Highspot Blog

Organizational process design is paramount to successful leadership. Intentional or not, we construct and model the communication frameworks that govern the way our teams make decisions. Ideally, we approach this responsibility deliberately, establishing processes that empower where empowerment matters; that safeguard where boundaries are called for; that flex and harden and stretch; that encourage outcomes consistent with our guiding principles. Inevitably, the processes we adopt won’t just guide our decisions — in tangible ways, the processes are the decisions.

In a growing company, two business-critical examples of where process-as-decision has lasting and material consequences are hiring and product development. I’d like to briefly explain why, and encourage greater appreciation for the significance of value-driven, intentional process design.

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising that paved the way for Pride as we know it today. As a member of the LGBT+ community, my heart swells with mixed emotions as I reflect on my journey, the journeys of others, the progress that we’ve made as a community, and the challenges that still lie ahead.

Last week, leading up to the 50th Pride, my colleagues and I presented a short history of Pride and shared our personal stories at a company-wide lunch. We shared how being gay used to be illegal, the events surrounding the uprising at Stonewall Inn in 1969, the first Pride parade one year later in 1970, how the rainbow flag was born in 1978, how the NYPD apologized earlier this year for their behavior in 1969, why this year’s 50th anniversary of Pride is so special — and why the ability to be yourself and do your best work at Highspot is so great.

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The cutting edge can be a lonely place to work. While sales enablement has been around for years, we’re now inventing the future of this category thanks to incredible technology and methodology advances. This means many of us in the enablement community are feeling both the thrill of new horizons and the challenges of trailblazing. This rollercoaster means that we’re banding together like never before, creating a swell of demand for community events that elevate the art and science of enablement.

It’s no wonder that the Sales Enablement Soirée has gone global. Developed in partnership with Sales Enablement PRO, the Sales Enablement Soirée is the only industry event designed specifically for this ever-growing community. What began as a way to unite and encourage networking has grown to an event that draws thousands of attendees across three major cities spanning two continents.

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Most people love free catered lunches, ping-pong tournaments, and team outings to the ballpark — but these perks aren’t the workplace differentiators they used to be. Competition for talent is fierce, and modern companies are pulling out all the stops to attract and retain the best people.

While I enjoy kombucha on tap as much as the next person, these types of benefits were not at the top of my priority list when I began my job search last November. Zooming out from the minutiae to the big picture, I was looking for a company that would elevate me personally and professionally.

Where could I go to make a real impact? Which company had an environment that sparks creativity and a culture that encourages employees to bring their full selves to work every day?

I found the answer at Highspot — and what a ride it has been so far.

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New Release for Microsoft AppSource Delivers AI-driven Content to Improve Buyer Engagement Across Entire Sales Process

SEATTLE, June 11, 2019 – Highspot, the highest customer-rated sales enablement platform, today launched a new integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales, which is available on Microsoft AppSource. Joint customers can now leverage Highspot’s full suite of capabilities directly within their Dynamics 365 environment to elevate buyer engagement and ultimately, further accelerate revenue growth.

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The last mile of the customer journey is critical — it’s the final stretch that decides if a deal is won or lost and if a relationship is forged or broken. The deciding factor at this critical juncture is simple — conversation.

Human-to-human conversation creates a connection and is the cornerstone of customer experience. And today, when you can get anything with the click of a button, experience is a key differentiator.

Every business-to-business company faces the challenge of delivering incredible customer experiences. Solving the challenge begins with people-centricity. At Highspot, putting people first is in our core. It’s why our sales enablement platform is the highest user-rated technology in our category. It’s why hundreds of companies use our platform to have compelling conversations that lead to lasting relationships. And, today, it’s why we’ve reached another important milestone — we’ve closed our $60 million Series D.

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Technology Leader in Burgeoning Sales Enablement Category Is More Than Doubling Across Key Business Metrics

SEATTLE, June 4, 2019 – Highspot, the highest customer-rated sales enablement platform, today announced it has secured $60 million in Series D funding. ICONIQ Capital led the round, with participation from new investor Sapphire Ventures and all existing investors including Madrona Venture Group, OpenView, Salesforce Ventures and Shasta Ventures. The investment will fuel Highspot’s global expansion and further extend its technology leadership in the sales enablement category. Highspot’s revenue, customer base, existing customer expansion and employee count are all more than doubling year-over-year. Hundreds of companies are using the Highspot platform to empower customer-facing teams and partners, elevate the customer experience, and ultimately, accelerate revenue growth.

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In the past 100 years, the face of tech has undergone a radical transformation. Long before the industry became synonymous with men in hoodies, women like Ada Lovelace and Grace Hopper were inventing the machines and programs that made the tech-driven world we live in today possible.

But by the 1970s, women had become all but invisible in the fields they helped pioneer. Today, they only account for 30% of employees across major tech companies despite comprising more than half of the total workforce.

This imbalance is something we are passionate about changing. And as Highspot’s Head of People, advocating for these causes is central to my role. But our commitment goes deeper than that. Creating an environment where a plurality of people feel empowered to do their best work is in Highspot’s DNA — and our goal is to ensure that this is evident in all our interactions, whether inside or outside Highspot.

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Sales enablement is sweeping the globe.

In partnership with Sales Enablement PRO, we surveyed more than 500 executives, sales enablement, and marketing leaders from companies of all sizes across the world. What we found validates that sales enablement is becoming the backbone of successful sales organisations spanning industries and geographies.

More than 79% of participants have a sales enablement process or practice in place, or plan on inventing one this year — a 20% increase from last year’s survey. Despite urgent demand and clear evidence of sales enablement’s business impact, clear definitions and best practices are wanting. The 68% of respondents who reported having a dedicated sales enablement tool named more than 150 different solutions when asked to identify the tools in use — demonstrating confusion in the market around what is truly needed to enable reps.

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In the age of chatbots, voice response systems, and AI-assisted customer support, customers have become hungry for human interaction — buyers around the world would pay up to 16% more for a better customer experience.

Behind every great customer experience are great services executives. We’re proud to share that Highspot has earned a Stevie® Award for Customer Service Department of the Year. More than 2,700 nominations from companies across 45 nations were evaluated in this year’s competition.

What exactly separates good customer service that gets the job done from great customer service that leads to lasting partnerships? We asked the experts themselves — Stuart Thompson, Kate Wilson, Cam Williams, and Alex Dumke of our Services and Account Management team — to share their insights on four things that make for an unforgettable customer experience.

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