“The value we get from QuickBase
is enormous.”
PTC software helps more than 27,000 companies design, build, and service
products from race cars to medical devices and everything in between.
PTC relies on an extensive network of hardware and software partners to extend the value of
its software to more than 27,000 customers. Each of PTC’s more than 350 active partnerships
in the PartnerAdvantage™ Program are documented, tracked, and maintained through an Intuit
QuickBase application that stores relevant partner data — such as agreements and email records
— and delivers on-demand reporting. QuickBase is a critical management system that helps the
small PartnerAdvantage team deliver bottom line value to the business.
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ABOUT PTC
PTC software helps more than 27,000 companies design, build, and service
products from race cars to medical devices and everything in between. With
$1.3 billion in annual revenue, approximately 6,000 employees, and 350 active
hardware and software partners, PTC is one of the largest and fastest-growing
software companies in the world.
PTC headquarters in Needham, MA
The challenge
•
Move from spreadsheets to central system for managing partner relationships
•
Document key activities across several business processes
•
Provide other groups within PTC visibility into partner relationships
•
Provide fast reporting on the status and history of partner relationships
•
Create email lists based on defined criteria
The solution
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Intuit QuickBase application tailored to key business processes
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Integration with PTC Windchill® enterprise application for content management
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Key emails automatically stored within partner records
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Fast reporting on key business process
•
Easy sorting and list generation for targeted email communications
The benefits
•
Single source of truth for partner relationship information, history, status and changes
•
Provides visibility into partner records for other groups within PTC
•
Improved operational efficiency for PartnerAdvantage team, enabling it to manage 350
active partner relationships with only 5 employees
•
Easy configuration allows for fast changes by PartnerAdvantage team without relying on
IT resources
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How PTC Brought Order to its
Complex Partner Program
Managing business partnerships can be complex — typically involving multiple
agreements, stakeholders, and deadlines that change over time. As partnerships evolve,
tracking those changes and maintaining visibility into the current status of the partnership
becomes challenging.
For PTC, a $1.3 billion software company, managing partnerships with complementary
hardware and software companies is critical to the company’s success. The
PartnerAdvantage team at PTC is responsible for managing 350 active relationships
with hardware and software partners with a staff of five team members. To help manage
multiple business processes associated with the partner program, PTC relies on an Intuit
QuickBase application that helps document, track, and report on key partner information
and activities.
“We all need to stay connected and QuickBase simplifies this. The value we get from
QuickBase is enormous,” says Andrew Barlow, VP, PartnerAdvantage Program.
Migrating from paper and spreadsheets
The PartnerAdvantage Program at PTC has been contributing to the company’s success
for over two decades. For much of that time, the team managed partner data, contracts
and activities using a combination of paper and electronic documents, spreadsheets,
and share drives. As partnerships grew in number and complexity, this practice became
unsustainable. Determining who had the latest version of a spreadsheet or tracking email
communications through inbox searches hampered productivity for the PartnerAdvantage
team, taking time away from other essential partner activities.
The team needed a solution that would store partner records in a central location that was
easily accessible by all team members and other groups within PTC. The solution also
needed to help the PartnerAdvantage team manage workflows for several key processes,
including:
•
•
•
•
•
Onboarding new partners
Managing software licenses and renewals
Providing access to technical support
Providing marketing benefits by membership tier (press releases, case studies, and
other visibility activities)
Strategic planning
In 2005 the PartnerAdvantage team selected QuickBase to manage partner records.
QuickBase now serves as both a central repository for partner information and a hub that
connects to other systems vital to the partner management processes.
“The partner record in QuickBase links to a lot of other internal PTC information. It links
to our Oracle transactional system, so we understand the licenses we’ve provided.
It links to a content management system that houses all of their contracts. It links to
some spreadsheets or PowerPoint presentations which contain summaries of the value
proposition of the partnership,” says Barlow.
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The QuickBase app is tightly integrated with PTC Windchill, a PTC software package
that serves as a content management system for the PartnerAdvantage team. Contracts,
marketing assets, and other documents are easily accessed from associated partner
records in QuickBase.
The PartnerAdvantage team also uses a third-party application called SendToQuickBase
to log important email communications between the PartnerAdvantage team and its
partners. When emailing a company in the partner database, the PartnerAdvantage
team member is prompted by a dialogue box that offers to attach the email to the partner
record. This has allowed Barlow and his team to avoid misunderstandings with a tight
record of agreements, requests, and other communications.
The team also relies on the ability to create both ad hoc and standard reports and list
generation that streamlines communication with groups of partners. For example, the
team can generate a report showing active partners by membership tier (Platinum, Gold,
or Silver) or active partners with certain marketing entitlements. Any of these reports can
be exported quickly for a targeted email list based on what types of information each
partner should receive.
“I’m always
amazed at
how much you
can do with
QuickBase
with a little bit
of study.”
Driving value for PTC
Since implementing the QuickBase solution, the PartnerAdvantage team has delivered
results both inside its own team and throughout the organization. Internally, the team
has dramatically improved its operational efficiency to the point it can handle complex
relationships with 350 active partners with only five team members. Having all partner
records stored in a single repository ensures that all current and historical information is
readily available.
That visibility extends to the rest of PTC, as well. Other groups within PTC — for example,
the Mergers & Acquisitions team — can easily search within the partner database to get a
better understanding of the partners and their business.
Most importantly, Barlow and his team continue to rely on an application that can be
easily updated — without help from a developer or PTC’s IT department — to adapt to
changing needs and requirements.
“I’m always amazed at how much you can do with QuickBase with a little bit of study,” he
says. “As we evolve, QuickBase evolves with us.”
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