Author: Olga Kamylevich

The Case for Salesforce Native Scheduling: Why a Managed Package is the Best Choice

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

Efficient scheduling is a cornerstone of productive sales, customer service, and operations teams. For organizations using Salesforce as their CRM, choosing the right scheduling solution can significantly impact workflow efficiency and customer engagement. While several scheduling tools exist, many teams struggle with standalone solutions like Calendly or the complexities of configuring Salesforce Scheduler. The best solution? A Salesforce-native managed package like SUMO Scheduler.

The Advantages of Salesforce Native Scheduling

A native Salesforce scheduling solution integrates directly into your CRM environment, eliminating the need for unreliable third-party connectors. Here’s why choosing a native managed package is the superior option:

1. Seamless Scheduling from Any Object

Unlike standalone tools that require complex integrations, a Salesforce-native solution allows scheduling from any Salesforce object—cases, opportunities, leads, accounts, and even community portals. This ensures your scheduling workflows remain embedded within your CRM, leading to greater efficiency and streamlined processes.

2. Reliability You Can Trust

With a native Lightning architecture, a managed package scheduling solution directly connects to users’ calendars, ensuring 100% reliability with no scheduling conflicts or dropped appointments. In contrast, non-native solutions rely on external connectors that are often clunky and prone to failures, leading to missed meetings and frustrated customers.

3. Easy Setup and Use

A managed package provides out-of-the-box functionality without the need for costly customizations. Unlike Salesforce Scheduler, which often requires significant configuration and custom development, a native managed package is ready to use with minimal setup, making it a hassle-free choice for busy teams.

4. Superior Customizability

Salesforce-native scheduling solutions offer far greater flexibility than standalone tools. With a managed package, you can leverage Salesforce automation features such as Flow, Process Builder, and Apex to customize workflows, automate scheduling logic, and enhance user experiences. Additionally, managed packages integrate seamlessly with other Salesforce solutions, ensuring a cohesive and efficient tech stack.

5. Enhanced Security and Compliance

Data security is a top concern for any organization. A native managed package operates entirely within your Salesforce org, maintaining your strict security protocols and ensuring compliance with data governance policies. In contrast, non-native tools require syncing data to external platforms, increasing the risk of security breaches and compliance violations.

Why SUMO Scheduler Outperforms Salesforce Scheduler & Standalone Solutions

When evaluating Salesforce-native scheduling tools, it’s important to recognize that not all native solutions are created equal. SUMO Scheduler offers distinct advantages over both Salesforce Scheduler and non-native solutions like Calendly:

  • More Comprehensive Features: While Salesforce Scheduler is native, it often requires heavy customization to meet business needs. SUMO Scheduler, on the other hand, is designed with pre-built modules for various scheduling use cases, reducing implementation time and effort.
  • No Custom Development Needed: Salesforce Scheduler frequently requires additional development and configuration, making it less accessible for teams without dedicated admin resources. SUMO Scheduler eliminates this pain point with plug-and-play functionality.
  • Better Integration with Salesforce Ecosystem: SUMO Scheduler leverages both Salesforce’s API and managed package APIs, ensuring seamless integration with your existing Salesforce processes and external applications.
  • Scalability & Reliability: While standalone tools rely on fragile third-party connectors, SUMO Scheduler operates natively within Salesforce, providing a more reliable and scalable scheduling solution.

The Bottom Line

For businesses that rely on Salesforce, a native managed package scheduling solution like SUMO Scheduler is the smartest choice. It offers superior reliability, customizability, security, and ease of use compared to non-native options like Calendly or even Salesforce Scheduler. By choosing a fully native solution, your team can optimize scheduling efficiency, enhance the customer experience, and ensure seamless integration with your Salesforce environment.

Don’t settle for disconnected scheduling tools—invest in a native managed package that works seamlessly within your CRM. Explore SUMO Scheduler today and experience the power of truly integrated scheduling.

Challenges Faced by FinServ Professionals: How Scheduling Software Can Assist

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

Did you know that the insurance and financial services industry makes up almost $2 trillion of the total U.S. GDP?

For context, a trillion has twelve (!) zeros. 

As reported by Zippia, there are over 374,000 jobs currently available in the finance industry in the U.S. alone, while positions such as Financial Administrator, Transfers Supervisor, and Account Analyst are reported to earn up to $100,000 per year.

This, coupled with the international expansion of financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan has increased the opportunities for an educated professional to earn a white-collar job in financial services across the world.

However, before embarking on a journey into the world of financial services, it is important to identify the key challenges currently faced by professionals within the industry, in order to be prepared and ready for the job.

Whether you are a bank manager, a customer team lead, or simply preparing for your interview, here are the most common issues that financial service professionals face.

Find out which key techniques, tools and software professionals use to stay on top of their day-to-day responsibilities.

What are Financial Services?

But, let’s start with the definition.

Financial services are a variety of economic services provided by the finance industry, which incorporate a broad range of service sector businesses that provide financial management.

The financial services can include solutions, such as:

  • Private & Corporate Banking
  • Taxes & Accounting
  • Credit Cards or other Payment services
  • Investment Funds
  • Mortgages & Real Estate

These financials services are provided by the service sector businesses, which include

  • Accounting Firms
  • Funds and investment Corporations
  • Insurance Companies
  • Brokerage Firms
  • Central Banks/Retail Banks
  • Credit Unions

And within the above-mentioned service sector businesses are professionals that, through little fault of their own, face similar day-to-day challenges related to time mismanagement, lack of communication, and technology adaptation, among others.

Challenges Within the FinServ Industry

Let’s look at the four most prominent job positions among financial sector businesses in the U.S., their key responsibilities, and the challenges they can face. 

Grid-style infographic illustrating the challenges of Investment Bankers, Financial Analysts, Insurance Advisors, and Accountants, with role-specific issues and potential SUMO Scheduler solutions.

Investment Banker

According to Investopedia, investment bankers are financial advisors who help their clients raise money through actions such as issuing stocks, negotiating the acquisition of a rival company, or arranging the sale of company assets, among others.

Investment Bankers are put in charge of multiple clients at once, and are required to conduct time-sensitive tasks efficiently, a lack of which can lead to a snowball effect, such as:

→ Lack of time to conduct in-depth industry research 
→ Lack of time to invest in a personalized experience with the client
→ Lack of detailed analysis of the clients’ financial statements
→ Lack of time to develop investment solutions for the client

Financial Analyst

According to Robert Half, A Financial Analyst is responsible for the key financial planning and analysis of a company, allowing the organization to make well-informed decisions.
They deal with sensitive business data, and are tasked with creating detailed spreadsheets, providing investment opportunities, and developing lucrative growth policies.

