Cisco IT Case Study Summary
Virtual Sales Expertise
How Cisco Supports Virtual Access to Technical Experts
Cisco solutions increase the productivity and reach of product experts.
Like many companies that sell complex products, Cisco relies on a relatively small number of technical sales
specialists to support a much larger number of salespeople. This way of
BUSINESS BENEFITS
● Higher sales productivity and increased
interactions with customers.
working had several drawbacks, because the specialists faced huge demands
for assistance but had only limited tools to support their work. It was also
difficult for salespeople to find the right technical expert for each issue. The
● Revenue growth from top customers.
sales specialists needed ways to work more efficiently, collaborate easily with
● More sales opportunities.
other experts, and develop more focused product expertise to keep pace with
● High customer satisfaction with sales
responsiveness.
● Improved work/life balance for sales
an increasingly competitive marketplace, and at the same time be available to
salespeople when the customer needs technical help.
specialists.
● Lower growth rates of expert staff levels.
The Specialist Optimization Access and Results (SOAR) program at Cisco
● Better resources for sales teams.
aims to increase sales productivity by enabling the company’s sales
● Reduced travel expense and impact.
specialists to do more work virtually while making them available to sales
“Our salespeople are no longer dependent
on their own knowledge. Instead, they can
respond to a customer’s questions with the
expertise of the entire company.”
– Patrick Romzek, Senior Director,
Advanced Technology for US and
Canada, Cisco Sales
people at exactly the right time. Cisco found innovative ways to leverage
employee expertise by using and combining web 2.0-based information
repositories with directory-based expertise locater and Unified
Communications’ presence information. Sales people bring these experts
directly to their customers with Cisco WebEx® collaboration tools and video
conferencing, with the immediacy of click-to-talk connections.
The SOAR program encompasses new roles, new ways of working, and new tools for Cisco’s technical sales
specialists and the sales personnel they support. Through a virtual workspace within WebEx Connect, a Cisco®
account manager can access self-help tools and information that address the questions and issues that frequently
arise in a sales situation. A group of Cisco sales and systems engineers operates as a global, virtual contact center to
provide a next step for getting answers if the self-help tools do not meet a salesperson’s needs. The online Expertise
Locator tool allows a Cisco salesperson or sales engineer to find the right sales specialist to address a customer
need or question. Other tools that support new forms of sales collaboration include a centralized knowledge wiki,
Cisco Virtual Office, Cisco Unified Personal Communicator with real-time presence data, Cisco TelePresence™,
Cisco Unified Video Advantage, and Cisco WebEx Meeting Center.
Based on initial launches in the United States and Canada, Cisco expects to gain several benefits from the
SOAR program. Higher productivity of sales personnel has already accelerated revenues and increased sales
opportunities for the company. Customers are more satisfied with Cisco’s performance because of improved sales
responsiveness. The sales specialists enjoy an improved work/life balance with the ability to work virtually and with
better resources. Improved productivity of the sales specialists is expected to yield lower growth rates of experts. And
reduced travel by specialists yields cost savings and reduced environmental impact.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To read the entire case study or for additional Cisco IT case studies on a variety of business solutions, visit Cisco on
Cisco: Inside Cisco IT www.cisco.com/go/ciscoit
All contents are Copyright © 1992–2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
Page 1 of 2
Cisco IT Case Study Summary
Virtual Sales Expertise
NOTE
This publication describes how Cisco has benefited from the deployment of its own products. Many factors may have
contributed to the results and benefits described; Cisco does not guarantee comparable results elsewhere.
CISCO PROVIDES THIS PUBLICATION AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.
Some jurisdictions do not allow disclaimer of express or implied warranties, therefore this disclaimer may not apply to
you.
All contents are Copyright © 1992–2009 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. This document is Cisco Public Information.
Page 2 of 2