Article
How I use Salesforce data to shape UX strategy
Some of the most useful UX insight already exists inside a business. I use CRM data to find customer problems, strengthen design decisions and have better conversations about what we should prioritise.
Understanding CRM as a UX resource
When I step into a B2B business, one of the places I look beyond traditional UX research is the CRM system, Salesforce or any similar tool. It's primarily seen as a tool for Sales and Customer Success teams, but it can play a pivotal role in shaping design strategy.
The CRM holds essential information:
- Products customers are currently subscribed to.
- Products they've churned from, those they've cancelled and stopped paying for.
- Customer sentiment: happy, not happy, angry, that kind of level.
When a customer churns, within the CRM there's usually a predefined list of reasons: Price, Competitor is better, Unhappy customer, or even UX issues. Notes may also be added, though these tend to be brief, often written by a frustrated salesperson after losing a deal.
It's not perfect data, but I don't overlook it - there's gold in there. The CRM data only gives me the starting point. I want to dig deeper:
- Why is the competitor better?
- Why are they unhappy?
- What were the specific UX issues?
I look for patterns, analyse the reasons, and follow up with the Sales team to uncover more detailed insights.
Using CRM data to drive impactful conversations
Incorporating customer data into how I work has been a game-changer. It anchors design decisions in hard evidence and helps me have better conversations about priorities.
If I don't have direct access to the data, I find someone who does. Product Ops, Product Marketing, Sales and Marketing are all useful relationships to build.
Bring data to the table
Imagine I'm addressing issues with deprioritised work and engineering quality with the CEO or CPO. These are two scenarios I've seen play out very differently:
Scenario 1: No CRM data
We're struggling with inconsistencies between the front-end builds and the designs we provide. This and big UX improvements being deprioritised is creating frustration in the design team and impacting the customer experience in a big way.
Potential response:
Yes, we need to improve this. Let's schedule more reviews before releases.
Scenario 2: Backed by CRM data
We've identified a trend in Salesforce: 97% of customers churned from Products X and Y after trials, citing 'Competitor is better.'
Notes from Sales and follow-ups reveal our competitor has:
- A smoother workflow requiring less user input.
- Better product integration.
- A more polished, user-friendly design.
Here's a comparison of our design versus the build - there's a clear mismatch. Also, we've prototyped a new design addressing the bigger UX issues, but it's repeatedly deprioritised. With Sales' help, I've also arranged a demo of the competitor's product to further understand their approach.
Potential response:
Excellent prototype. Create a plan with the Product Director to get this delivered - Work with our Sales Director and whoever else you need to make that research happen.
Connecting design to the wider business
This is how I want design to operate. Not sitting separately from the business asking for UX work to be prioritised, but using customer and commercial evidence to help make the case for what needs to change.
Salesforce is just one source. The important part is connecting what we're seeing in the customer experience with the information already sitting across the business, then using it to make better product decisions.