Thus, a Financial Analyst’s responsibilities can be jeopardized if the core data used to create solutions is incomplete or lacking information from a business channel, which can lead to:

→ Incomplete spreadsheets with partially-missing key data
→ Incorrect financial performance and trend reports
→ Misaligned suggestions regarding budgets and improvements
→ Inaccurate investment opportunities presented to the client

Insurance Advisor

Adroit Insurance defines the key responsibility of Insurance advisors as such;
Individuals that are responsible for advising clients on how to protect against risk.
These Advisors work with clients to assess their financial situation and analyze information to implement suitable insurance policies on behalf of the client.

Since Advisors are tasked with improving financial results, and are thus required to drive key metrics such as conversions and revenue, the portfolio of a client must be meticulously analyzed. A lack of clear analysis can lead to situations such as:

  • Faulty conversion metrics from the client’s financial portfolios
  • Incorrect capture of results from the wrong metrics
  • Erroneous data analysis and reporting
  • Misguided attempt to negotiate new insurance premiums

Accountant

Accountants are in charge of analyzing a company’s accounts and ensuring compliance with financial regulations of the region. According to Indeed, an Accountant’s tasks revolve around preparing financial reports that track a client’s assets, liabilities, profit and loss,
tax details, and other related financial activities necessary for accurate analysis.

Since factual data is so vital to an Accountant, a lack of such can have disastrous consequences for the firm (and the client), as exemplified below:

→ Miscalculated data from bank statements and bookkeeping ledgers
→ Incorrect analysis of the client’s expenditures
→ Imprecise reporting of client’s income and expenditure data
→ Inaccurate analysis of client’s overall company finances 

Solutions backed by Technology and Results

As explained above, even the most experienced professionals within the FinServ industry can struggle with tasks due to a lack of proper time management or an unnecessary workload of manual processes…. Something that Scheduling Softwares help with.

Flowchart-style illustration showing the SUMO Scheduler process: Client Appointment Booking → Automatic Matching → Reminder Notifications → Data-Driven Preparation → Enhanced Efficiency.

SUMO Scheduler is a powerful scheduling software that automates record creation and maximizes performance. The Online Appointment Scheduler allows clients to book appointments at their leisure while guaranteeing that the meeting would take place at the correct time with the correct professional that meets the specific needs of the client.

With Appointment Scheduling, organizations can automate tasks such as phone call reminders, email confirmations, SMS notifications, and automate follow-up for unconfirmed appointments. 

Thus, clients with an Omnichannel strategy receive accurate metrics across all digital and physical properties, including website, social media, retail locations, call centers, email signatures, and more.

Take the Next Step Towards Success

In conclusion, the use of a Scheduling Software for the previously mentioned roles can help in this way:

More time for Investment Bankers to to focus on the client’s personalized needs
More detailed data points for Analysts to study and recommend growth opportunities
More focused metrics for Insurance Advisors to suggest better insurance premiums
More accurate data for Accountants to report to the client

Comparison chart illustrating the "Before" and "After" effects of using SUMO Scheduler for financial professionals, highlighting improved accuracy, efficiency, and time management.



This global financial services client credits the SUMO Platform for helping them save up to 25% of the time by eliminating manual effort and minimizing scheduling errors.

This National Bank’s implementation of SUMO Scheduler allowed customers to schedule appointments with advisors at their convenience, increasing efficiency and positively affecting revenue.

Join  100s of other businesses that use SUMO Scheduler’s secure, reliable, and game-changing scheduling platform within the financial services.

Book your free demo to learn more about Scheduling Softwares, and learn how SUMO Scheduler can help you and your financial institution thrive.

Reflecting on Salesforce Education Summit 2025: Key Takeaways & Highlights

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

Last week, the education community came together at #SalesforceEduSummit to explore the future of student engagement and institutional success. As an ISV partner, SUMO Scheduler was thrilled to be part of the conversation, connecting with education leaders, technology innovators, and the Salesforce ecosystem.

🚀 Top 5 Takeaways from the Summit:

🔹 Agentforce is Here – Salesforce’s AI-powered platform is revolutionizing student engagement and operational efficiency.
🔹 AI Agents to the Rescue – From addressing staffing challenges to personalizing student support, AI is transforming how institutions serve learners.
🔹 Agents for Impact Initiative – Salesforce is investing in AI-driven solutions to expand access to education worldwide.
🔹 AI Skills Are the Future – The new Agentblazer Status program empowers educators with AI skills, keeping institutions ahead of the curve.
🔹 Stronger Together – With 1,800+ attendees, the event fostered invaluable networking, collaboration, and innovation across the education sector.

🌟 SUMO Scheduler in Action

Our team showcased how AI-powered scheduling helps institutions streamline operations, enhance student engagement, and optimize resources. A big thank you to everyone who stopped by for a live demo and insightful discussions!

The SUMO Scheduler team at Salesforce Education Summit 2025, standing proudly at Booth #8, ready to showcase AI-powered scheduling solutions.
The SUMO Scheduler team at Salesforce Education Summit 2025, standing proudly at Booth #8, ready to showcase AI-powered scheduling solutions.

🤝 Celebrating Partnerships & Community

Beyond the summit sessions, we co-hosted an unforgettable Happy Hour with Appiphony and PFL.com, bringing together Salesforce teams, SI partners, and customers. Strengthening relationships over great conversations made this event even more special!

SUMO Scheduler, Appiphony, and PFL.com teams connecting with Salesforce partners and customers at a lively Happy Hour during Salesforce Education Summit 2025.
SUMO Scheduler, Appiphony, and PFL.com teams connecting with Salesforce partners and customers at a lively Happy Hour during Salesforce Education Summit 2025.

💡 What’s Next?

As AI continues to shape the future of education, SUMO Scheduler remains committed to empowering institutions with seamless scheduling solutions within Salesforce. Ready to see AI-powered scheduling in action?
Let’s connect – schedule a demo today!

The Future of Student Engagement: AI & Human Collaboration for a Transformative Experience

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

From Enrollment to Alumni: The AI + Human Formula for Lifelong Student Success

With the ever-changing demands of education, institutions are integrating human expertise and artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize student engagement. The integration of AI-driven technologies with human-led support is shaping a future where students receive seamless, personalized, and proactive assistance. By harnessing the power of Salesforce Agentforce, Education Cloud, and SUMO Scheduler, universities and schools are creating holistic ecosystems that drive student success through data-driven insights, automation, and meaningful personal interactions.

The Role of AI in Modern Student Engagement

AI is revolutionizing student engagement by offering institutions the ability to analyze vast amounts of data, predict student needs, and provide instant support. According to a recent report by Educause, 73% of higher education institutions are actively exploring AI to enhance student services. AI-powered chatbots, predictive analytics, and automated workflows are transforming how universities interact with students.

