Planmeca uses Xactly® CRM Accelerator to streamline incentive compensation management

Quick Upfront

Manager of Business Applications and IT, Chris Hyerdall, explains how implementing Xactly® CRM Accelerator improved the efficiency of their revenue operations by increasing the reliability and accuracy of their incentive compensation data.

Advanced Businesses Need Advanced Technology

Founded in 1971 and with a strong commitment to technological advancements, Planmeca has emerged as a global leader in the dental industry, with a wide range of cutting-edge dental equipment, such as digital imaging systems, dental units, and CAD/CAM solutions as well as innovative software solutions that integrate seamlessly with their equipment. The company's commitment to research and development has resulted in numerous patented advanced technologies that enhance the precision, efficiency, and patient experience in dentistry.

Planmeca has been using commission management software for over a decade and Chris Hyerdall, the Manager of Business Applications and IT oversees it all.

With approximately 35 sales reps, 4 managers, and 10 compensation plans, Chris oversees the administration of Salesforce and the implementation of the sales commission software. Among the many challenges of his role, Chris found the limited functionality of his previous commission management software needed addressing, and that brought him to CRM Accelerator. Chris explains, "When I first started doing commissions, I was using an earlier Xactly product, designed for smaller companies, which didn’t have as many tools and bells and whistles as I needed, especially as our needs continue to evolve." 

Implementing Xactly CRM Accelerator

After evaluating their options, leadership at Planmeca decided to implement CRM Accelerator, primarily for its robust features and seamless integration with Salesforce. "We ended up switching to CRM Accelerator because we liked the way the information was all inside Salesforce itself." A Salesforce native application, CRM Accelerator allows sales representatives to access all relevant information, including credit, returns, sales orders, and manual adjustments, directly from the opportunity record. Chris also customizes dashboards for different reps, providing them with quick and easy access to their sales data – all within Salesforce, as well.

CRM Accelerator allows sales representatives to access all relevant information, including credit, returns, sales orders, and manual adjustments, directly from the opportunity record.

The Many Benefits of Using a Native Salesforce App

With management and sales teams working comfortably in the Salesforce environment, an incentive compensation application that also works in Salesforce is key to data integrity, accuracy, and reliability. "It's really effective for me to be able to administer CRM Accelerator in the same way as any other object in the Salesforce system. Adding additional information and controls is easy and doesn't require external assistance."

Moreover, having all the commission-related information within Salesforce improves navigation and accessibility for the sales team. Sales representatives and managers, already in a familiar environment, find it convenient to run reports, make changes to compensation plans, or access commission data without the need to switch to another system.

It's really effective for me to be able to administer CRM Accelerator in the same way as any other object in the Salesforce system.

Better Quota Tracking and Sales Coaching

CRM Accelerator makes sales quota tracking and coaching easy for the sales team. As Chris explains, "We set quotas every year on our fiscal year, and the sales team gets quota bonuses for hitting certain attainment values." CRM Accelerator’s integration with Salesforce allows their sales managers to monitor and discuss quota attainment with their reps in real-time. And the ability to track actuals within the platform provides a significantly more accurate representation of sales performance, especially when compared to processes that relied on rough estimates based on opportunity closes.

Improved Commission Accuracy and Reduced Errors!

With CRM Accelerator, Planmeca has observed a significant increase in commission accuracy. "Being part of the implementation process and working closely with the Xactly team improved my understanding of the power of the system, and it’s led to more accurate calculations."

Importantly, the reduction in errors and discrepancies has brought more trust and transparency to the entire commission process with a 15-20% reduction in errors since implementation.

Enhanced Day-to-Day Operations

The ease of accessing data and finding answers quickly has significantly improved Chris's day-to-day operations. As he puts it, "Having all the information readily available in CRM Accelerator and Salesforce makes it quick and easy for me to explain commission details to the sales reps." The intuitive interface and comprehensive information provided by CRM Accelerator dashboards have also minimized the number of commission-related questions, allowing them to focus more on sales effectiveness.

Streamlined Management

The implementation of CRM Accelerator has effectively streamlined Planmeca's incentive compensation management process, giving Chris Hyerdall access to new tools, robust functions and features, that give him more insight and control over compensation data and processes. The integration with Salesforce, enhanced quota management, and subsequent reduction in errors have streamlined day-to-day operations, while the ease of use and accessibility of data has allowed sales reps to focus on sales activities and improved productivity!

The Benefits of Xactly CRM Accelerator

Clean Data - Organize all commissionable event data within Salesforce, verify the information and collaborate with your administrator to resolve any disparities fast

Error-free Payouts - Automate incentive compensation programs to eliminate payout errors and increase payout accuracy up to 99.8%

Quick Time to Value - Build and manage your compensation programs in no time without the need for pricey implementation costs with CRM Accelerator preconfigured for Salesforce

Analytics - Track every deal through each step of the incentive process from closed/won to when payments are finalized, all within Salesforce

Reporting - Streamline use of powerful Salesforce analytical tool and help build intuitive dashboards to measure compensation program effectiveness with pre-built templates

Automated Calculations - Remove the need for offline calculations and enable all incentive data management to occur right within Salesforce.

Improved Salesforce Adoption - Help keep tasks and collaboration within Salesforce, where simplified workflows, familiar tools and applications are readily available

Powerful RevOps Tools - Improve your RevOps management with gated approvals processes, audit tracking, and data discrepancy analytics

On-Demand Visibility - Give reps on-demand visibility into their comp plans and commissions within the platform they already use every day—decreasing disputes and inquiries while motivating them to hit quota