Conversica > Case Studies > IBM's Digital Engagement Transformation with Conversica's AI Automated Sales Assistant

IBM's Digital Engagement Transformation with Conversica's AI Automated Sales Assistant

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Education
Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Quality Assurance
Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Time Sensitive Networking
Visual Quality Detection

Services

Testing & Certification

About The Customer

IBM is a multinational technology company that has been in operation for over a century. Traditionally, the company has focused on in-person selling of technology services and products. However, in recent years, IBM has been working to integrate digital marketing into its sales model. This has involved a shift in mindset for the company's marketers, who are now tasked with viewing the customer’s journey as something much broader and more flexible. The company has also been working to improve its infrastructure, moving away from a dated system burdened with custom enhancements to a more modern, global management platform.

The Challenge

IBM, a 105-year-old company, has been traditionally focused on in-person selling of technology services and products. However, with the rise of digital channels, the company faced the challenge of integrating digital marketing into its established sales-centric model. This was particularly difficult due to IBM's long-established infrastructure, which was dated and burdened with custom enhancements. The company needed to transition to a more modern, global management platform while avoiding custom enhancements. Additionally, IBM needed to change the mindset of its marketers to view the customer’s journey as something much broader and more flexible. Another major challenge was the low rate of phone-ready leads being brought in through digital channels.

The Solution

IBM decided to implement Conversica’s AI Automated Sales Assistant, a solution that could help improve the rate of phone-ready leads from digital channels. The first team to test Conversica at IBM was the Watson Developer Cloud. The implementation of Conversica led to promising results, with lead engagement reaching 26%, of which 18% qualified as hot leads. Out of the roughly 6,900 leads assigned to Conversica, 54 high-value opportunities were created, representing a pipeline-revenue high of $6.5 million. Conversica also allowed for increased accountability in media buys, enabling IBM to judge the source of responses by provider and have a more educated conversation about which media purchases were actually producing quality leads.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Conversica’s AI Automated Sales Assistant not only improved the rate of phone-ready leads from digital channels but also transformed the perception of digital leads within the organization. The platform was able to follow up with leads multiple times, something that was not feasible for the sales team due to time constraints and the emotional toll of constant rejection. This improved the overall perception of digital lead quality within the organization. Additionally, Conversica allowed for increased accountability in media buys, enabling IBM to have more educated conversations about which media purchases were actually producing quality leads. It also freed up resources within the marketing team, reducing the workload and allowing them to focus on other important tasks.

Quantitative Benefit