Real-World Example: AI in Student Advising

Arizona State University has implemented AI-powered advising systems that analyze student performance data to identify at-risk students. These systems alert advisors, who can then proactively reach out to offer personalized support. By integrating AI insights with human intervention, ASU has increased student retention rates by 12% over the past five years.

The Human Element: Why Personal Interaction Still Matters

While AI enhances efficiency, human interaction remains critical in education. Personalized mentorship, emotional support, and complex problem-solving require a human touch. Institutions are blending AI-driven automation with human expertise to ensure a well-rounded student experience.

Case Study: Blending AI and Human Support in Career Services

Georgia State University uses AI-driven career coaching platforms that recommend job opportunities based on students’ skills and interests. However, career advisors play a vital role in refining these recommendations, providing networking opportunities, and offering guidance on job applications. This hybrid model has led to a 20% increase in student job placements.

How Salesforce Agentforce, Education Cloud, and SUMO Scheduler Power the Future

Salesforce Agentforce: Smart Student Engagement

Agentforce enables institutions to route student inquiries to the right advisors or departments using AI-powered case management. By integrating with Education Cloud, it ensures students receive timely, personalized support through multiple channels, including chat, email, and phone.

Salesforce Education Cloud: The Data-Driven Foundation

Education Cloud centralizes student data, providing institutions with a 360-degree view of student engagement. By analyzing trends in academic performance, student interactions, and support requests, Education Cloud helps universities make data-driven decisions that improve retention and success rates.

SUMO Scheduler: Automating Personalized Student Appointments

SUMO Scheduler streamlines appointment scheduling, enabling students to book advising, tutoring, and career counseling sessions in just a few clicks. Integrated with Salesforce, it ensures that students are matched with the right support services based on their needs and availability.

Expanded Use Cases for SUMO Scheduler

  1. Student Life – Streamline scheduling for student organization meetings, leadership advising, and mentorship programs. Manage event registrations for workshops, career fairs, and extracurricular activities.
  2. Campus Tours and Student Life Events – Enable prospective students and families to self-schedule campus visits directly from the school’s website, text, or emails.
  3. Campus Health – Allow students to book health and wellness appointments, including medical check-ups, counseling, and mental health services, while staying HIPAA compliant.
  4. Student Recruitment – Students can book appointments with admissions counselors, financial advisors, or recruitment teams directly from a website, email, or marketing campaign.

Future Use Cases: Where AI & Human Collaboration is Headed

As AI technology continues to advance, the possibilities for student engagement will expand. Here are a few emerging trends:

  1. AI-Powered Mental Health Support – Universities like UCLA are testing AI-driven mental health chatbots that provide immediate support while flagging students in distress for human intervention.
  2. Voice and Virtual Assistants for Learning – AI-driven voice assistants, integrated with Education Cloud, could provide students with real-time academic reminders, personalized study plans, and deadline notifications.
  3. Smart Scheduling for Campus Resources – SUMO Scheduler could evolve to include AI-powered room bookings, ensuring students find available study spaces or labs based on real-time occupancy data.
  4. Predictive Career Pathing – AI can analyze academic performance, extracurricular activities, and job market trends to suggest career paths, with career advisors providing human insights on final decisions.

Engagement as a Continuous Journey

Engagement doesn’t stop at recruiting. It is a journey that spans from driving enrollment all the way through fostering active and involved alumni. By maintaining a consistent, data-driven approach throughout the student lifecycle, institutions can ensure meaningful connections that extend beyond graduation, leading to lifelong engagement with their alma mater.

Conclusion: The Future is Hybrid

The future of student engagement lies in a hybrid model where AI handles data processing, automation, and predictive insights, while human advisors, faculty, and staff provide mentorship, emotional support, and nuanced decision-making. Institutions that leverage Salesforce Agentforce, Education Cloud, and SUMO Scheduler will be best positioned to offer a seamless, data-driven, and personalized student experience.

By embracing both AI and human collaboration, universities can ensure that students not only succeed academically but also feel supported and empowered throughout their educational journey.

Ready to revolutionize student engagement at your institution?

Explore how Salesforce Education Cloud, Agentforce, and SUMO Scheduler can help you blend AI efficiency with human empathy. Schedule a free demo to design your hybrid strategy today!

5 Ways Salesforce Agentforce & SUMO Scheduler Enhance Student Engagement

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

Student engagement is the foundation of academic success, but institutions often struggle to provide personalized, timely support. Salesforce Agentforce, combined with SUMO Scheduler, streamlines communication, automates scheduling, and ensures students connect with the right resources at the right time. Here’s how this powerful combination transforms student engagement.

1. Provide Instant, AI-Powered Support

Students expect fast responses to questions about enrollment, financial aid, class schedules, and more. Agentforce delivers real-time answers via chat, email, and SMS — ensuring 24/7 support and reducing wait times.

2. Seamlessly Schedule Appointments

With SUMO Scheduler for Agentforce, students can book advising, tutoring, and career counseling sessions directly within chat interactions. No back-and-forth emails—just instant scheduling aligned with staff availability.

3. Personalize Every Interaction

Agentforce taps into Salesforce data to provide tailored responses based on a student’s academic history, support requests, and upcoming deadlines—offering a seamless, personalized experience.

4. Improve Student Success with Smart Case Routing

When human assistance is needed, Agentforce ensures inquiries are routed to the right advisor, professor, or department. SUMO Scheduler then allows students to book follow-ups instantly, ensuring no request goes unanswered.

5. Leverage Data for Proactive Engagement

Agentforce tracks common student concerns and engagement trends, helping institutions proactively address issues and optimize student outreach strategies. By integrating SUMO Scheduler, schools can automate reminders and follow-ups to keep students on track.

PRO TIP:

Combine Agentforce AI chat with SUMO Scheduler to automate appointment booking for student services—reducing administrative workload and increasing engagement.

PRO TIP:

Use Agentforce analytics to identify high-demand services and adjust staffing or outreach strategies to better support student needs.

PRO TIP:

Expand Agentforce across multiple channels—chat, SMS, email, and social platforms—to ensure students can engage on their preferred platform.

Discover how Salesforce Agentforce and SUMO Scheduler can revolutionize student engagement at your institution!

Ready to streamline communication, automate scheduling, and provide personalized support to your students? Book a free consultation with our experts today and see how this powerful combination can transform your student experience.

