How RingCentral Influences Over $1M

Missing that element of understanding: Outdated content and few insights create issues. 

Chris McCarthy, Senior Product Marketing Manager at RingCentral, describes his role as “the middleman between product marketing and sales.” McCarthy remembers the days before Highspot as challenging for reps and content publishers alike. “There was never a consistent view of the newest assets,” he says. “Reps could potentially be accessing content that was incredibly out of date.” 

In the fast-paced world of communication solutions, outdated content could have big consequences. “Our previous repository had content that was over four years old,” says McCarthy. “We were constantly reaching out to each other looking for content,” adds Fricke. “Finding a document in Google Drive required team members to remember and search for specific document names. Using the keyword search feature in Highspot, we’ve cut down what could easily be 20 minutes of searching to one click.”

Not only that, publishers struggled to find an effective way to share resources with reps. “Challenge number two was giving publishers a way to easily disseminate knowledge to our sales reps,” says McCarthy. Fricke explains; “Before Highspot, we were missing that element of understanding what our customers were looking at and responding to,” she says.

“There was no doubt:” A search for improved content management leads to Highspot

After years using Google Sites as a content repository, rep demand started to exceed the capabilities of the platform. Thatcher and her team began exploring other solutions, including Mediafly and open-source capabilities. “We brought it down to three options,” says Thatcher. “Of those three, there was no doubt Highspot was the right decision.” The tool’s intuitive user interface and the wealth of data that could be gleaned from the analytics capabilities helped set Highspot apart, as did the ease of implementation. “We had 200 sellers using it almost the same day we turned it on,” adds Thatcher.

For Fricke, who admits to opening Highspot an average of ten times a day, the ability to connect RingCentral’s LMS system to Highspot has “taken things to the next level.” She adds that, using Highspot, the sales enablement team has enhanced the enablement teams brand internally. “We have taken enablement from being training as it is defined, to being part of the go to market motion. We are no longer just the people who upload content, we help drive the sales cycle.”

Today, when McCarthy and his colleagues put together a new campaign, their first stop is Highspot. “Right off the bat we put together a sales play page in Highspot where we populate all the content that deals with that campaign,” says McCarthy. “When reps go to the page, they are immediately hit with an elevator pitch and a ton of information about messaging, positioning, and the best way to talk about the RingCentral products.” Sales play pages even contain videos and pitch decks—in short, a single destination for everything reps need to make an impression. “Highspot makes it really easy to deliver the right information to sales,” says McCarthy.

“Sellers are a lot happier:” Highspot Creates a Culture Boost and Influences $1 Million in Revenue 

Today, Highspot has been dubbed “mission control” at RingCentral. Thatcher says, “People know that mission control is where you go to get answers.” Business leaders like RingCentral’s company founder are even requesting access.

Thatcher adds that data is a major factor in the organization’s ongoing success. “Now, decisions are driven by real data insights as opposed to what we call ‘scientific wild guesses,’” she says, adding that Highspot has helped sellers understand customer needs and better target those pain points. “It’s that combination of empathy and data that allows us to really address what our customers are looking for. Highspot is a critical linchpin in that approach.”

For a rapidly expanding business (RingCentral has achieved 35% to 37% year-on-year growth), revamping sales enablement was crucial for continuing to grow. “Highspot helped us maintain our year-on-year growth,” says Thatcher.

Perhaps even more gratifying is the positive impact on RingCentral’s culture. “Sellers are a lot happier,” says Thatcher. Increased job satisfaction has helped RingCentral retain sellers, with attrition down to 20%. And, for new sellers, Highspot has helped reduce ramp time by 30 days. “We hear a lot of feedback from folks in their first 30 days that we made it so easy for them to navigate through RingCentral because everything is in one place,” says Fricke.

Today, more than 30,000 pieces of RingCentral content reside in Highspot, and 31,000 pitches have been sent from the tool since its implementation. Formally disconnected teams now use Highspot as a central platform to better understand the customer journey. “Highspot has brought sales and marketing together,” says Fricke. “We have really united on what the customer cares about and put the customer at the center of everything we do.” “Regardless of your role at RingCentral, your ultimate stakeholder is our customers,” reflects Thatcher.