Revenue Operations vs Sales Operations – 6 Key Differences in 2025 RevOps 10 min Imagine two departments in an organization working to increase the company’s revenue. Both affect the bottom line, eliminate departmental silos, and support business strategies and objectives. But both of them have different functions. Confused? So are most companies. The revamp of the customer lifecycle in recent years has seen a host of new revenue-related roles cropping up in organizations. So much so that most companies now struggle to differentiate between revenue operations vs. sales operations.  In this article, we differentiate the two – by definitions, use cases, features, and suitability to an organization. Let’s dive right in! You can also tune into this conversation we had with Lorena Morales, Director of Global Digital Marketing Revenue Operations at JLL, where she aptly differentiates between the two functions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1g_eUwq3Ks What is Revenue Operations (RevOps)? In simple words, RevOps aims to maximize the revenue potential of a company. It’s an integration of marketing, sales, and post-sales functions to provide better end-to-end administration for the management.  A RevOps function is designed to break down the silos between the business departments, including marketing, sales, customer success, customer support, and even finance. It uses cross-department visibility to achieve three shared objectives: identify new revenue opportunities, improve lead conversions, and cover up any revenue leakages.  What is the role of Revenue Operations?   The Revenue Operations or RevOps team aims to increase transparency and communication between all business functions – from lead generation to customer support.  The RevOps function is responsible for managing and analyzing all data points in a customer life cycle. Apart from protecting revenue, a RevOps team also identifies potential customers in the sales pipeline. Another role of the RevOps department includes bringing enablement practices. From employee onboarding to training modules, a RevOps team aims to increase visibility and drive communication by implementing various processes that result in an increase in revenue.  Now let’s have a look at Sales Operations. What is Sales Operations (SalesOps)?  Sales Operations, also known as SalesOps, aims to support sales teams to function more efficiently by providing strategic direction and reducing friction in the process. Sales operations are often referred to as sales, sales support, or business operations. SalesOps use software, engagement techniques, and strategic planning to drive business growth. They promote best practices for sales reps and provide cross departments visibility on any sales data.  In recent times, SalesOps has expanded its role to also provide insights needed by the sales team to ensure optimal and sustainable growth. Source: Forrester Sales Operations Value Model What is the role of Sales Operations? SalesOps have two significant functions –  a. Ensure that the sales department has enough resources to maintain productivity, and  b. Enable accurate data collection to forecast revenue projections.  The structure and daily duties of a sales operations team can vary based on the industry and the size of the company. However, functions like territory planning and sales forecasting are pretty much the bread and butter for most SalesOps teams.  A SalesOps team is also commonly expected to manage sales commission data and implement incentive compensation programs for sales representatives. These individuals will likely monitor the current sales pipeline as well.  It is clear from the above statements, that even though RevOps and SalesOps operate as different entities, they go hand in hand to benefit one another and the overall revenue of the company.  What makes them different then? Let’s find out.  Revenue Operations vs. Sales Operations : The major difference between revenue operations and sales operations is that SalesOps solely focuses on the sales function of a company, whereas RevOps focuses on bringing multiple departments on the same page to ensure business growth. Sales operations, therefore can be seen as a subset of revenue operations. SalesOps are more executional in nature. They take care of day-to-day administrative tasks, including collecting and managing data, tech stack, form submissions, and training. It allows your sales team to focus on approaching leads and closing deals. Revenue operations, on the other hand, take up a more holistic approach involving the entire organization. It acts as a bridge between different departments and tries to increase revenue opportunities by improving communication and aligning them with a common goal.  RevOps focuses on the entire customer journey and seeks to improve the customer experience at every touchpoint including prospecting, sales, onboarding, customer success, and renewal. By focusing on the entire customer journey, RevOps seeks to optimize revenue growth by improving the customer experience at every touchpoint. This approach helps organizations to build long-term relationships with their customers, drive customer loyalty, and ultimately, increase revenue. RevOps function of an organization: 1. Process RevOps facilitates a seamless customer journey from lead generation to cash collection by implementing various well-structured processes, which are imperative for revenue generation. These processes must be reliable and consistent. 2. Technology RevOps teams are also responsible for selecting appropriate tools from the technology stack to ensure the efficient functioning of these processes and aid revenue teams in being productive. 3. Data  Data is a critical aspect of a successful business, and accurate data in systems such as CRM is the foundation of RevOps. The insights derived from this data are vital in driving strategic decisions that aid in the growth and advancement of the business. 4. People The team in charge of managing the systems, processes, and data is the final pillar of RevOps. The size of this team varies based on the organization’s size.  Let’s have a detailed look at the difference between  Revenue Operations vs. Sales Operations in this table: We should also define the differences in team structure for both. It will vary but can we add some crowd-sourced information on that? In terms of team structure, the Sales Ops team is a simple one – they align with sales. Similar to the sales team, they are organized by region, product, or sales channel, depending on the company’s sales strategy. Sales Ops teams can also be at times organized by function, with