Maximize Your Dreamforce Experience: Tips & How SUMO Scheduler Streamlines Your Schedule

Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

Dreamforce, the flagship event of Salesforce, is a massive convergence of industry leaders, professionals, and enthusiasts from around the globe. With hundreds of sessions, networking opportunities, and countless activities, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But with the right strategy, you can turn this whirlwind of information and connections into a highly productive experience. Here’s how to make the most out of your time at Dreamforce, with a bonus tip on how SUMO Scheduler can help you stay on track.

1. Plan Your Dreamforce Schedule Well in Advance

Dreamforce is known for its extensive agenda. Before the event, spend time reviewing the session catalog and decide which sessions are most relevant to your goals. Prioritize keynotes, breakout sessions, and hands-on workshops that align with your current projects or areas of interest.

Bonus Tip: Use the Dreamforce mobile app to mark sessions and set reminders so you don’t miss anything important.

2. Define Clear Objectives to Achieve During Dreamforce

What do you want to achieve at Dreamforce? Whether it’s learning about the latest trends, networking with potential partners, or discovering new tools, having clear objectives will help you stay focused. Write down your top three goals and refer back to them throughout the event to ensure you’re staying on track.

3. Maximize Networking Opportunities with Strategic Engagement

Dreamforce is a prime opportunity to meet industry leaders, peers, and potential clients. Make the most of it by attending networking events, joining group discussions, and even striking up conversations between sessions. Carry business cards and be prepared to introduce yourself and your company succinctly. Follow up with new contacts after the event to nurture the relationships you’ve started.

4. Stay Agile and Adapt to Unexpected Opportunities

While it’s important to have a plan, it’s equally important to stay flexible. Dreamforce is full of surprises, from impromptu meetups to last-minute session changes. Be open to adjusting your schedule to accommodate unexpected opportunities.

5. Capture Key Takeaways with Effective Note-Taking Strategies

With so much information coming your way, it’s easy to forget key takeaways. Use a notebook, your phone, or a note-taking app to jot down important insights, ideas, and action items during sessions. This will help you remember and implement what you’ve learned once you’re back at work.

6. Balance Your Time Between Learning and Networking

It’s tempting to attend as many sessions as possible, but don’t forget to make time for networking. Balance your agenda with a mix of learning and connection-building activities. Sometimes, the most valuable insights come from conversations outside the formal sessions.

7. Prioritize Self-Care: Schedule Time to Recharge

Dreamforce can be exhausting, so make sure to schedule time for breaks. Use these moments to recharge, grab a coffee, or simply reflect on what you’ve learned. Staying refreshed will help you maintain your energy throughout the event.

8. Create a Post-Dreamforce Action Plan to Implement What You’ve Learned

The real work begins after Dreamforce. Review your notes, reflect on your goals, and create an action plan based on what you’ve learned. Reach out to new contacts with a personalized follow-up message, referencing your conversation to keep the connection alive.

Streamline Your Dreamforce Experience with SUMO Scheduler

Navigating the chaos of Dreamforce can be challenging, but SUMO Scheduler, built natively within Salesforce, offers a seamless solution. Here’s how:

  • Automated Scheduling: SUMO Scheduler automates meeting bookings directly within Salesforce, allowing you to schedule from any object, case, or Community across all Salesforce clouds—no custom build or external integration required.
  • Seamless Calendar Management: Since SUMO Scheduler is natively built within Salesforce, it keeps all your data securely within the platform. This means you can manage your calendar, sessions, and meetings in one place, without the risk of double bookings or data loss.
  • Highly Configurable: SUMO Scheduler’s flow-based scheduler is easy to customize, enabling quick implementation so you can focus on optimizing your Dreamforce experience without technical headaches.

By leveraging SUMO Scheduler’s native Salesforce capabilities, you can streamline your schedule, enhance your productivity, and make the most out of Dreamforce. See you there!

    SUMO Scheduler Lights Up Midwest Dreamin’ 2024

    Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

    The SUMO Scheduler team recently attended Midwest Dreamin’ 2024, and we couldn’t be more excited to share our experiences! As Platinum Sponsors of this fantastic event, we had the opportunity to showcase our latest innovations, participate in the thrilling Demo Jam, and host a memorable Happy Hour.

    Demo Jam Victory

    Our team brought their A-game to the Demo Jam with an unforgettable performance themed around auditions for a ‘Prince’ cover band.

    Our team dazzled the audience with their creativity and highlighted the power of our appointments and events platforms. Their stellar demo earned us the coveted Demo Jam trophy, and we’re proud to say that the ‘Purple One’ would have been impressed! 💜👑

    Unforgettable Happy Hour

    In collaboration with Work-relay (a Neostella product), we hosted an amazing Happy Hour at The Local Minneapolis. This old-world tavern was the perfect setting for attendees to unwind, network, and swap stories. The evening was a hit!

    Join Us Next Time

    We had an incredible time at Midwest Dreamin’ 2024 and can’t wait to participate again. Stay tuned for more updates and join us at our next event. Together, we’ll continue to dream big and achieve even greater heights!

    SUMO Scheduler Shines at Southeast Dreamin’ 2024 in Atlanta!

    Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

    We are thrilled to share that SUMO Scheduler had an unforgettable time as a Platinum Sponsor at Southeast Dreamin’ 2024! This fantastic event took place on June 27-28 in the heart of Atlanta, GA, and was a brilliant opportunity to connect with the vibrant Salesforce Community.

    Our booth buzzed with excitement as we met countless friends and partners, showcasing our latest innovations and exchanging invaluable insights.

    In addition to all the excitement, SUMO loves giving back to the Salesforce Community. Our Senior Solution Engineer, Chantell Armstrong, led a fantastic class for Salesforce consultants and admins. Attendees learned how to implement Salesforce native scheduling for their clients and stakeholders. A big thank you to Chantell for her commitment to the community!

    SUMO Scheduler's Senior Solution Engineer, Chantell Armstrong, led a fantastic class for Salesforce consultants and admins at Southeast Dreamin 2024

    The standout moment of our participation was definitely the Demo Jam. We wowed the audience with the power and versatility of SUMO Scheduler, leaving everyone excited about what we can do.

    Southeast Dreamin 2024 - Demo Jam

    But the fun didn’t stop there! We also hosted an epic Happy Hour, which drew in over 70 attendees. It was a night filled with great conversations, hearty laughter, and genuine camaraderie. It was the perfect setting to unwind and strengthen our bonds within the community.

    A huge thank you to everyone who visited our booth, cheered us on at the Demo Jam, and joined us for the Happy Hour. Your enthusiasm and support made this event truly special. We can’t wait to see you all again next year!

