My Role: Lead Designer, UX Designer
Tools: Figma, pen and paper
Date: August 2021 - October 2022
Introduction: In today's competitive business landscape, sales teams need effective tools to streamline their outreach efforts and connect with potential customers. This case study explores the design and development of a personalized sales sequences tool aimed at helping sales professionals optimize their outreach, ultimately leading to higher conversion rates and revenue growth.
Project Background: Yesware, a B2B Sales software provider, recognized the need to improve their sales outreach efforts. Their existing approach lacked personalization and engagement, resulting in decreased conversion rates and missed opportunities. To address these challenges, Yesware decided to develop a customized sales sequences tool.
Project Goals:
Create a user-friendly tool that empowers sales teams to personalize their outreach to individual prospects.
Increase sales conversion rates by optimizing the timing and content of follow-ups.
Enable easy integration with CRM systems and other sales tools.
Develop a responsive and intuitive user interface.
Conduct user testing to refine the tool based on real-world feedback.
Research and User Personas:
To ensure the tool met the needs of its target users, the team conducted in-depth research and created user personas:
Role: Sales Representative
Name: Alex SalesPro
Role: Sales Representative
Background: Accomplished sales professional with a tech-driven approach and a proven track record in exceeding sales targets through strategic communication and relationship-building.
Persona Traits:
Tech-Savvy Strategist: Embraces technological advancements and proficient in leveraging automated email campaigns for targeted engagement.
Relationship Builder: Prioritizes personalized communication to foster lasting connections and trust with clients.
Data-Driven Decision Maker: Relies on email campaign analytics for informed decision-making, refining strategies for maximum impact.
Adaptive Communicator: Possesses excellent communication skills adapting to diverse personas, tailoring content to unique needs.
Results-Oriented: Driven by a results-oriented mindset, focusing on both quantity and quality in the sales pipeline.
Continuous Learner: Committed to staying informed on industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies through active training.
Team Collaborator: Values collaboration, working seamlessly with various stakeholders to align email campaigns with organizational objectives.
Customer-Centric: Prioritizes customer satisfaction, actively incorporating feedback to refine future email campaigns and deliver value.
Role: Sales Manager
Name: Sarah SalesLeader
Role: Sales Manager
Background: Seasoned sales manager with expertise in leading high-performing teams to surpass sales targets. Tech-savvy and strategically utilizes automated personalized email campaign tools.
Persona Traits:
Visionary Leader: Forward-thinking and tech-savvy, Sarah envisions the potential of email campaign tools to enhance team efficiency.
Strategic Planner: Meticulously aligns team goals with email campaign tool capabilities for targeted outreach and improved lead conversion.
Data-Driven Decision Maker: Relies on email campaign tool analytics for informed decisions, refining strategies based on key performance indicators.
Team Empowerment: Believes in empowering team members with skills to maximize the tool's potential, fostering a collaborative and tech-savvy sales culture.
Motivator and Mentor: Inspires and mentors team members, fostering a positive mindset and a culture of continuous improvement.
Adaptability: Stays adaptable to changes in the market and technology, adjusting strategies for sustained success.
Effective Communicator: Transparent and effective communication, ensuring team understanding of goals and the role of the email campaign tool.
Results-Oriented: Focuses on achieving measurable results aligned with broader organizational objectives.
Collaborative Partner: Works closely with other departments to seamlessly integrate the email campaign tool into the overall sales and business strategy.
Design Workshop, Wireframes, and Foundations
Design Sprint
I led a dynamic design sprint, uniting sales, marketing, leadership, and design professionals to innovate on a cutting-edge sales email campaign tool. Our goal was clear: create a user-centric solution aligning with evolving sales strategies.
Participants: Sales reps (Alex SalesPro), Sales managers (Sarah SalesLeader), Marketing, Leadership, and Designers.
Process: Over five days, we delved into challenges, ideated, prototyped, tested, and mapped an implementation strategy.
Outcomes: The sprint yielded an initial concept with buy in from leadership for a next-gen tool. It caters to Alex SalesPro's personalized needs while addressing Sarah SalesLeader's strategic and analytical requirements.
Competitive analysis
I conducted a competitive review and surveyed several users on alternative products. Understanding the competitive landscape helped me understand the end user as well as the features needed to improve upon what existed in the market
Wireframes
I developed wireframes to distill the tool's functionality and delineate the essential feature map, providing a visual blueprint for its design and structure. Note - not all wireframes are pictured here.
Design and Development: I spearheaded a design team consisting of three members to develop the ultimate product. Collaborating closely with both the product manager and product owner, I played a crucial role in shaping and prioritizing features. As the leader of the design team, my responsibilities extended to crafting final designs for the sales sequences tool. Additionally, I assumed the role of a strategic project manager, partnering with our product owner to evaluate business requirements and implement essential features. Notable features incorporated in this process were:
Sequences Dashboard:
Centralized hub for managing prospects, sequences, and messaging.
Personalization options such as custom email templates and dynamic fields.
Search and filter functionality
Preview Functionality
Sequencing Engine:
Intuitive sequence creation with customizable timing and communication channels (email, phone, social media).
Multiple stage types, including email, sms, and custom tasks
Automated follow-up based on prospect behavior and responses.
Dynamic data fields mapping to the contact object for efficient and accurate personalization
Reporting and Analytics:
Real-time analytics to track the effectiveness of sequences and individual prospect engagement.
Team-wide and individual performance metrics.
Contact management and customization:
The capability to add single contacts, and bulk add contacts
Editing contact details to populate dynamic data
Updating contact details and status based on response to a sequence
Learnings:
Designing a customizable, personalized sales outreach tool presents several challenges. Balancing flexibility with user-friendly interfaces is complex, as the tool needs to accommodate a wide range of user preferences and customization needs while ensuring a straightforward experience. Striking the right balance between robust features and simplicity becomes crucial to prevent overwhelming users. Additionally, addressing data privacy concerns and implementing effective personalization without compromising security adds another layer of complexity. Ensuring seamless integration with existing sales processes and providing comprehensive training for users to harness the tool's full potential are also key considerations in overcoming the challenges of designing such a sophisticated and adaptable solution.
The enormity of the project posed significant challenges in prioritization, as balancing various aspects became intricate without compromising functionality elsewhere. Determining which features to prioritize within the confines of time and resources required careful consideration to avoid potential trade-offs. Striking a balance between delivering essential functionalities and maintaining a cohesive user experience demanded meticulous planning and constant reassessment of priorities throughout the project lifecycle. The challenge lay in optimizing the project scope to ensure that crucial functionalities were preserved while acknowledging the inherent limitations posed by the project's size and complexity.
Given the project's magnitude, I would recommend adopting a user-centric approach in the future, addressing one problem at a time. Focusing on user needs and systematically tackling challenges ensures a more streamlined development process, facilitating effective prioritization without compromising overall functionality. This approach promotes a clearer understanding of user requirements and allows for incremental enhancements, ultimately contributing to a more cohesive and user-friendly sales outreach tool.