5 Reasons for Low Sales Tech Adoption (And How to Fix It) RevOps 10 min With so many tools getting added to sales tech stack, why are adoption rates so abysmal? Get to the root of it in this blog. The sales tech stack is getting taller. The average virtual selling technology stack today has as many as 13 tools! The “shiny object syndrome” is very real. Businesses add sales tools to their tech stacks to treat the symptoms of sales problems. But rarely do they identify the underlying cause of these problems.  Leaders deploy multiple tools to resolve multiple issues. The consequence is The Great Revenue Disconnect – when revenue teams are left to deal with disconnected software with disconnected data that leads to revenue leakage. And reps feel discouraged about adopting new tech.  The result? Companies have wasted $313,000, on average, on sales tools that weren’t fully adopted by reps.  Why haven’t reps warmed up to sales tech despite having so many tools in their basket? Let’s find out in this blog.  What is Sales Tech Used For? Here are a few ways leaders are deploying sales tech: 1. Boost Sales Performance   93% of reps feel that sales tools help build better relationships with buyers. That’s owing to intent and signal-based features that come with most sales software for correctly identifying leads and their needs. 2. Gain Deeper Insights into Prospects   56% of buyers want to communicate with a salesperson five or more times before finalizing a purchase. It means that sales reps need to have more touches per lead. And each interaction should be relevant and personalized if reps want to stay ahead of the competition. 3. Drive Faster Sales   75% of B2B buyers say that the buying cycle has become longer in the last two years. The buying process is more complex and involves virtual selling. Therefore, reps use sales tech to anticipate future needs and leverage multithreading to close deals faster. A byproduct of the process is improved sales productivity. Reasons for Low Sales Tech Adoption (and How to Fix Them) While the benefits of sales tech are noteworthy, sales and RevOps leaders are still facing adoption challenges over the years. We discuss 5 key reasons for low sales tech adoption and how you can fix them. 1. The Problem: Multiple Tools Lead to Mixed Priorities   With so many tools available, selling doesn’t get easier. 86% of sales reps get confused about which tool should be used for which task. For example, if the head of sales asks for a specific report, your customer-facing teams might have to traverse through multiple tabs to get the latest report. Multiple tools trapped in silos only complicate a sales rep’s job, making it difficult to focus on their main task – selling. Adding to the issue, on average, only 28% of sales tools are integrated within organizations, despite the large sales tech stack. The result is disconnected systems between sales and other functions, leading to missed opportunities and revenue leakage from the sales pipeline. It’s no surprise that multiple tools end up stunting growth. As much as 52% of sales leaders report that their CRM costs potential revenue opportunities because the system doesn’t meet their needs. The Fix: Unified Data Solution for Better Visibility Across the GTM Team   A unified data solution automatically captures data – including contact, activity, and intent – which is otherwise spread across multiple tools. Without a unified data platform, reps have to toggle between several apps to dig out insights, miss quotas, and spend more time on training and other non-sales tasks, increasing costs. But with a unified data solution, reps can build the leads pipeline more contextually, close more deals and avoid revenue leakage. 46% of salespersons spend less time looking for information with a one-stop data platform. An added advantage of a unified dashboard is that reps access granular-level insights and consolidated leading indicators for current performance and future potential. They also have complete visibility of stakeholders within a buyer group, which helps them customize each interaction. Multiple sales tools could also cause an information overload. A unified data solution prioritizes speed with real-time insights across the pipeline. 2. The Problem: Reps Aren’t Involved in Sales Tech Purchase   For 76% of companies, poor adoption of sales tools is a top reason they miss sales quota attainment. That’s because most of these tools are purchased based on buyer needs compared to user needs. Generally, leaders (who aren’t involved in day-to-day sales) make the purchase decision for a sales tool. And consequently, vendors tailor the tool to leaders’ or managers’ insights. This also drives leadership-related reporting, analytics, forecasting, and pipeline visibility. Features that make reps’ lives easier – meeting scheduling, buyer behaviour tracking, automatic contact capture – aren’t considered. This disconnect between managers and the frontline is so wide that 42% of managers say it’s clear which tool reps can use for a given task, but only 32% of reps agree. As a result, sales tools don’t mirror how sales reps function. Your team may feel discouraged when they can’t figure out a successful way to make the tools work, resorting to conventional and slower ways. The Fix: Make Sales Tech Work for Reps and Not Vice Versa   Trust goes a long way in managing changes in the sales process. To start with, you can include reps in the sales tech evaluation process by gathering their inputs and understanding their day-to-day tasks. You can use these insights to choose a tool that works for them, not against them. Here’s a comprehensive list of questions you can ask the reps: What challenges do they face in the sales process? What’s inhibiting them from selling better? How much time do they spend on sales versus non-sales tasks? Do they feel stuck in mundane tasks like CRM data entry?  Are they confident in their sales pipeline, including visibility and opportunities? Are they successfully multithreading with buyer groups? If not, what difficulties are they facing? Is the tool sales-centric or marketing-centric? Are they effectively aligned with marketing? How much training would they need to learn the new tool?