    SUMO Scheduler shined as Platinum Sponsor at Texas Dreamin’

    Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

    We are delighted to share that SUMO Scheduler had an incredible experience as a Platinum Sponsor at Texas Dreamin’ 2024! The event, held on May 30-31 in Austin, TX, was a fantastic opportunity to engage with the vibrant Salesforce Community.

    At booth #13, we connected with countless friends and partners, showcasing our latest innovations and exchanging valuable insights.

    The highlight of our participation was undoubtedly the Demo Jam, where we demonstrated the power and versatility of SUMO Scheduler to an enthusiastic audience.

    Additionally, we hosted a memorable Happy Hour at Lucille Patio Lounge, where we enjoyed great conversations, laughter, and camaraderie. It was a wonderful opportunity to unwind and strengthen our bonds with the community.

    Thank you to everyone who visited our booth, joined us for the Demo Jam, and attended our Happy Hour. Your support and enthusiasm made this event truly special. We look forward to seeing you all again next year!

    SUMO Scheduler rocks Salesforce World Tour NYC (April)

    Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

    SUMO Scheduler recently participated in the Salesforce World Tour NYC 2024. Our team enjoyed meeting numerous friends and partners at our booth #230, where we had the opportunity to discuss our innovative customer engagement platform. It was a pleasure to demonstrate how SUMO Scheduler is enhancing scheduling solutions.

    SUMO Scheduler team at Salesforce World Tour NYC 2024

    A highlight of the event was the Happy Hour we co-hosted with Orion Global Solutions and Sprout Social. The gathering took place at Creatures at Selina Rooftop, located in the heart of Manhattan. The evening was filled with engaging conversations and new connections, providing a great conclusion to the day’s activities at the conference.

    We appreciate everyone who visited our booth and joined us for the Happy Hour. Your support made the event special. We look forward to seeing you at the next Salesforce World Tour.

    Streamline your workflow: 5 reasons to acquire a scheduling solution

    Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

    “From maximizing productivity to delighting customers with punctuality, Scheduling solutions are the secret sauce for thriving in 2024’s business world.”

    According to the World Economic Forum, 34% of all business-related tasks are performed by machines, with the remaining 66% performed by humans.

    As businesses look to invest in modern technology that can guarantee maximum output in the most efficient way, scheduling platforms have emerged as a round-the-clock, multitasking maestros, effortlessly juggling a multitude of responsibilities.

    In this blog, we discuss the 5 biggest reasons why your business may be ready to acquire a Scheduling Solution, and all the cost-effective benefits that come with it!

    Why Does It Matter?

    Batman has Alfred, Frodo has Sam, and a smoothly operating business in 2024 is likely to possess a scheduling solution. Here are some statistics to take into consideration:

    • The appointment scheduling software market is predicted to reach $633.47 million by 2025 (PR Newswire)
    • 78% of customers are more likely to buy from a business if they receive customized services (VentaVid)
    • Implementing appointment scheduling software can potentially boost revenue by 30% to 45% (Marketsplash)
    • A whopping 94% of customers would be more likely to find a new business, especially if it has its own booking schedule website (GetApp).
    Batman has Alfred, Frodo has Sam, and a smoothly operating business in 2024 is likely to possess a scheduling solution.

    In addition to being a highly profitable sector, Scheduling Platforms offer boundless potential for growth and remarkably consistent levels of client satisfaction.

    But why should a developing business invest in a Scheduling Platform in 2024?
    Within the rapidly-developing world of technology, are they a reliable long-term solution?

    Most importantly, are they compatible with any kind of business?
    Let’s find out!

    1. You Want Efficiency in Operations

    “Imagine your local coffeehouse, or luxury retail store, or even a university”.

    Regardless of the industry, each of these businesses relies on regular customer visits and consistent transactions. Any missed appointments, meetings, follow-ups or requests can lead to lesser visits, and thus, lower income.

    A scheduling solution can organize any type of appointment: in-person, phone, video, and web conference, to make sure a business never loses a client due to a lack of time.

    2. You Want Something Easy to Implement

    “The locals have decided to invest in a scheduling solution, but…”

    Due to age, experience, or simply preferences, many business owners and managers are less inclined towards cumbersome, keyword-heavy solutions. They seek user-friendly, swiftly implementable solutions that evolve with their business needs.

    SUMO’s Appointment Scheduler provides a user-friendly interface that not only gives an at-a-glance view of all customer interactions, but also the ability to personalize appointments for each individual client.

    3. You Want Robust Scalability

    “Business is booming, and the “locals” are looking to scale up”.

    Whether launching a new retail chain or expanding with another branch, venturing into new investments introduces a fresh set of challenges, including heightened demands on time management operations.

    Scheduling platforms can easily accommodate business growth and expansion by utilizing a flexible set of tools and solutions that adapt to evolving needs and increasing demand.

    4. You Want Business Optimization

    “The locals have gone global. Why use a Scheduler now?”

    For businesses leveraging hierarchical structures with multiple managerial tiers, Scheduling Platforms offer an array of tailored solutions to optimize operations even further.

    Solutions like Assignment Engine can ensure that a prospect meets with the right specialist, at the right location, at the right time, giving those specialists more control than ever before.

    5. You Want 360-degree Transparency

    “The business has become simply too large. Is it still worth it?”

    For businesses leveraging hierarchical structures with multiple managerial tiers, Scheduling Platforms offer an array of tailored solutions to optimize operations even further.

    SUMO’s Multi-Calendar allows a business to gain complete visibility & control over its entire workforce. With detailed Analytics, Reminder Engines, and Waitlist management, it empowers the business to grow even larger!

    What Are The Benefits?

    Whether you own a small business, an NGO, or an enterprise, scheduling solutions are versatile, efficient assistants that can help employees, managers and owners to optimize and upscale business operations.

    Scheduling solutions can assist a business in a variety of ways, such as:

    • Optimizing resources like time efficiently through automation
    • Improving productivity & reducing down-time through time management
    • Reducing major costs through investing in existing, long-term solution
    • Enhancing customer satisfaction through personalized communication

    Where Can You Start?

    SUMO Scheduler is a powerful online appointment scheduling solution that automates record creation and maximizes performance, all within the Salesforce platform.

    With a state-of-the-art interface, SUMO provides a 360-degree view of every interaction or meeting, which offers visibility into the entire scheduling process, all within the Salesforce Organization where the software collects and protects sensitive and essential information.

    With actionable results and customer success stories like the ones below, business owners have truly found a game-changing solution.

    Results Across All Industries

    This global financial services client credits the SUMO Platform for helping them save up to 25% of the time by eliminating manual effort and minimizing scheduling errors.

    This health engagement provider deployed a customized platform that allowed its staff to match individual patients to specialist team members, greatly reducing downtime.

