Guest article by our client Karl Eastwood from Global Lingo, speaker at the Plunet Summit 2022
We have been using Plunet since 2015 and have found it invaluable. Additionally, we make use of the Plunet API to integrate the software into our SalesForce CRM. This integration has added a new level of connectivity and has streamlined many of our sales tasks, making the Plunet platform even better for our business and allowing us to better serve our customers.
Karl Eastwood, our Chief Executive Officer, discusses the integration reasons why it made sense for the business.
Q: What were the biggest pain points before you had a full integration of your CRM?
We were finding that we had information duplication and integrity issues with unconnected data, which was leading to the inconsistency of information between teams. Additionally, the salesperson didn’t always have full transparency over potential project values as the quote data in Plunet did not always match the opportunity data in SalesForce.
Q: What was the goal for the implementation?
The goal was to allow for seamless transfer of information between the sales team and the operations team. By doing this we reduce the risk of data input error. This in turn would improve the efficiencies of both the salesperson and project manager. This synchronisation of their processes gives both teams much more transparency on all aspects of the project. This allows us to better assess a project and the related opportunity.
Q: How did you go about creating the scope of the integration – which internal teams did you involve?
The scope of the integration started out with us involving the sales team, project management team, and company management teams. With their help, we mapped the entire sales to project go-live workflow. Once the full workflow had been documented, we identified all the touchpoints and interventions by the teams involved, paying particular attention to human interventions. This way we were able to identify which interventions could be removed using the Plunet API. We prioritised the areas where the API would add the most value to the processes and created a list of API/connector projects that we would like to implement, some immediately and some over a multi-year period.
Q: How did you manage the development process? Did you work with external providers or internal resources or both?
The development process was managed internally by myself. The actuall development work required was with the help of an external developer and SalesForce consultant.
Q: Could you describe the integration and the data exchanged in simple words?
The integration offers a 2-way communication between the SalesForce CRM and Plunet Business Management platform. It streamlines and controls the flow and sync of client data and contact data as well as opportunity management.
Q: What are the biggest advantages of the integration for your internal staff?
The biggest advantages for the internal teams are simplicity and transparency. It reduces the number of human interventions required to create and manage client opportunities. Streamlining the whole process for both the sales and project management teams.
Q: How are your customers benefitting from the integration?
Customers benefit because our team members have more time. The integration allows our team to spend less time on data management and internal tasks and more time focused on providing great customer service. Our business is all about the personal interactions between our teams and their customers. Automation such as this integration simplifies the communication channels allowing us to concentrate on providing the best service possible.
Q: Are there any other (new) Plunet automation features you have recently deployed?
We really like the look of the improved resource assignment automation. It will allow us to automate many of the linguist assignment tasks that are currently being done by hand. Thanks to the new assignment method, unnecessary e-mail correspondence can be avoided, and the entire assignment process sped up. This is going to be great for our internal teams and for our customers.
About Global Lingo
Global Lingo has built a strong reputation based on the high-quality language services we have provided to our clients for over a decade. We ensure that your content is accurate, consistent, and culturally relevant in multiple languages. We pride ourselves on first-class customer service and delivering projects on time and within budget. Our global office structure allows us to provide 24-hour, five days a week service to our clients. No matter where you are in the world, we will always be just a phone call away.