5 Strategic Benefits of Improving CRM Data Quality RevOps 10 min Your CRM data quality has a direct impact on how your B2B business scales. Explore 5 strategic benefits of making CRM data quality a priority. The market for CRM systems is exploding. The global market for CRMs is expected to reach $63.91 billion this year. While this says a lot about the increasing demand for CRMs, it does not give a true picture of how valuable CRMs really are. When it comes to realizing the true value of a CRM system, it’s not about the CRM itself. It is about the quality of data that resides in it. Despite this fact, CRM data quality continues to be a significant challenge for businesses. As a result, they fail to harness the true ROI that CRMs promise to bring with it. What kind of quality issues does CRM data face? For starters, 91% of CRM data is incomplete, stale or duplicated each year. And 70% of the data in a CRM decays annually. These inefficiencies wreak havoc on a company’s bottom line, costing companies over 10% of their annual revenue! This problem keeps increasing as more data gets added to a CRM system over time. And before you know it, your CRM turns into a mess with piles of dirty data that adds no value to your business.  Improving and enriching data quality is the first step to realizing a CRM’s true potential. High quality CRM data can open multiple doors for any revenue leader to steer their businesses forward, no matter how the waters are outside. It is a solid foundation that can protect businesses from uncertainties like downturns, recession etc. This article will take you through some of the perils of poor quality data in your CRM. And some top use cases of high quality CRM data driving ROI for a business. Low Quality CRM Data Leads to High Costs According to Gartner, poor data quality makes organizations lose an average of $15 million per year.  The obvious cost of poor quality CRM data comes with paying extra for CRM storage containing stale, incorrect or missing data. But there are also a lot of hidden costs that might be causing serious revenue leakage such as: Increased cost per customer Lower conversion rates Reduced revenue Dip in profits  Forrester Research has found that the persistence of low-quality data throughout enterprise systems robs business leaders of productivity, as they must continuously vet data to ensure it remains accurate. Ignoring these side effects of poor quality data can cause irreparable damages to revenue generation in the long term. To put it simply, any business decision made with poor quality data becomes risky. Be it your marketing campaigns, sales and marketing alignment, pipeline overview or details about your buying committee, poor quality data gives you an even poorer view of your business in all these critical areas. ​​Such data inefficiencies are causing revenues to leak through your funnel in myriad ways. Some of them include: 1. Frustrated sales reps   53% of salespeople have a love/hate relationship with their CRM. They hate manual data entry. 64% of sales teams say they would leave their current role if organizations don’t invest resources in a CRM data quality plan.  CRM systems are taking away valuable productive hours from your sales reps which can be spent on building relationships with customers. This has a direct impact on their quota and makes selling harder for them than it already is.  2. Incorrect sales forecasting   An accurate sales forecast allows revenue leaders to allocate resources efficiently and maximize returns for the future. But poor quality data leads to incorrect forecasts that can lead to massive revenue leakage. The result is wasted resources on avenues that lead to no result. 3. Poor ROI from CRM   CRM systems continue to be one of the biggest investments for businesses. But most businesses fail to extract maximum value out of this investment because CRM data is riddled with inefficiencies. With more time, CRMs end up becoming a major source of revenue drain, and end up adding little to no value to overall business goals.  4. Failed marketing campaigns   In an era where customers demand real-time and personalized messaging, relying on poor quality CRM data to drive such campaigns can end up as disasters. Bad data leads to a string of campaign failures that can damage the reputation of a brand. For example, basing a marketing campaign on a list of stale contacts only ends up spending money on an idea that will never convert.  How To Improve CRM Data Quality Having high-quality CRM data addresses and fixes revenue leakage at its roots. For revenue leaders who want to set up systems, processes and operations that lead to GTM alignment, the first-step is to fix the CRM data quality problem.  And to make sure the data in your CRM is trustworthy, complete and accurate, you must invest in technology that does not put additional pressure on your sales, marketing or customer success teams. Instead, it must enable them to do their job better while the tool silently works its magic in the background. A great example in point here is CRM data entry. It continues to be a largely manual exercise, taking away so much time from sales reps. Manual data entry also leads to higher chance of error in data entry or missing to enter key information that could lead to more deals.  What needs to be done here is not only find a way that automates CRM data entry, but also enriches that data from various GTM tools like CRM systems. This way GTM teams always have correct and updated data to work with. And with a layer of intelligence added on top of this clean data can drive revenue teams towards successful scaling initiatives.  5 Strategic Benefits of Improving CRM Data Quality Fixing your CRM data quality can have a direct impact on your bottom line and fix several unknown revenue gaps.  Here are some use top cases we have seen on how actionable insights from superior

