The role of RevOps, especially in the context of maintaining and optimizing revenue processes, has been indisputably crucial over the past year (so much so, that LinkedIn listed it as the fastest-growing of all job titles in the United States for 2023).
As a tough, noisy, and distracting selling environment becomes ever moreso, there’s an evident need for the function to evolve and take on even more strategic work. And with that change comes a growing need for the role Salesforce teams play in supporting RevOps’ strategic goals as well.
Indeed, RevOps leaders frequently cite that they’re unable to fix the larger, strategic and/or advisory needs for their organizations because they are too bogged down with other tasks (which often get passed to already-overburdened Salesforce Admins and Developers).
The good news is that as of late, many of the manual tasks that commonly prevent RevOps from improving these processes are now able to be automated. Data hygiene, adherence, and many more are now able to be taken off of RevOps’ proverbial plate (all while admins can likewise escape, say, writing walls of validation rules to prevent sellers from skipping key data points).
Below, you’ll find a practical, step-by-step guide to help find and eliminate these tasks, leading to a massive transformation – a shift worthy of dubbing “RevOps 2.0.” This synergistic evolution starts with smarter automation and effective process management.
Step 1: Document the Status Quo
Before making any changes, a thorough understanding of existing processes is paramount. So, start with a process audit.
Here, you’ll want to investigate all of your current revenue processes, identifying and documenting areas where manual interventions are most prominent.
Two points of order to add here:
- You may consider mapping your own processes against the customer journey.
- If you’ve already implemented a ticketing system (no matter how lightweight), you may be already able to reference this to better understand where, historically, you’ve had such issues – I’d also recommend this for several other important reasons, too.
Once you’ve mapped out your current processes, you’ll want to clearly pinpoint where these manual processes are creating bottlenecks that could be alleviated through automation or process redesign.
Step 2: Adopt a Strategic Mindset
You may not have even considered your worth as a strategic value add, so let us reaffirm that value: it will take both Salesforce Admins and RevOps working in harmony to fix the problems modern revenue teams are facing right now. Very few roles have the exposure to the entire revenue team and their many problems, and even fewer have the skills to actualize the solutions in tech.
So, adopting a strategic mindset and acting not only as a catalyst for operational refinement but also as a fortifier of long-term revenue objectives is pivotal.
This involves diversifying focus from mere process management and manual troubleshooting to actively engaging in strategic considerations such as predictive analysis, revenue forecasting, and customer journey optimization.
It requires both RevOps and systems admins to prioritize discussions about sales and marketing alignment, ensuring a coherent approach throughout the customer lifecycle by addressing lead management, funnel optimization, and customer retention strategies.
Moreover, the strategic lens should scrutinize customer data management, evaluating how data is utilized across departments to inform decisions and shape interactions with clients. This perspective also necessitates involvement in technology and tool selection, ensuring that any adopted tech solves immediate operational needs and also aligns with the strategic objectives and technological ecosystem of the organization.
As a strategic entity, RevOps should play a role in the formation and refinement of revenue strategies, acting as a bridge that ensures tactical operations are always in service of strategic objectives, and facilitating a smoother, more aligned operation.
Admins must continually adapt and enhance their skill set to support and amplify these strategic shifts within RevOps. Given their intricate knowledge of platform functionalities and interdependencies, admins are perfectly positioned to identify potential roadblocks and opportunities within the architecture.
This symbiotic relationship between RevOps’ strategic mindset and admins’ operational prowess ensures the organization remains agile, efficient, and forward-focused.
Step 3: Develop a Framework for Automation and Strategic Operation
You need to build a solid foundation where automation can be logically and effectively implemented. For the purposes of this case, we’ve carved this up into four important pillars:
Workflow Efficiency
Determine which workflows can be automated to reduce manual tasks and free up time for more strategic work. Some of the easiest places to start here include proactive alerts that will serve in your stead: are your reps (classically) forgetting to update ‘Next Steps’? If so, set up a signal that fires a notification at them when they need to be reminded.
