Written by: Daniel Fulton, Photizo Group

Sherpas are renowned for their mountaineering abilities; they act as partners, working with visitors to prepare for, guide and safely complete trips into arguably the roughest territory on Earth, the Himalayas. While today’s MPS landscape is not exactly analogous with Mount Everest, those sales representatives who venture into the market unequipped may meet the same result as an ill-prepared adventurer: failure.

This is what Troy Casper, of Compass Sales Solutions, realized years ago while serving as manager for a large copier sales team. From prospecting to closing, Casper realized that the sales administration process dominated a sizable portion of his day, causing missed opportunities and revenue. As a result, he began looking for an automated tool that could streamline the sales process.

Finding no suitable solutions, Casper devoted himself to developing a tool that can manage the sales process from prospecting to fulfillment. The goal was clear: automate sales departments to enable more efficiency, improve workflow and minimize paperwork. The result of Casper’s efforts is Sherpa, a sales automation tool designed specifically for those who work in the office device and MPS industry.

A complete solution, Sherpa uses a variety of features to guide reps through each aspect of the sales process. From the full CRM tool and TCO Analyzer, to the financial calculator and automated proposals, Sherpa has indeed streamlined MPS sales and customer management processes.

The industry-specific CRM tool integrates the language of MPS and gives reps the ability to target their marketing, forecasting and tracking of prospects and clients, going beyond the basic calendar management of many CRM tools. Addressing a negative factor of many CRM tools, Sherpa’s interface is straightforward and easy to navigate, allowing users to get the most out of the software.

The included TCO analysis tool is also valuable, as it allows reps to calculate TCO significantly faster than manual processes still in use by many dealers. Sherpa comes preloaded with a dizzying array of devices, so reps and managers can easily select a specific device, input a few bits of data and instantaneously receive an accurate TCO calculation. These calculations can then be inserted into proposal forms, which come in a variety of styles and are easily customizable. With the TCO tool, one can quickly run calculations for a variety of customized fleet options, giving dealers the chance to discover potential hidden profits.

Further sweetening the solution is the commitment Compass makes with their clients. All new implementations receive at least one full day of on-site training and administrators attend a two-day course at the Compass facility. In line with MPS industry trends, Compass markets Sherpa as a solution, not a boxed product. This is a view supported by the experiences of users, including Commonwealth Technology of Lexington, Kentucky.

A document solutions company, providing everything from office equipment to document management software, Commonwealth Technology implemented Sherpa after Operations Manager Barb Isert discovered the product. As operations manager, Isert is responsible for guiding sales staff and ensuring that sales activities are completed as required. For her, Sherpa has performed exceedingly well, as the solution has greatly increased sales staff productivity by allowing reps quick access to information from the field, among other activities.

For Isert, though, perhaps the most central feature is the TCO analysis tool, which she describes as very intuitive. Using Sherpa’s TCO tool, Isert is able to push through a couple of deals a day. This is no small feat for a process that consumes many dealers and explains why Isert has become reliant on this aspect of the software solution.

While one implementation may not be representative of each customer’s experience, Isert was quick to point out that Compass treats Commonwealth Technology as a partner. It appears as though Compass has properly mixed solution with service to create an offering that solves industry needs. If that’s not inline with MPS today, than what is?