Top 5 CRM Automation Use Cases RevOps 10 min CRM is the soul of every modern business today. It serves as the epicenter for managing customer relationships and sales processes.  But, what gives it that special edge?  CRM automation – that’s right! The automation capabilities take it to a whole new level.  With automation, businesses have stopped wasting resources on repetitive tasks that have minimal to no impact on their revenues. Instead, they just let the CRM take care of these tasks helping them streamline operations, facilitate efficiency, and allocate more time to meaningful customer interactions.  And, that’s not all – CRM and its automation features can do much more.  In this article, we will keep CRM automation at the forefront and discuss the top five use cases through which you can maximize the ROI from your CRM. What is CRM Automation? CRM automation refers to leveraging technology to streamline and simplify various tasks and workflows of your business. It automates repetitive, manual tasks that otherwise hamper productivity. And truth be told, AI is simply upping the game now. Who doesn’t want a helping hand that takes care of data entry, sends personalized follow-up emails, and even reminds when it’s time to reach out to a customer? 94% of employees say they perform repetitive, time-consuming tasks in their role. With CRM automation, your teams can leave behind repetitive tasks and focus on high-value activities such as building relationships and delivering personalized experiences.  But there’s more to it, which is why we will now delve into why exactly CRM automation has become omnipotent today.  Why Do You Need CRM Automation? CRM automation has the potential to turn your business outcomes upside down. Here’s how.  1. Improved sales productivity Free up precious resources and automate repetitive processes. Let technology handle data entry, lead tracking, and follow-ups, allowing your team to focus on revenue-driving sales activities that push your business forward.  According to McKinsey, automation can boost global productivity growth by 0.8-1.4 % every year.  2. Better team collaboration CRM automation facilitates seamless collaboration between teams. Sales, marketing, and customer service departments can access real-time customer data, track interactions, and coordinate efforts. This collaboration ensures a harmonious approach, leading to satisfactory customer experiences and streamlined operations. 3. Data-driven culture Data is everywhere, constantly present and ever-growing, but analyzing it manually can be overwhelming. Since 85% of data is unstructured, automation is critical for a business to save time and minimize mistakes.  CRM automation captures and organizes data, providing you with valuable insights at your fingertips. Make data-driven decisions, identify trends, and uncover opportunities for optimization and growth.   4. Deeper personalization Whether you’re selling, marketing, or supporting your customers, personalization is the new black and for that, you probably don’t want to miss any details. CRM automation enables you to deliver tailored and timely interactions with customers. Automated workflows ensure that no leads fall through the cracks and that every customer receives the attention they deserve, resulting in more satisfaction and loyalty. 5. Sustainable revenue generation At the end of the day, it’s all about the bottom line. CRM automation empowers you to optimize your revenue operations, identify cross-sell and upsell opportunities, and nurture leads effectively. By aligning your teams and processes, you create a well-oiled revenue engine. It comes as no surprise that 61% of businesses leveraging automation reported exceeding revenue targets in 2020.  5 Use Cases of CRM Automation A CRM comes with a wealth of possibilities for your business. We will now explore the top 5 use cases to improve your CRM’s ROI. 1. Contact automation  Don’t let the important contact data sit idle. Use a CRM to automate contact data capture from your reps’ inboxes, calendars, and Zoom meetings. The platform can efficiently organize contacts by segmenting them according to their affinity and level of involvement in current opportunities. The CRM can also automatically build buying committees and keep the contact information updated. The numbers say it all. Companies that incorporate high-level automation into their sales process generate around 16% more leads compared to those that incorporate low-level or no automation. 2. Personalize customer service & onboarding  60% of consumers say they’ll become repeat customers after a personalized experience. If you want to offer personalized support right from the beginning of the customer journey, you need the right data. And what better source than CRM to gather all the data required for personalizing the customer experiences? All relevant customer information stored in one centralized hub which is your CRM helps automate customer onboarding workflows, guide customers through each step, and offer them necessary resources proactively. A complete view of each customer’s history, preferences, and interactions in the CRM empowers businesses with the data they need to address customer needs promptly thereby delivering consistent and personalized experiences. 3. Run lucrative marketing campaigns The top marketing priority of 44% of businesses is increasing revenue from current customers. To yield such results, a CRM becomes vital for businesses to run effective marketing campaigns. They can use the customer data in the CRM for targeting and segmentation of their audience.  Businesses can further personalize their messaging to resonate with specific customer segments, improving the conversion rate. CRM automation also plays a pivotal role by simplifying campaign workflows and automating email sequences for timely customer engagement.  To go one step ahead, you can also integrate CRM with marketing tools to enhance reach and enable cross-channel campaigns. Robust tracking and analytics of CRM provide businesses with insights into campaign performance, enabling them to optimize strategies for higher campaign returns.  4. Identify business opportunities and trends  Harness CRM analytics to dive deep into customer behavior, trends, and campaign performance. Understand hidden patterns, identify opportunities, and make data-backed decisions that will certainly take your business forward.  The analytics are important to identify high-potential prospects, understand their pain points, and tailor your sales pitches accordingly. With a CRM, you also get a detailed view of the sales pipeline, allowing your team to identify bottlenecks and optimize the sales process. The impact is evidently huge as 62% of retailers have stated that using big data gives them a competitive advantage. 5. Reliable sales