Deal Execution
Identify how a centralized, collaborative approach can streamline deal closures and improve the efficiency of sales processes. You’ll no doubt want to ensure that your sales leaders have visibility into deals and are able to jump in at a moment’s notice, get caught up-to-speed and can help as-needed. Tools like Rattle’s Deal Rooms are intuitive and can really help with this effort.
Data Hygiene
Establish practices or employ tools that ensure data is consistently accurate and up-to-date. Again, this pillar is largely about structuring a system of actionable reminders so that data hygiene and/or other admin tasks are both proactively and reactively addressed. After all, even the best reps are liable to forget something important (especially during/after a particularly dramatic process change).
Process Visualization
Use visualization to better understand your revenue processes, enabling quicker identification of any bottlenecks and leading to more informed decision-making in the future (see Step 1).
Step 4: Implement, Evaluate, and Optimize
Successful implementation within RevOps, especially when operating within the Salesforce ecosystem, necessitates more than just introducing new processes or tools. It’s about crafting a deployment strategy that resonates with the broader Salesforce framework and taps into the expertise of admins and architects.
These professionals, with their deep knowledge of Salesforce’s capabilities and best practices, can ensure that the introduction of new strategies or tools harmonizes with existing systems, guaranteeing smoother integration and enhanced operational efficiency.
Following the rollout, a rigorous evaluation is pivotal. Within the Salesforce environment, this means not just measuring outcomes, such as automation efficiencies or improved data management, but also understanding the holistic impact on Salesforce workflows and user experiences.
Metrics might include:
- Efficiency gains in deal management.
- Data accuracy improvements in the CRM.
- Advancements in lead-to-cash processes.
However, the feedback from the user community, particularly the invaluable insights from admins and architects, is essential. Their firsthand experience with the platform, combined with their strategic understanding of business needs, ensures that the evaluation is both data-driven and contextually informed.
Post-evaluation, the focus shifts to optimization where both parties should meet to hypothesize, test, optimize, and repeat.
Top tip: Remember, this is an iterative process of refining your implemented strategies and tools, ensuring they consistently deliver desired outcomes and adapt to the evolving needs of the business. This step is a continuous loop of reassessment and realignment, where RevOps doesn’t just solve for the present but is perpetually tuning its processes to anticipate and meet the future needs and challenges of the organization.
Step 5: Solidifying the Role of RevOps as a Strategic Entity
Now, RevOps must uphold its evolved strategic role, guiding and optimizing revenue operations.
- Provide Leadership: Steer the revenue operations by offering insights, analytics, and strategic guidance to foster data-driven decision-making.
- Maintain a Strategic Focus: Consistently work towards fostering a culture of strategic thinking and operation within RevOps and amongst collaborative teams.
- Continue Testing and Optimizing: At the end of the day, the dollars that you bring in will be your best allies.
The transition from an operationally focused role to a strategic “RevOps 2.0” one is indeed achievable through a methodical, well-planned approach.
Embracing a tool like a Process Automation Platform can be vital in catalyzing this shift. Rattle brings to the fore the capabilities to streamline and automate these mundane tasks, providing RevOps the latitude to shift their focus towards strategic deliberations and actions.
The alignment of these kinds of tools with a fundamental mindset shift and disciplined strategic approach will allow RevOps to implement and optimize processes with a lens focused sharply on both the immediate needs of operational efficacy with the long-term benefits of strategic gain. In that way, RevOps can truly tackle the tactical, and see a future where strategy is their ship to steer.
Summary
RevOps, recognized as the fastest-growing job title in the US in 2023, has a pivotal role in optimizing revenue processes. The increasing complexities of the selling environment necessitate a shift towards strategic work and away from manual tasks.
By documenting current processes, adopting a strategic mindset, developing an automation framework, and continuously implementing, evaluating, and optimizing, RevOps can effectively transition to a more strategic role — and leveraging tools like Rattle can catalyze this evolution, allowing RevOps to balance immediate operational needs with long-term strategic objectives.