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With 14 outside sales reps and two onsite at corporate headquarters in Quebec, all representing three Medisys divisions, she knew she needed an automated tool to centralize and share sales data as well as manage sales activity in real time.

“We had no easy way to track what reps were doing,” said Williams. “This was especially a problem in open territories, where we couldn’t tell which sales person contacted a particular client or prospect.”

Williams also required an overview of all sales activity. “I wanted to see, at a glance, what my reps were working on, if they were making their numbers, what deals were in progress – the whole sales pipeline. And I wanted to be able to share that with my managers,” she continued.

At the time, a few Medisys salespeople were using ACT! as a contact management tool, but according to Williams, they weren’t exploiting its full functionality. Others had their own automated or paper-based systems. Nothing was in place to allow everyone to access or manage all the information.

Williams began to investigate her options. She considered another CRM tool but decided it wasn’t user-friendly enough. “I really wanted a no-headaches tool that was simple to use,” she said. Another proprietary application came with a $100 per user/per month charge, a continuous expense she didn’t want to incur.

WiredContact delivers a fast-track, flexible solution

She then contacted Demers & Associates, a Toronto-based software and consulting firm and ACT! certified consultant, and liked the company’s responsiveness. She mapped out her requirements, which in addition to ease of use and reasonable cost, included flexibility. “It had to be tailored to our company, to include field names particular to the healthcare industry. I also wanted it customized to my needs,” noted Williams.

That was easy enough for Claude Demers, owner of the consulting firm, who put forth WiredContact as the solution. “Medisys knew their client and their product, and had a good methodology established. WiredContact gave them what they needed. We just had to put it into place,” he stated.

And his company did so, within a short timeframe. It met with Williams several times in December, for the most part, remotely via WebEx. Of the process, Demers noted, “We worked with WiredContact on a few code changes to accommodate the customization, particularly in the sales opportunity area. Thanks to their responsiveness, we were able to deliver the changes with minimum effort. Then we installed the application remotely. By January, it was up and running, customized fields and all.”

Training was also simple and fast, and led to some remarkable results. “We used WebEx so we could also conduct the training with their remote personnel. Most of her people were using WiredContact within two to three hours,” Demers said. “And it was the most amazing follow-up I’ve ever seen. The reps identified over 300 sales opportunities within the first three days of use,” he added.

It systematizes sales data – and more

Williams is absolutely pleased with the results that Medisys has realized. In the months since WiredContact has been in use, it has exceeded her expectations.

For one, it has saved time and improved efficiency for sales representatives. “Employees say it’s easier and faster for them to verify things with colleagues. We’re not creating more work for them; we’re making their jobs easier. And because the database is open to everyone, it motivates reps to keep their contacts up to date,” she said

Because the data is maintained and available in real-time, Williams has a better handle on all sales activity. She easily prepares weekly reports, using templates designed to her specifications, for top management. These help her manage the Medisys sales pipeline far more effectively than before. And with complete sales data available at her desktop (or any other Web-enabled device), Williams has also been able to better manage her personnel.

WiredContact’s flexibility has also led to benefits. “Reports are set up exactly the way I want them. I click on a contact and pull up a complete overview, on screen. With another click, I can get all the details. It’s very flexible, and easy, easy, easy to use, “ said Williams.

Demers points to WiredContact’s advanced security capabilities as another advantage. “We were able to give them different levels of access. Certain items were restricted to some by preview or read only, while we provided other individuals with full access,” he noted.

“It’s made my life in managing sales much easier. I can see what’s going on, wherever I am, with just a click. I can manage sales people according to their unique needs based on what’s in WiredContact. Just as important, it’s also allowed Medisys to be even more responsive to customers,” concluded Williams.