Top Revenue Optimization Software for 2025 RevOps 10 min Is your sales team striving for sustainable growth and profitability? Achieving these objectives requires a keen focus on optimizing revenue streams. Revenue optimization software is a critical element in achieving these goals. Comprehensive research and informed decision-making in software selection become crucial to maximize your revenue potential.  This article looks at the top revenue optimization software for 2025. We will conduct an in-depth analysis to provide you with a valuable resource. It will simplify your decision and help you implement the most effective tool for revenue enhancement. Top Revenue Optimization Software for 2024 1. Nektar 2. Clari 3. Gainsight 4. Planhat 5. Accord 6. Churnzero 7. Totango 8. Aviso 9. Vitally What is a Revenue Optimization Software? Revenue optimization software is a strategic solution that assists organizations in maximizing their revenue potential. The software leverages advanced data analytics, and artificial intelligence to provide actionable insights. You can understand finer details about pricing, demand forecasting, inventory management, sales strategies, and more.  Integrating and analyzing large datasets helps businesses make data-driven decisions that enhance revenue performance. Revenue optimization software thus serves as a critical tool for enterprises seeking to optimize their pricing strategies and boost sales. There is an added advantage of streamlined operations while maintaining a competitive edge. Overview of Top Revenue Optimization Software for 2025 Here are the ten best revenue optimization software solutions for your business in 2025. 1. Nektar Nektar is the world’s first AI for revenue operations. The platform takes an innovative approach to revenue management by harnessing the power of actionable relationship data to combat revenue churn effectively.  Nektar excels in addressing CRM data gaps, both historical and ongoing, through the application of AI time travel. It ensures organizations possess a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of their customer relationships. The software can transform popular communication platforms like Slack or MS Teams into an early warning system. It can proactively mitigate revenue risk by identifying potential issues before they arise.  Extracting valuable insights from seller conversations and tracking champion movement makes Nektar adept at surfacing new pipeline opportunities and hot leads. Your sales team can ultimately seize revenue-generating prospects. Nektar insists on the importance of CRM data accuracy as a prerequisite for unlocking its generative AI capabilities. This way, the platform ensures it is a reliable and indispensable asset for your go-to-market process. Top features and benefits: Zero rep adoption Day 1 ROI Zero change management Seamless deployment 2. Clari Clari offers a comprehensive revenue platform to enhance efficiency, predictability, and growth throughout the revenue process. With Clari, revenue teams gain unparalleled visibility into their business operations for improved buyer-seller alignment.  There’s also proactive identification of risk and opportunity within the sales pipeline. The heightened visibility significantly improves forecast accuracy and drives operational efficiency. Revenue professionals can foster better connectivity, efficiency, and predictability in their revenue processes. It will ultimately empower them to achieve sustainable growth and success. Top features and benefits: Forecasting & RevOps Conversation intelligence Sales engagement Deal inspection & management Mutual action plans & deal rooms Data capture & ingestion 3. Gainsight   Gainsight is a pioneering revenue optimization software that exemplifies the future of growth through its innovative, customer-centric technology. Gainsight empowers customer success, product, and community engagement teams to scale their operations efficiently. The platform fosters alignment and provides a comprehensive view of their customers.  A holistic approach aids in boosting product adoption and proves instrumental in preventing churn and nurturing the growth of customer communities. Gainsight CS is thus a vital asset for businesses committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences while driving revenue growth and fostering lasting customer relationships. Top features and benefits: Identify and prevent revenue leakage Drive a high-performing renewals process Identify and execute expansion opportunities to drive growth 4. Planhat Gainsight is a pioneering revenue optimization software that exemplifies the future of growth through its innovative, customer-centric technology. Gainsight empowers customer success, product, and community engagement teams to scale their operations efficiently. The platform fosters alignment and provides a comprehensive view of their customers.  A holistic approach aids in boosting product adoption and proves instrumental in preventing churn and nurturing the growth of customer communities. Gainsight CS is thus a vital asset for businesses committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences while driving revenue growth and fostering lasting customer relationships. Top features and benefits: Identify and prevent revenue leakage Drive a high-performing renewals process Identify and execute expansion opportunities to drive growth 5. Accord Accord is a revenue optimization software designed to fortify sales processes and methodologies. It helps in enhancing the predictability and efficiency of deal execution. The platform empowers organizations to directly integrate their successful sales strategies into their sales representatives’ workflows.  Accord helps sales teams with the tools to execute winning sales processes consistently. It contributes to a more efficient approach to revenue generation. The emphasis on reinforcing established methodologies and delivering them directly to the front lines makes Accord invaluable for businesses aiming to optimize revenue. Top features and benefits: Standardized best practices across reps on every deal Up-level sales execution for enhanced deal velocity and win rates Increased team efficiency through decreased rep ramp times 6. Churnzero ChurnZero helps subscription-based businesses thrive at scale. It has a comprehensive suite of tools meticulously crafted to enhance efficiency, boost revenue, and deliver unparalleled customer experiences. Leveraging cutting-edge automation, personalization, in-app communications, and the innovation of Customer Success AI™ helps the platform facilitate seamless customer engagement. The platform guides them towards realizing the total value of their investments.  ChurnZero offers varied resources, including journeys, health scoring, survey tools, segmentation, playbooks, robust reporting, real-time alerts, guided walkthroughs, collaboration centers, and more. Furthermore, ChurnZero seamlessly integrates with your CRM and technology stack. It ensures a cohesive and efficient approach to achieving sustainable revenue growth while focusing on customer satisfaction. Top features and benefits: Systematically track upcoming renewals Use health scores to gauge the likelihood of renewal Automate renewal activities Easily identify expansion opportunities Increase in-app upsell conversions 7. Totango Totango helps cross-functional enterprise teams enhance productivity and retention

