In the Field

The successful sale and onboarding of a new client to a payroll management company requires teamwork between the Sales and Operations(i.e., Enrollment, Implementation, Client Services) teams. On the Sales side, sales representatives build relationships with bankers who then refer potential customers to them. The sales representative works with customers to find solutions that meets their payroll needs. Once a sale has been made, the sales representative works with the customer to complete a complicated packet of documents called an enrollment kit. On the Operations side, the Enrollment team ensures that the packet is complete. If anything is “pending,” they working with both Sales and the customer until the kit is complete. Implementation works with the customer until their first payroll has been processed at which point Client Services assumes responsibility for the ongoing management of the customers’ payrolls.

Because Sales and Operations are charged with managing different parts of the customer experience, their priorities can diverge causing misunderstandings between team members. Although both teams understand that the customers’ needs are the top priority, their measures for success and the nature of their work environments are very different. Sales representatives work independently. Their compensation depends on whether they make a sale. Simply put, “You sell, you stay. You don’t sell, you go.”

In contrast, Operations work in a highly structured environment where they are expected to satisfy the client while respecting fairly rigid payroll procedures. Their performance, including any interactions with clients, is closely monitored. Their success criteria are more complex than that of the sales representative.

The differences in the day-to-day lives of Sales and Operations team members can create a gulf between the two teams. When a relationship with a customer is damaged, fingers often get pointed across the divide. Building trust between Sales and Operations will help bridge the gap between the two teams. The closer the two teams become, the higher the likelihood that the customer will have a smooth and pleasant experience with the company.

The HIVE (Highly Interactive Virtually Environment) “In the Field” is designed the help reduce misunderstandings between Sales and Operations by building awareness in Operations of the challenges and motivations faced by Sales on the job. The HIVE is not aimed to teach a team member how to be a sales representative. No explicit technical knowledge is required to complete the tasks. Rather, the HIVE is designed to bring the Operations team member “into the field” so that they can experience the frustrations and satisfactions of a sales representative.

The players’ success in the HIVE will be measured in the same way that the success of Sales is measured: Making the sale. If they can build a relationship with the banker, convince the customer of the value of the payroll product, and manage the customer through the enrollment kit process, they will succeed. These three key points in the sales process will be marked in the HIVE by a specific interaction. If the player fails to successfully navigate their way through each interaction, they will lose the game.

The first version of “In the Field” will be treated as a prototype. If the players react favorably to the game in an online survey, I will include more sophisticated visuals, interactions and reward mechanisms (e.g, different levels of increasing difficulty, a more sophisticated scoring mechanism). Future iterations of the HIVE will include, “In the Call Center” aimed at Sales Rep and a more immersive version of “In the Field” designed to simulate the sales process for new members of the Sales team.

See Storyboard DRAFT HERE.