Oracle Corp has announced a significant milestone in its goal to save more than one billion dollars in operational expenses with the internal deployment of its own Internet sales applications.
To-date, Oracle has automated more than 4 000 field and call centre sales agents and integrated the majority of its North American sales operations across all channels, including the field sales force, telesales and web sales, using the Oracle E-business Suite.
By moving from antiquated client-server sales systems onto a single, global Internet-based sales application, Oracle has significantly improved its margins and is increasing efficiencies, while optimising its sales distribution channels and providing a better customer experience.
Successes with this project in both cost savings and revenue generation have contributed to the nearly 12 point margin improvement Oracle achieved in its most recently announced fiscal quarter.
In addition, Oracle has outfitted its 4000 North American sales representatives with Oracle Sales Online, enabling them to access enterprise customer data from anywhere via a web browser.
In South Africa, Oracle=92s operation was one of the first outside the US to go live with its E-business Internet-based customer relationship management (CRM) applications.
"All sales personnel are functionally working off the same sales database in SA using the Internet to share information," says Glenn Lottering CRM business development manager at Oracle SA.
"In a team selling environment, reps can easily share information about a customer and leverage up-to-the-minute customer information to focus on the right deal at the right time," he says.
"Sales reps actively manage their pipelines through the system, enabling Oracle sales managers to more easily and accurately forecast sales."
Oracle sales managers are now able to see an up-to-the-minute, global sales forecast: "By eliminating administrative tasks and assigning sales resources appropriately, Oracle has begun to see significant improvements to it sales operating margins," adds Lottering.
Jay Nussbaum, executive vice president, Oracle Corp, says the deployment of Oracle=92s own e-business and CRM products marks not only a milestone in Oracle=92s effort to cut $1 billion in expenses out of its business, but it also signifies a complete transformation in the way Oracle approaches the sales cycle.
"Our sales reps are freed up from administrative tasks, enabling them to spend more time advising customers. And, by moving all sales channels into a single system, we can now forecast globally and across channels, manage our resources based on up-to-the-minute sales information, and truly provide our customers with a better experience."
With the implementation of Oracle CRM, a key component of the Oracle e-business suite, Oracle has been able to significantly lower the operating costs of the sales process by consolidating disparate sales systems into one application, and by providing sales reps with a consolidated view of customers and their activities.
By integrating all sales channels operating off of a single sales system, Oracle can now leverage each channel for maximum benefit, while providing a customer-centric experience.
A key component of Oracle=92s e-business transformation was the move to a single order entry system via the Oracle Store, Oracle=92s online store front, where customers, partners and employees can purchase products based on a standard price book and a standard set of contracts.
This simplified, streamlined ordering process has enabled sales reps to spend more time advising customers on strategic decisions and less time on administrative tasks.
To complete the sales implementation, Oracle integrated Oracle TeleSales, a telephony-based sales applications, with field sales and The Oracle Store channels. All sales leads generated from The Oracle Store are routed to the call centre for qualification.
Once qualified, the call centre automatically routes the lead to the appropriate field sales rep based on business rules, such as territory assignment.
Additionally, because all channels are automated by a single sales system, call centre agents are better equipped for both inbound and outbound inquiries because they have a complete view of all customer activities.
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