How a Revenue Intelligence System Eliminates CRM Data Challenges RevOps 10 min In this blog

Everything You Need to Know About Sales Commission Structures RevOps 10 min Compensation (of which sales commission structure is a critical part) plays a highly influential role in driving rep behavior. And it becomes particularly important when reps don’t want to stay around in one company for too long.  It takes an average of 3 months for a new seller to interact with buyers, 9 for them to perform competently, and 15 for them to become top performers. However, the average tenure that reps remain with an organization for is only 1.4 years in 2022.  This shows that once reps have learned all they can with you, they’ll move on to a new organization (most likely one that pays better).  Just hiring the best reps isn’t enough to increase sales. They should be motivated enough to stick around through the ups and down and simultaneously improve their performance.  To achieve this, you need to tailor a sales commission structure template that gives them the incentive to always come out on top.  Let’s find out how. What Is a Sales Commission Structure? “Sales commission” is the amount sales reps earn on each sale.  “Sales commission structure” outlines how you will compensate the rep with a commission and how much this amount should be, based on the sale.  It also includes the timelines for commission payment, i.e., when you’ll pay reps their commission—weekly, monthly, quarterly, or something else.  Remember, the plan you choose directly impacts your reps’ earnings. Therefore, it’s vital that you set up a fair and sufficiently rewarding sales commission structure template. How Does a Sales Commission Structure Compare to a Sales Compensation Plan? Sometimes, commission may be confused with compensation. Here’s a simple tip to differentiate between them.  A compensation plan includes the rep’s total earnings—salary (or fixed pay), commission, incentives, bonus, and on-target earnings (OTE).  As you can see, the commission is just one part of the overall compensation plan. It doesn’t denote compensation in its entirety. Types of Sales Commission Structure Templates There are several sales commission structures you can choose from. It could also be that your team or organization needs a unique sales commission structure template. So, sometimes you may need to combine a couple of these plans.  Below are 10 popular structures you can try.   1. Straight Commission This sales commission structure doesn’t include a base pay or fixed salary. Instead, reps earn 100% commission based entirely on deals they close.  For instance, if a rep closes a deal for $100,000 and the straight commission rate is 10%, the rep will earn $10,000 as commission (without any base pay).  Straight commission is gradually moving out of favor among sales organizations because retaining talent is challenging without the security of fixed pay. It only increases reps’ stress levels and may push them to partake in bad sales practices.  Also, each rep has their own set of skills and practices that make them unique. A straight sales commission structure template doesn’t account for these skills.  When to use this structure:  Shortcomings of the straight commission structure don’t completely nullify its usefulness. You can turn to this plan if you’re a startup or a small organization with limited capital. 2. Base Salary Plus Commission This structure is the most widely adopted across industries and organizations.  Typically, a rep’s compensation is split between salary and variable pay (which includes commission). The split may be 50/50 or 60/40, depending on what you can offer as a salary while still incentivizing reps.  A “base salary plus commission” structure works well because commission motivates reps to continue improving their performance, whereas salary acts as a safety net to retain them in tough situations.  When to use this structure:  You can deploy this sales commission structure template if you’re striving to maintain a good balance between your sales budget and commission. 3. Revenue Commission  In a “revenue commission” structure, reps earn a flat commission percentage on each deal won. So, if your rep closes a deal for $100,000 and the commission is set at 7%, they earn a commission of $7,000.    However, this structure again doesn’t consider each rep’s distinctive selling capabilities.  When to use this structure:  Revenue commission works well when your team is small, your product offerings aren’t too complex, or you’re selling only one product with fixed pricing. 4. Gross Margin Commission  The gross margin commission structure follows a similar approach to the revenue commission structure.  However, instead of revenue (ARR or contract value), reps earn commission on the gross revenue (or profit on sales). Say your rep sold a contract for $150,000 but incurred a cost of $25,000 for the company. These costs may include travel to meet the client or a discount for the buyer. Under the gross margin commission structure, the rep will earn a commission on $125,000 ($150,000 less $25,000). Gross margin commission motivates reps to close deals at higher margins, ultimately benefiting the organization. When to use this structure:  If you aim to ensure bottom line profitability, this sales commission structure template can help reps win deals without incurring too much expense. This may also speed up the sales cycle. 5. Tiered Commission  In tiered commission, reps earn incremental commission on each deal closed, depending on the tier in which it falls.  The bigger the deal closed, the higher the tier and the higher the commission earned.  For example, for deals under $50,000, reps earn a commission of 5%, but for deals under $100,000, the commission moves up to 7%, and so on.  Tier Deal Size Commission  A Up to $50,000 5% B $50,000 to $100,000 7% C $100,000 to $150,000 10$ Tiered commission encourages reps to continually achieve and exceed targets for higher rewards. But, to maintain your business’s profitability, you may want to cap the maximum commission a rep can take home. When to use this structure:  A tiered commission structure works best when scaling your team, as it promotes over-performance and separates top performers from low. Not just that, it also motivates average and low performers to push

