Sales Force Automation Case Study: TaylorMade Golf, Inc.

While supply chain services such as taking inventory and documenting orders are a necessary part of being competitive when your customers are in the retail industry, performing those activities is not necessarily the most productive use of a sales representative's time. In fact, those activities were pinpointed as issues detracting from sales time for sporting goods manufacturer TaylorMade. Wholesale sales representatives sell TaylorMade clubs, clothing and accessories to more than 10,000 retail outlets.
TaylorMade executives concluded that if the company could automate these valueadded sales force services, which were requiring more than 60% of the company's 100+ wholesale representatives' in-outlet time, the overhead savings and increase in sales revenue could be significant. AT&T has the most dynamic and experienced ecosystem of alliance providers.
The reliable and fast AT&T GPRS/EDGE network is only one of the advantages of the wireless solution AT&T delivered to TaylorMade. Only AT&T has certified software applications and middleware network-compatible devices and system integration providers optimized to run specifically on AT&T networks.
TaylorMade sales representatives are now equipped with Pocket PC-based devices using the wireless network from AT&T. The sales representatives use their devices to expedite the inventory process as well as wireless sales data entry and access. Inventory management.
To help TaylorMade's enterprise system improve its supply chain process, sales representatives now use a barcodescanning feature on their mobile devices to quickly take in-store product inventories. This information is loaded into the company's enterprise system in real time. It is then available to shipping, billing, manufacturing and other TaylorMade departments that rely on this information for their performance.
Now the sales representative can access sales call information, up-to-date product catalog information and in-transit and on-order information in real time. The sales representative can also place orders, receive order confirmation and even print sales orders while at the customer site. Time that used to be spent taking inventory is now dedicated to making additional sales calls or sharing sales management reports and other information with retail store owners to maximize their TaylorMade product sales. TaylorMade's wireless sales force automation has:
- Increased revenue significantly. Sales revenue growth since inception averages 15% per sales representative, and 10–20% per customer order.
- Increased average sales calls per day. Because TaylorMade sales representatives now require significantly less time to conduct product inventories and process sales orders, they have more time for selling. The increase in sales calls is equivalent to adding approximately 25 sales representatives to the company's sales force.
- Improved customer service. Sales representatives also now have the time to provide valuable information to store owners. They can provide the amount of revenue the store is generating from sales of TaylorMade products, compare that to sales of competitors' products and suggest ways that retailers can increase their sales.
- Increased sales forecast accuracy. Through automatic collection of near real-time sell-through data, TaylorMade manufacturing can manage their operations more effectively.
- Reduced inventory time up to 75%. Inventories have greater accuracy and enter the central TaylorMade system much faster. In addition to the increased job satisfaction this creates for sales representatives, this information helps other departments in the company be more efficient.
- Increased customer satisfaction. On-time deliveries and more effective merchandising of TaylorMade products have increased store owner satisfaction and loyalty.

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