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We normally don’t spend much time in our blog talking about our solutions. We try to make the blog as informative and helpful to those seeking enterprise technology information as possible; without bombarding them with sales messaging. However, once in a while a customer of ours will do something really cool, and if we think it will help other companies, we will try to do our best to share the message. In this case, it’s using our Unity — Salesforce / Salesforce1 and Epicor ERP integration — to access Epicor inside Salesforce1 in real-time to improve sales performance.

Using Epicor inside Salesforce1 to improve sales?

How can ERP data help our organization sell better? This is a question one of our customers asked themselves prior to implementing Unity for Salesforce and Epicor. They identified the common scenario that Bryan plays out in the demonstration above. They asked their sales people about common problems inside of their sales process, and the sames issues kept coming up.

The client had sales people that often worked remote or spent large amounts of time in the field. This meant that when they checked-in with customers they often didn’t know of existing issues or cases that the client would often bring up. Additionally, since they were often disconnected from the day-to-day back-office, they weren’t always sure what they had in stock, or when items could be shipped. This meant that sales people often felt unprepared, and believed that they were missing out on sales; due to critical access to data.

What they discovered was that all of these issues could largely be solved if their sales team had mobile access to things like stock, inventory, sales history, cases, and shipping info. The sales team was already effectively using the Salesforce1 app for all other sales activities (they entered all their CRM data from there, it worked great).

The company decided to implement Unity; which allowed them to integrate the two systems seamlessly. It provided all of the data they wanted from Epicor inside Salesforce1. This not only allowed their sales people to check on cases and issues prior to walking into the customer, it allowed them to check stock and inventory levels, and ultimately place an order right from their mobile phone in real-time.

The outcome…

The outcome is a more prepared sales staff than ever before. Their sales people have a perception of “knowing everything about their customers” when they walk in the door, and they can now answer critical questions about a potential sale; right on the spot. Previously, the sales staff had felt unprepared and was often unsure if they could fulfill orders, causing them to leave money on the table.

The Unity integration has allowed them to sell more products, generate more referrals, and create raving fans; due to their knowledge and agility. This case is not uncommon. We talk to companies everyday with this vision. All it takes is execution, and it’s easier than many might think.

Wrap-up

If you’re a business with investments in Epicor and any CRM with mobile capabilities, there is a huge advantage to integrating the two devices. This organization has extracted tremendous value and ROI by running Epicor inside Salesforce1. Our consultants specialize in helping companies do this. It’s likely more affordable and easier to do than you think. If you have sales people that spend a lot of time in the field, it’s definitely worth looking in to.

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