Everything You Need to Know About Gross Revenue Retention RevOps 10 min In a world where every organization is looking to acquire new customers, an often overlooked source of revenue is – Revenue Retention. Revenue made by retaining customers is the lifeblood of a successful organization. Retained customers often have higher lifetime value, reflecting their satisfaction and loyalty. Satisfied customers also contribute to a positive brand image and word-of-mouth referrals, giving companies a competitive edge.    Moreover, long-term customer relationships offer opportunities for cross-selling and upselling, while their feedback helps businesses refine and enhance their products and services, ultimately driving sustained growth and success. Revenue retention is pivotal for companies because it signifies the ability to sustain existing customer relationships and, consequently, maintain a stable revenue flow. Retaining customers not only lowers customer acquisition costs but also bolsters long-term profitability and growth.  To measure the revenue for retained customers, companies often use a metric called Gross Revenue Retention (GRR).    What is GRR? Gross Revenue Retention refers to a business’s capacity to keep its current customers. When a business successfully holds onto its customers, it maintains its revenue. In more straightforward terms, Gross Revenue Retention is the percentage of customers a business manages to keep at their current pricing or contract value. It stands as a pivotal customer retention metric for subscription-based companies and those operating in the SaaS industry. The comprehension and monitoring of GRR enable them to assess the overall efficiency of their customer retention tactics. The significance of Gross Revenue Retention goes beyond customer retention; it also functions as a gauge for prospective investors who consider this ratio when assessing a company’s investment suitability. How to Calculate GRR The Gross Revenue Retention rate formula measures the percentage of current customers retained over a specific timeframe. You can determine it using the following GRR formula: In this equation, MRR start represents the Monthly Recurring Revenue at the beginning of the month. This figure represents the recurring revenue at the outset of any period for which we want to compute the Gross Revenue Retention. Churn signifies the decline in revenue resulting from customers canceling their subscription or terminating their contract with the company. It represents a total revenue loss. Contraction, on the other hand, denotes the reduction in revenue caused by customers switching to a less expensive subscription plan. It entails a partial revenue loss since the customer’s revenue has decreased, but the revenue stream is not completely terminated. Let’s consider a quick example to calculate GRR for company XYZ, using the following financial figures: – Monthly Recurring Revenue: $15,000 – New Sales: $2,000 – Upselling to existing customers: $2,000 – Customer Attrition (Churn): $1,000 – Customer Downgrades: $1,000 By using Gross Revenue Retention rate formula: GRR = (15,000 – (1,000 + 1,000)) / 15,000 GRR = (15,000 – 2,000) / 15,000 GRR = 13,000 / 15,000 GRR = 0.8667 (rounded to 2 decimal places) GRR = 86.67% As mentioned earlier, the calculations do not include new sales and upselling. After this calculation, we find that XYZ SaaS company has a GRR of 86.67%, indicating that it successfully retained 86.67% of its revenue from existing customers. Apart from GRR, another popular metric used by organizations to measure revenue retention is NRR.  What is NRR? Net Revenue Retention (NRR) is a customer retention metric that assesses a company’s ability to grow its revenue from existing customers. It considers the revenue generated from current customers while considering any losses due to churn, contraction, or downgrades. NRR provides insight into the overall health of a company’s customer base and its effectiveness in retaining customers and expanding revenue from those customers through upselling or cross-selling. The formula for calculating NRR is as follows: A positive NRR value indicates that a company is retaining its existing customers and increasing revenue from them. Conversely, a negative NRR suggests that losses from customer churn, contraction, and downgrades are outpacing revenue growth from the existing customer base. Gross Revenue Retention vs Net Revenue Retention Gross Revenue Retention (GRR) and Net Revenue Retention (NRR) are two important financial indicators that underscore a company’s capacity to hold onto customers and sustain its revenue. The key difference between GRR vs. NRR centers around whether expansion revenue is considered. GRR concentrates solely on revenue derived from current customers without factoring in any supplementary income stemming from upsells, cross-sells, or upgrades. This metric offers insights into your company’s ability to maintain its fundamental revenue streams over time. The greater the proximity of GRR to 100%, the more favorable the situation. However, this is contingent on the size of the customer base. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) tend to experience higher churn rates and lower retention figures. Conversely, NRR considers retained customer revenue while also incorporating growth-related activities, like opportunities for upselling and cross-selling to existing clients. NRR presents a more holistic view of your company’s overall retention performance. NRR serves as a useful tool for business owners and stakeholders to assess the business’s expansion. It functions as a growth indicator, offering insights into the effectiveness of cross-selling and upselling strategies. An NRR value greater than 100% signifies growth, while NRR at 100% denotes a static business. When NRR is below 100%, it indicates a decline. According to advisor Dave Kellogg, a solid median NRR for private companies stands at 104%. It’s important to emphasize that NRR exclusively considers existing customers. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the business’s performance, it’s advisable to combine NRR with other metrics. Now that we have understood the difference between Gross Revenue Retention vs Net Revenue Retention, let’s understand the importance of tracking GRR for companies.  Importance of GRR As mentioned before, Gross Revenue Retention serves as a stability gauge for SaaS companies, revealing the initial revenue at the start of a period and how much has been eroded by the end. SaaS firms monitor GRR to gauge how strongly customers have either severed ties with or weakened their connections to the company. A higher customer loss may signal potential problems with

