Even as the Covid-19 pandemic has forced organizations to adjust to the realities of doing business remotely, customer expectations remain high and are rising. LinkedIn’s “State of Sales” 2020 report found that buyers are less willing to meet with salespeople virtually. Furthermore:
- 44% of survey participants reported decreased responsiveness after outreach
- 44% reported that sales cycles are getting longer
- 50% said buyers aren’t willing to book meetings
Despite these headwinds, there are still opportunities for organizations to thrive. In a recent Salesforce Trailhead Live session, Michael Kretzdorn, a senior solutions engineer at Slack, explores how remote sales teams can forge strong connections with prospects and customers with the Salesforce for Slack integration, as well as how sales teams can collaborate with support teams to meet customer needs after a deal closes.
This session covers an introduction to Slack, the channel-based messaging platform, and includes a demonstration that highlights exactly how teams can harness the power of Slack and Salesforce together to streamline the entire sales lifecycle, pre- and post-deal.
- Customize your public or private channels to notify you or your team about new and updated records, like when an opportunity stage changes or a quote is approved
- Use /salesforce search terms to find and preview all standard and custom Salesforce objects, all without leaving Slack
- Easily send Salesforce records directly to Slack channels, and link key customer interactions and internal conversations
Streamline communication and never miss a sales lead
In a world where try-before-you-buy has become the norm, sales and support professionals were already facing challenges before the pandemic. According to that same LinkedIn report, 55% of sales professionals anticipated a decrease in their pipelines, and an additional 60% of sales professionals anticipated challenges meeting their quotas last year.
Organizations can overcome these obstacles by building a solid foundation of precise, consistent and organized internal communication. With the Salesforce integration for Slack, sales and support representatives can easily pull up Salesforce records directly in Slack, sharing critical information in one central digital space. With the slash command /salesforce [account name], executives and account stakeholders can pull important details from Salesforce into Slack, giving them instant visibility into key accounts.
The @mentions Slack feature also makes it easy to loop in experts from a particular line of business or technical area to weigh in, answer product questions, or provide feedback on presentations and document follow-up conversations. With this system, it’s simpler than ever to build a historical record about a lead.
“Especially during the pre-sales process, any notes that we can provide for more context about why a contact moved from a basic introduction to a converted opportunity is going to be very important for any account manager,” says Kretzdorn.
Additionally, account channels can be public or private if only specific individuals should have access to sensitive information. This kind of streamlined communication gives teams more time in the day to focus on what matters most: the customer.
“Thousands of global sales teams are bucking the current trends and closing the deals that they need to get the job done. That’s because they’re optimizing for digital-first connections with their prospects and customers.”
Close deals faster by automating tasks in Slack
The Salesforce integration for Slack helps workers reduce the time they spend on repetitive, lower-value tasks. Automating deal support requests with custom Slack workflows helps sales reps instantly connect with the right approvers, freeing them up to spend more time on core selling activities. The integration sends customized Salesforce notifications immediately in Slack, so teammates don’t have to stop what they’re doing and log in to a separate tool.
Team members can send account records from Salesforce directly to Slack, choosing which channels and people they want to share information with. For example, if an opportunity record changes from negotiation stage to proposal stage, a Salesforce notification can be sent to a specific channel where an account executive can then pull in relevant colleagues, such as the legal team, to set up a contract.
Slack conversations can also be added to Salesforce records, so important messages regarding an account or a case can be viewed in Salesforce. For example, sales reps can easily get up to speed when viewing a record, and support agents can view relevant conversations while they’re working on a case.
Each step of the way, teammates can give quick responses with emoji reactions instead of follow-up messages. For example, a teammate might leave a message asking for help and someone can volunteer by reacting with 👀. That means they’re going to take a look. Once the work is done, the sales rep can use ✅ to mark it as complete.
“Channels offer a less formal, more human way of connecting—more like texting. It’s easier than ever to reach out to your customers far ahead of a renewal event.”
Strengthen customer relationships and win lasting loyalty
Organizations can maximize customer loyalty by bringing sales and support representatives closer to customers with Slack Connect, the secure communications environment for working with external partners. Slack Connect allows reps and account managers to open an enduring line of communication with their customers, building trust along the way.
Organizations can also use the Salesforce integration in external channels the same way it’s used internally, allowing sales and support teams to collaborate on customer needs quickly and efficiently. As customer relationships grow over time, new teammates added to Slack Connect channels can access past conversations, files and context to keep everyone on the same page.
Using Slack and Salesforce together, teams can effectively shorten the length of their deal cycles, increase customer retention, reduce time to answer, and increase first-contact resolution. Unlock these opportunities by visiting the Slack App Directory and downloading the Salesforce for Slack app.
Read more:
- Slack helps Box’s sales pros jump on leads with lightning speed
- Stripe’s sales reps forge meaningful client relationships with Slack Connect
- Splunk’s sales teams seal deals quickly with Slack
As previously disclosed on December 1, 2020, Slack and Salesforce have entered into a definitive agreement under which Salesforce will acquire Slack. Slack anticipates completing the acquisition during its fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2021, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of certain closing conditions. Until such time, Salesforce and Slack will remain and operate as separate companies. Please see here for more information.
The following information is intended for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, and not as a binding commitment. Please do not rely on this information in making your purchasing decisions. The development, release and timing of any products, features or functionality remain at the sole discretion of Slack, and are subject to change.
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