    This renowned university has seen a dramatic increase in output with manual tasks being eliminated across all departments, from management to specialist employee positions.

    This National Bank’s implementation of SUMO Scheduler allowed customers to schedule appointments with advisors at their convenience, increasing efficiency and positively affecting revenue.

    Join these and 100s of other businesses that have utilized SUMO Scheduler’s secure, reliable, and game-changing scheduling platform.

    Book your free demo to learn more about SUMO Scheduler, and take your business to the next level in 2024.

    Leverage Salesforce flow automation to reduce sales rep workload & facilitate your company’s sales process

    Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

    The role of the modern Salesforce administrator has evolved to encompass a broad set of responsibilities. Today’s admin is expected to collaborate with sales and marketing leadership to optimize technologies and processes that drive revenue growth, improve customer experience and ensure data integrity. To do so, they must have a deep understanding of their business’s go-to-market processes, customer needs, and the software technologies that turn company strategy into action.

    In this article, we will explore the importance of modern Salesforce administrators and how they can leverage Salesforce automation alongside native applications to foster improved customer engagement, drive team collaboration and improve data management.

    1. Email Automation: Automate Customer Engagement & Calls to Action

    Automated scheduling platforms have revolutionized the sales and support processes by streamlining appointment booking, reducing manual workload for sales and support teams and providing customers with convenient self-service options that enhance their experience.

    Salesforce admins can help their businesses to drive sales process efficiency and velocity by leveraging tools such as SUMO Scheduler alongside Salesforce’s flows and email alert capabilities to automatically send appointment invitations to prospects and customers. Salesforce Flows can be written to control when the invite is sent based upon the completion of specific data fields on the contact record. This can be done by creating a trigger that monitors changes to relevant fields on the participant record and launches the flow.

    By automating this process, you can ensure that potential customers are always given the opportunity to schedule an appointment when they are ready, without the need for manual intervention from your sales team. This can help to improve conversion rates and streamline the sales process, ultimately leading to more successful outcomes for your organization.

    Examples of process improvements:

    • Record update triggers flow to send emails with an invite link.
    • Implement automation to route support tickets to the appropriate agents or teams based on their expertise or workload.
    • Set up automated processes to calculate and update opportunity forecast based on historical data and sales trends, etc.

    2. Automated Subject Updates – Make Your Appointments Stand Out On Customers’ Calendars

    Customer-facing meetings are the lifeblood of any sales and support rep’s business – Missed or canceled appointments directly impact their goals and bottom line. Fortunately, by leveraging simple Salesforce flows in conjunction with appointment scheduling automation, admins can help their customer-facing teams reduce cancellations and increase appointment participations.

    One way to do this is by updating the appointment subject to include the participant’s name and phone number. This makes it easier for clients to identify important appointments with your team, ensuring that they remain top of mind. This is important because most clients use their external calendar as the source of truth, and updating the subject line with this information provides greater flexibility and transparency for both parties involved. This is especially important if the client is juggling multiple appointments and needs to quickly reference the details of each one.

    Source: SUMO comes with many email templates out of the box that you can customize to fit your needs.

    Updating the appointment subject line also takes into account any internal meetings that may be taking up the participant’s availability. By allowing for flexibility in scheduling, you can ensure that appointments are scheduled at a time that works for both the client and the participant, without the need for manual intervention.

    At the same time, maintaining the meeting category within Salesforce allows you to keep accurate records and generate valuable insights into the sales process. You can still track the meeting category and other relevant data points within Salesforce, while ensuring that the end user doesn’t have to go to Salesforce to find the information they need.

    Overall, updating the subject of the appointment to include the participant’s name and phone number while maintaining the meeting category within Salesforce is a powerful way to optimize your sales process and improve the end user experience. By providing accurate and efficient reporting while also personalizing the meeting experience, you can drive greater success for your organization and strengthen relationships with potential customers.

    3. Using A Different Email Field

    As a Salesforce admin, you understand that every customer has unique needs and requirements, and that flexibility is key when it comes to meeting those needs. That’s why the ability to use a different email field other than the standard Salesforce email field is a powerful tool for admins.

    First, it allows Salesforce admins to provide greater customization for their clients and a more personalized experience that meets their specific needs.
    For example, a client may want to use a specific email field for regulatory compliance or to meet internal company policies.

    Second, it can help to improve the accuracy of notification delivery.
    Sometimes, the standard Salesforce email field may not be the most accurate or up-to-date source of contact information for a participant. By allowing clients to choose a different email field for notifications, admins can ensure that notifications are delivered to the most accurate and up-to-date email address.

    Source: Salesforce allows you to define and manage email addresses that can be used as the “from address” when sending an email through Salesforce.

    Third, it can help to improve efficiency and automation.
    By automating the process of selecting the appropriate email field for notifications, Salesforce admins can save time and reduce the risk of errors or manual input mistakes. For example, if a client wants to use a specific email field for notifications based on a certain set of criteria, this can be easily set up using flow automation, saving time and reducing the need for manual input.

    Practical examples of the use of a different email field for notifications could include:

    • A client who wants to use a different email field for appointment notifications based on participant location, so that notifications are sent to a local email address.
    • A client who wants to use a different email field for appointment notifications based on the type of participant, such as a customer vs. a partner or vendor.
    • A client who wants to use a different email field for appointment notifications based on the type of appointment or meeting, such as a sales meeting vs. a training session.

    Overall, the ability to use a different email field other than the standard Salesforce email field for SUMO Scheduler appointment notifications provides greater flexibility and customization for clients, improves accuracy and efficiency, and allows Salesforce admins to better meet the unique needs of their clients.

    4. Automate lead creation in Salesforce when an appointment is booked

    Leveraging a Salesforce native scheduling tool can help your sales team to automate the lead creation process and ensure that all prospect information and demographics are accurately captured in your CRM.

    As soon as an appointment for service A is scheduled, the system will automatically generate a corresponding lead in Salesforce with all the relevant fields populated. It can save valuable time for both the sales rep and the admins while also ensuring that your sales org remains free of redundant contacts and data errors.

    Let’s see some real Use Cases.

    • Medical Clinics:
      A medical clinic using Salesforce can integrate its appointment scheduling system with the CRM. When patients book appointments for specific services or treatments, a corresponding lead is automatically created in Salesforce. This lead can contain important patient information, appointment details, and the service required. This automation streamlines the patient onboarding process, reduces manual data entry for the clinic staff, and ensures accurate and up-to-date patient records.
    • Education Institutions:
      Educational organizations can use Salesforce to manage student admissions. When prospective students schedule appointments for campus tours or admissions consultations, the scheduling tool can trigger the creation of a lead in Salesforce. This lead can include the student’s contact information, academic interests, and appointment details. The automation helps admissions teams to efficiently track and manage prospective students, ensuring personalized interactions and a smoother enrollment process.
    • Financial Services:
      Financial institutions can leverage Salesforce to automate lead creation when clients request consultations or financial advice. When clients schedule appointments with financial advisors through an online scheduling tool, a lead is automatically generated in Salesforce with relevant client information and appointment details. This automation allows financial advisors to have a complete view of client interactions, track follow-ups, and provide personalized financial advice.