Top 4 CRM AI Use Cases RevOps 10 min 91% of companies with more than 11 employees use Customer Relationship Management (CRM). However, only 12% of them actually use an AI-powered CRM tool! A lot of users believe that AI in CRM is still in the future and the current processes don’t require automation. But is this the case? What is an AI-powered CRM, and what are its use cases? Can businesses realize real benefit by using AI in their CRM? If so, what are the processes they can automate? We discuss all this, and a lot more in this detailed blog post. Read on. What is AI in CRM? CRM manages and maintains relationships with customers, prospects, and other business contacts. AI in CRM refers to integrating AI technologies into CRM software and processes to enhance customer interactions and improve business outcomes. AI in CRM enables businesses to analyze vast amounts of customer data, predict customer behavior, automate tasks, and personalize customer experiences. It empowers companies to deliver more targeted marketing, provide proactive customer support, and make data-driven decisions, ultimately leading to better customer satisfaction and increased sales. Why is AI required in CRM in 2025? In the modern business world, organizations require AI due to the following reasons: 1. Increasing unstructured data As the number of transactions grows, so does the volume of customer data. While this presents an opportunity for businesses to gain deeper insights into their customers, it also poses the challenge of managing and extracting relevant information from the predominantly unstructured data. However, AI tools offer a solution by converting unstructured data, which accounts for approximately 90% of the total data, into structured data, enabling businesses to leverage valuable information effectively. 2. Complex processes and relationships In addition to the expanding data volume, the rise in transactions leads to more intricate business processes and relationships. This complexity hinders a clear understanding of company relationships and accurate analysis of customer patterns. According to Xant, sales representatives spend over half of their time within CRM attempting to manage tasks more efficiently. AI technology presents a solution to this challenge by automating many of these tasks and providing valuable insights. By understanding customer sentiments, businesses can promptly address issues, improve their offerings, and enhance overall customer satisfaction. Benefits of AI-powered CRM Let’s have a detailed look at the benefits of AI-powered CRM. 1. Clean CRM data AI can help you achieve comprehensive contact lists for each account in your CRM by extracting them from your representatives’ email inboxes, calendars, and Zoom meetings. You can precisely categorize Account contacts and Opportunity Contact Roles (OCR) based on their engagement and relevance to ongoing Opportunities. AI can also automatically enhance each contact with updated job titles and phone numbers that remain up-to-date whenever changes occur. 2. Qualified pipeline Detect the absence of pre-engaged contacts or leads within the CRM. Conduct campaigns targeting GDPR-compliant contacts to expand the pipeline and expedite sales cycles, and identify contact roles to enhance targeted outreach efforts. 3. Tech Stack Audit Deep dive into the existing tools that your company is using. Identify all redundancies, and find opportunities to streamline the entire tech stack. i. Map Out Tools Compile a list of all tools used by teams, noting their purpose and how they work with the CRM. ii. Evaluate Use and Cost Determine if tools are actively used or if there are duplicates. Look for cost-saving opportunities by consolidating tools when possible.   3. Supercharged ABM You can recover inactive and lost deals and impact ongoing opportunities by employing Account-based Marketing (ABM) campaigns with current first-party buyer contacts directly sourced from sellers’ email inboxes and calendars. Increase funnel conversions by precisely targeting buyers through deep insights into buyer engagement within high-priority accounts, their buying roles, and the current sales stage of each account. 4. Data analysis and insights AI can allow you to process and analyze vast amounts of customer data to identify patterns, trends, and customer preferences, allowing businesses to make data-driven decisions. 5. Predictive analytics AI algorithms can predict customer behavior, such as identifying potential churn or predicting purchase intent, helping businesses proactively address customer needs. 6. Sentiment analysis AI can analyze customer sentiments from various sources, such as social media and surveys, helping companies understand customer satisfaction levels and identify potential issues. 7. Lead scoring and nurturing Assess and prioritize leads based on their likelihood to convert, optimizing sales efforts and increasing conversion rates. 8. Personalization AI Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have the capacity to customize customer engagements through the examination of valuable customer information like previous buying patterns, online activities, and demographic details. Subsequently, this data can be utilized to personalize marketing communications, suggest products, and facilitate customer support interactions, catering to the distinctive requirements and preferences of each individual customer. 9. Chatbots Chatbots can deliver immediate customer support, thereby enhancing response times. These chatbots are capable of addressing common inquiries, offering product suggestions, and handling uncomplicated transactions. Consequently, this expedites the overall process and allows human agents to concentrate on more intricate and demanding matters. 10. Omnichannel presence AI-driven CRMs have the capability to deliver smooth and uninterrupted customer support through various communication channels, including email, social media, chat, and phone. This enables customers to interact with businesses through their preferred means, leading to enhanced engagement and satisfaction. 11. Sales forecasting and performance analysis CRM can analyze historical sales data, market trends, and external factors to predict future sales performance accurately. This enables businesses to make informed decisions, allocate resources efficiently, and set realistic sales targets for their teams. 12. Churn Prediction and Customer Retention AI can analyze customer behavior and historical data to predict the likelihood of customer churn. By identifying potential churn risks, businesses can implement targeted retention strategies to reduce customer attrition and improve loyalty.  With so many benefits, it is no wonder that businesses use AI-powered CRM for various business use cases. Let’s have a look at some of them:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8-8i1LNk3k&t=624s Top AI CRM Use Cases By analyzing