C9. Icing on the cake
October 26, 2013

C9. Icing on the cake

Scott Johnson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Modules Used

  • Pipeline Analytics, Reporting

Overall Satisfaction

Pros

  • Customization. C9 customized their applications to match the fields and data in our CRM. This enabled advanced filtering outside of the standard data filters.
  • Continuous Improvements. C9 was always adding features and improving performance based on user feedback.
  • Customer support. C9 listened to our feedback, responded quickly to service issues, and consistently connected with customers via online seminars, an annual Customer Summit, and Customer Success Managers.
  • Analytics. C9 gave us the power to look at our pipeline at different moments in time, track changes, and measure KPIs we could not do with the CRM alone.

Cons

  • Their support ticketing system and support page could be improved. They were always responsive, but tracking the status of your ticket and knowing who it was assigned to was challenging.
  • There were some performance issues that seemed to come with application enhancements, but they were always communicating progress and working to resolve.
  • C9 enabled us to track our sales pipeline changes over time which ultimately led to a 17% increase in win rate.
  • The product paid for itself in months because utilization is dependent upon the managers, not the salespeople. Managers have the license, but the benefits are applied to the salespeople. Most subscription based products are under utilized when every person must hold a license.
  • 1 on 1 conversations between managers and salespeople were more meaningful because they were discussing long term pipeline growth and health, not short term status reports.
It is a cost effective enhancement to the CRM, providing sales operations professionals the tools necessary to deliver relevant data to sales leaders. The product is easy to use, evolves, and generally exceeds expectations.
Decide which metrics and key performance indicators are important for your business and ask C9 how they can help you track your progress. I recommend getting complete buy in from your most senior level sales manager before, during, and after evaluation.

Product Usage

10 - Sales and Sales Management
1 - 
  • Excel
  • Basic understanding of how queries work
  • Strong understanding of Salesforce.com
  • Analytical
  • Ability to train peers and superiors
  • Basic understanding of forecasting and sales processes.
  • Need for pipeline analytics above and beyond what the CRM can offer
  • Need for forecasting vehicle
  • Ability to generate reports and dashboards
  • Provide snapshots or "moment in time" views of your sales pipeline
  • Forced our company to create formal KPIs
  • Promoted pipeline health in ways we could not have dreamed of
  • Compare pre and post merger pipeline growth
  • Forecasting
  • Automated Reporting

Evaluation and Selection

Support

C9 cares about their customers and responds quickly. However, the ticketing system could be better and there is no easy way to track the status of your requests.
ProsCons
Knowledgeable team
Problems get solved
Immediate help available
Support cares about my success
Quick Initial Response
Poor followup
Not kept informed
Need to explain problems multiple times
Yes - Most bugs were resolved in a timely fashion. Some were not. Only one negatively impacted our business.
A representative held a separate call with me to discuss best practices on an unrelated solution. The company always went out of their way to provide value and make us feel important.

Comments

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