    By automating lead creation in Salesforce when appointments are booked, businesses across various industries can enhance their sales processes, improve customer experience, and optimize their CRM data management.

    In conclusion, automated scheduling flows on Salesforce can be used to make work more simple and reliable, especially when it is used with the automated online scheduling application SUMO Scheduler. The combination of these two tools provides a seamless and efficient scheduling process that saves time, reduces errors, and improves customer satisfaction. Businesses that want to streamline their scheduling process and improve their performance should consider using automated scheduling flows on Salesforce with SUMO Scheduler.

    By embracing automation, Salesforce administrators can drive significant improvements in efficiency, productivity, and overall business performance. So why wait? Join the automation revolution today and take your sales team to the next level!

    Join SUMO Scheduler at the Salesforce World Tour NYC!

    Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

    Take your business to new heights with SUMO Scheduler and Salesforce at the World Tour NYC on May 4th, 2023!

    Whether you join us online or in-person, we’re excited to bring you amazing education opportunities, inspiring speakers and technologies that will help you to better engage customers and grow your business.

    Don’t forget to stop by our booth (#154) to say hi to our team and learn more about SUMO.

    For updates, join us on LinkedIn, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and visit our blog.

    10 Tips To Improve Your Hiring Process

    Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

    With the start of the new year, for whatever reason, many companies will be looking to add new team members to their organizations. Bringing new people onboard at your organization is an expensive proposition. Not only do you want to get it right the first time, but you want to bring the ‘right’ person on board as quickly as possible.

    The old adage says that it’s “cheaper to keep her”. The same is true in business as it is in your personal life. Hiring the wrong person not only creates a period of time where work isn’t being done either efficiently or the way it ‘should’ be done, but all the administrative time involved with hiring, and all the training time used just goes straight down the drain. With an eye towards saving you money, and with another firmly focused on making systems more efficient, we’ve come up with ten ways you can improve your hiring processes.

    1 – Foster Partnerships with Other Hiring Managers

    One of the things that separates great business people from run-of-the-mill business people is the ability to delegate responsibilities to trusted partners. When you’re busy working ‘on’ your business rather than ‘in’ your business you’re wasting time and effort. When you’re able to hand off important tasks that need to be done ‘right’ to a trusted partner, efficiency goes up, and more importantly, you’re able to work in your business, doing the things that make you money rather than doing things that steal time away from productivity.

    Find a recruiting partner that you can trust to send qualified candidates your way. Sales funnels need to constantly have fresh new leads trickle into the top of the funnel in order to keep sales pumping out of the bottom. Your candidate hiring funnel is no different, and one way in which you can keep the candidates coming into your funnel is to work with a recruiting partner that places highly qualified candidates for the roles you need filled in that very same funnel.

    2 – Utilize Available Data to Estimate the Hiring Cycle Length

    When working with hiring managers, one of the key points that needs to be addressed in your discussions is just how long it will take in order to fill the position you’re needing to hire for. The timeframe you want the process to take may be unrealistic. Relying on solid data and having a data-driven approach to the process can not only provide realistic expectations, but it can also hold everyone involved accountable for the metric markers that need to be reached in order for the process to come to fruition.

    In order to have realistic hiring expectations, look at past hiring cycles for how long they lasted. Consider how many submissions were received for similar positions. Determine just how many viable candidates were available for these previous positions. Review how long the process took from start to finish. Once you know the raw numbers with each associated step of your process, you can come up with a solid timeframe that can be expected for this new hiring cycle.

    3 – Maintain a Talent Funnel

    As mentioned in point one, sales funnels and hiring funnels aren’t so different from each other. In a sales funnel you need fresh leads constantly in order for the funnel to provide a steady revenue stream. You also need to have a strategy to interact with your prospects and move them down the funnel from cold to warm to hot to purchase. Similarly, you need to constantly be adding new potential hires to your funnel. You also need to interact with them along the way and not only determine their viability as a candidate, but also keep them interested in becoming a part of your organization, especially if their a candidate that seems to be a good fit.

    In order to keep a Talent Funnel fresh, make sure that you regularly post engaging and informative content about your company. Creating organic traffic to your site and social media platforms not only keeps potential clientele interested, it signals to potential hiring candidates that you’re a company that has something to say and that you’re relevant in the marketplace.

    4 – Utilize Your Social Media Networks

    Your social media networks can be used for more than the organic content creation many companies use them for. These networks can also be used in order to find hidden gems in the market that may not be actively looking for a new opportunity, but might just be a perfect candidate for that hard to fill position that you’re desperate to get filled. Social media can shoulder much of the burden of finding new candidates for you, while the rest of your hiring team can focus on other necessary tasks and steps in the process. Translation? You can delegate finding great candidates to your social media networks.

    How does that work? One of the best things in marketing, word-of-mouth, can also be utilized in your hiring process. When you have influential people who trust your company saying good things about you, and maybe even about your openings, you can bet that top talent that might not have been in the job market before but heard about your opening will start listening.

    5 – Create Your Job Openings in Advance

    One of the steps in the hiring process that can be a colossal time suck is the actual production and distribution of job postings. A wise person once said, “when you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” With that in mind, plan for eventual openings at your organization. Plan to have to fill even the most secure positions that you would never dream you’d need to fill. Put together job descriptions and responsibilities in advance. When a position opens, you’ll be a step ahead in the process simply by already having your job posting ready to roll.

    You can use templates to get yourself started. Focus on the true core responsibilities for each position. Make sure that you’re covering your company culture as well, because ‘fit’ is something that too few people take into account when hiring.

    6 – Move the Recruiting Process Along Faster with Scheduling Tools

    When you’ve got your recruiting strategy streamlined, take the time to also streamline any administrative tasks that might need to be undertaken in the process. One such task you could consider is Scheduling Automation. Being able to coordinate multiple candidate schedules and the schedules of your hiring team can be an arduous process if you aren’t taking advantage of available scheduling tools.

    It’s not rare to have multiple candidates active in your hiring pipeline. You may need to balance multiple schedules for multiple interviews and not having a capable tool to find available times can be a drain on your administrative resources. We’re looking for ways to speed up your hiring process, which in turn will increase your profitability. This step is not to be ignored. It’s essential to shaving crucial time off of your hiring process and freeing up the administrative time needed for it.

