Anaplan's Operation Revitalization: Enhancing Sales and Customer Management

Anaplan is a foremost provider of enterprise cloud software, equipping organizations across various sectors to envision, strategize, and realize superior business results. With expertise in corporate performance management (CPM), Anaplan offers business planning tools alongside advanced business intelligence, synergizing planning, and analytics to boost operational performance. The organization is committed to delivering decision-critical data via cloud-based business planning tools available through a subscription model.

However, Anaplan was confronted with challenges: a scattered view of customer data, inefficient sales processes causing missed opportunities and declining revenues, and lead management that was dispersed and uncoordinated. Inefficient case management, including problematic routing and escalation, compounded these issues. There was also a pressing demand for a self-service customer portal that could streamline inquiries and encourage collaboration. Complexities in managing product configurations, pricing tiers, multiple currencies, and tailored quotes needed addressing, and the automation of renewals, amendments, and contract approvals was urgently required.

To counter these challenges, Anaplan partnered with Hitachi Digital Services to enhance support and development across Salesforce platforms, including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, CPQ, Conga CLM, and Experience Cloud. This strategic move capitalized on insights from Marketo and LeanData to optimize lead routing and employed DocuSign for seamless electronic signature integrations.

Hitachi Digital Services meticulously improved sales workflows, providing a complete view of customer interactions and developing a 360-degree customer profile. The lead management processes were overhauled, leveraging various sources to boost conversion rates and drive revenue. Utilizing Service Cloud Omni-Channel Routing and Experience Cloud, we streamlined case management and enhanced engagement within customer and partner communities. Contract lifecycle automation was achieved with Conga CLM, ensuring secure document handling and efficient obligation management.

The partnership between Anaplan and Hitachi Digital Services yielded significant improvements in the quote-to-cash cycle, enhanced the efficiency of partner onboarding, and refined lead-sharing mechanisms. Adopting robust contract lifecycle management practices reduced the dependency on manual review and approval processes. Moreover, it simplified the product configuration and pricing rules, contributing to the overall efficiency and agility of Anaplan’s operations.