practice has also represented LCV from a leadership perspective and has been insightful when the team calls for his support.

For all account related matters, we deal with with the Business Development Director

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The transition from Marketo to Pardot was successful; all deadlines for email sends were met and the setup occurred before the due date. They continue to execute at a rapid pace bringing together insights to deliver to our sales teams

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

LCV has their communicate channels set up pretty well. The Project Manager aligns the team and speaks on the project's behalf. Everyone is included on invites as needed and their support is quick to respond.

Expectations are set at the beginning and there has rarely been a dropped ball. Calls are set weekly with onboarding campaign calls as they come in and adhoc calls as needed.

LCV has been very flexible and meet when required. Basecamp is used for communication and project management. It has worked for us so far but they are currently looking for other technology options.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We've received top-notch support and they have been giving us advice on best practices throughout our implementation and continuously as we work through our long term partnership. At the end of the day, both teams understand this is a partnership and are invested in long term success for both companies.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Their structure is still in flux so we do see some gaps something in terms of leadership and management due to the wrong people being in the room. That being said, every concern we had has been dealt with swiftly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Raptor is the nation’s leading provider of integrated school safety technologies. Raptor school security systems can help your school screen for registered sex offenders, manage custody issues, coordinate volunteers, and respond to emergencies. More than 32,000 campuses across the U.S. trust Raptor to keep their students safe. I manage all business applications (Salesforce, Pardot, etc.).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire LearningCurv?

Our company has worked on dozens of projects with LearningCurv over the past few years. The most recent project was specifically for the implementation of Salesforce Chat on our websites.

What were your goals for this project?

Implement Salesforce Chat on several websites by June 30, 2020 with required specifications.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We engage with several vendors who can do Salesforce customization for us. LearningCurv is our go-to for most projects as they are reliable, efficient, and can provide a quick turnaround. Our assigned team at LearningCurv is outstanding.

Describe the project in detail.

We held two discovery meetings to outline the implementation process for Salesforce Chat. Since no one internally had used the service, we relied on LearningCurv to guide us in the right direction and to also let us know what was possible.

We wanted to get a great product out the door, but knew that the time frame was tight and we may not be able to do EVERYTHING that we want long term.

What was the team composition?

Our project manager, Devin, was our main point of contact and he also performed most of the work. He had one other person on his team that supported him in some of his efforts. On our end, we had myself, our Director of Demand Generation, and Sr BDR Manager (his team would monitor the inbound chats).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Implementing Salesforce Chat has been a success in several ways. First, the cost savings was tremendous in comparison to the previous software vendor.

The inbound chat volume has been similar, if not more. We knew the time frame that we required was tight, but LearningCurv never hesitated and rose to the challenge.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager, Devin, was all around outstanding. He communicated small items via Basecamp/email, but we had multiple video chat check-ins throughout June. He also helped to communicate with another third party vendor who manages our websites.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Salesforce Chat is not an extremely common implementation for the "sales-side" in my experience. LearningCurv had a great knowledge base of the product, our company, and also did some excellent adhoc research to get the best implementation completed by our due date.

Are there any areas for improvement?

For this project, I think it went as well as possible. I don't think Devin and team could have done any better.