    7 – Automation and Reminders

    Much of the hiring process mirrors the sales cycle. Why? You’re selling your available position and organization to candidates, and they’re selling themselves to you too. Whether we realize it or not, hiring is sales. As such, one of the biggest ways to lose out on a sale is for you to no-show an appointment or conversely for your prospect to no-show said appointment. Automation and reminders need to be a standard part of the hiring process.

    Make sure that every person involved in the hiring process, especially where interviews are concerned, is aware of every meeting they need to attend. Additionally, make sure that the where and when of the meetings/interviews are clearly communicated. Finally, make sure that regular reminders go out to everyone involved so that no one is uttering “oh no!” over a “no show”.

    8 – Customize Your Interview Workflow

    Interviews aren’t like snapback ball caps. One size does not fit all. Did you estimate that an interview would take 30 minutes but you booked an hour’s worth of time? Fail. Did you estimate an interview would take 30 minutes but you find you’re still speaking with your candidate an hour later? Fail. Stick to the timeframes you specify.

    Also, have you overcommitted your time in the past? Booked too many interviews to the point that you can’t fit them all in? Take stock of your interview process. Determine how much time you truly need to, and can spend on each interview, and book the time accordingly.

    9 – Track Your Metrics

    Sumo Scheduler’s Analytics Builder can help you build customized reports to quickly track previous and upcoming interviews. You can keep track of interview cancellations and reschedules or even view the hiring process’s progress. These reports can help you with insights into how time is being used and whether it’s being used efficiently.

    We previously discussed how analytical data can help to improve your hiring process. Metrics like these can provide a great foundation for setting realistic expectations for the hiring process. They can also illuminate areas of your process that can be improved.

    10 – Integrate SUMO Scheduler with Your Hiring Process

    We’ve discussed many ways that you can improve your hiring process. One of the easiest ways to improve it, is to integrate SUMO Scheduler with your process. SUMO’s robust platform can help you integrate virtually every step we’ve discussed from robust Calendar APIs that integrate with multiple calendar types, to Scheduling Automation and Instant Booking tools, to power Data Analytics tools.

    For more information on Sumo Scheduler book a free consult with an expert!

    How to Help Marketing Generate More Qualified Leads with Automated Scheduling

    Posted on by Olga Kamylevich

    Sales and Marketing alignment can be challenging, especially in large enterprises. Getting teams on the same page about targeting the right audiences, effectively creating conversions, and generating more sales is possible with the right strategy and tools. The most crucial part is ensuring that both teams agree on acquisition goals and deliverables while attracting the right customers. 

    A recent survey shows that organizations prioritizing alignment between sales and marketing achieved revenue goals 27% faster with a 36% higher customer retention rate than companies where team alignment wasn’t a priority. 

    If your marketing and sales teams can agree on who to consider a high-quality lead, marketing can effectively find and deliver these leads to sales for conversion. A marketing-qualified lead (MQL) is a prospect who is most likely to become a customer based on a predetermined set of characteristics including various demographic and business attributes along with the number of initial interactions with your brand such as website visits, open emails, social media likes, and more.

    Generating MQLs and converting them into customers can get complicated without automation that minimizes time-consuming and error-prone manual processes. Even highly qualified leads can quickly lose interest in your brand if they wait to schedule a call and can’t effectively access your teams and resources. 

    Learn more about SUMO’s Event & Course Scheduling

    4 Ways to deliver more MQLs with smart automation

    Integrate a scheduling calendar with your website, social media, and email

    As lead generation begins with a prospect’s first-time engagement with your website, social media, or email campaign, it’s essential to offer an opportunity to connect at the peak of their interest. A form fill is not ideal because it adds an extra step of verifying the prospect’s and sales rep’s availability for a call and does not provide them with the assurance that someone will get back to them within a reasonable time frame. Even a 5-minute delay can increase the risk of prospects losing interest and going elsewhere.

    Embedding SUMO’s Online Scheduler on your website, and adding a “Schedule a Call” or a “sign up for an event” link to an outbound email campaign are highly effective ways to connect your sales and marketing teams with new prospects. Our self-scheduling tools empower customers to book appointments directly on sales reps’ calendars, automatically filling their schedules while removing the headache of appointment coordination from the sales process. This frees up sales teams to spend more time doing what they do best – selling.

    Automate lead management with Salesforce native functionality

    It’s understandable that not every person who hits a “Schedule a Call” button is a good match for your company’s products or services as it’s hard to gauge the true level of a new prospect’s interest from their first interaction with your brand. Once submitted, the information they enter still needs to go through your customer relationship management system (CRM) for further verification and qualification. 

    Luckily, SUMO’s native Salesforce functionality offers intelligent field mapping and record creation that can make your lead qualification process more efficient and effective. The software automatically creates leads and contacts for new prospects while simultaneously capturing demographic information through customizable data fields. These capabilities, when combined with SUMO’s powerful assignment logic, empower your team to better understand lead profiles while ensuring that appointments are assigned to the right sales resource.

    Align internal teams and resources

    Sales and Marketing alignment requires that everyone involved in the lead generation process stays on the same page. As teams partner with each other and outside teams and vendors, it’s imperative to have an infrastructure that allows for seamless, headache-free coordination of the internal and external resources.

    SUMO’s Multi-Calendar tool offers an easy-to-navigate 360-degree view of customer meetings and experiential marketing events. The calendar provides powerful filtering tools that sales leaders, marketing directors, and individual contributors can leverage to manage all of their customer-facing activities across multiple teams, locations, and venues.

    Stay on-brand with customizable templates and designs

    A unified brand makes a great first impression. That’s why all custom-facing collateral and messaging should align with your company’s brand.
    SUMO’s highly customizable scheduling tools make it easy for marketing teams to design all customer-facing scheduling websites, appointment invitations, and reminders to their exact specifications. Content graphics, colors, and fonts can be managed through the software’s admin settings to ensure that all outbound messaging is constant and up to date. No design skills or software needed!

    Successful marketing and sales alignment start with the right tool!

    As your company continues to grow and schedules become more hectic, forging a sustainable connection between sales and marketing in their ultimate search for high-quality prospects can be a complicated and time-consuming task. With the right tool at your disposal, you can considerably improve shared availability and bring teams together. SUMO helps your marketing teams find more qualified leads and automatically hand them off to the sales for final conversion. And the result is an ironed-out demand generation process that ensures the expansion of your sales pipeline while generating more revenue for your entire organization. 

    Does Your Sales Team Need More Qualified Leads? Let’s chat! Click here to learn more or book a free consult with an expert!