Customer Case Study

The Challenge

MSC, a $3.25B industrial distributor, wanted to turn their call center into a profit center by upselling and cross-selling products during customer interactions. However, their sales intelligence system wasn't providing the desired results, leaving them looking for a solution that could help their reps make more strategic recommendations to customers.

The Solution

MSC switched to Proton, an AI-powered sales platform specifically designed for distributors. Proton provided the necessary insights for sales reps to know who to talk to and what to sell them. The adoption of Proton by MSC's customer service team resulted in reps making more personalized and strategic recommendations during customer interactions. As a result, MSC has seen 20x upsell/cross-sell revenue since switching to Proton.

MSC saw the potential to turn their call center into a profit center by providing customers with an enhanced, consultative experience. While their customer service representatives (CSRs) were working diligently to handle customer interactions, there was always a missed opportunity for upselling and cross-selling. MSC knew they needed a solution that would help their CSRs make orders, instead of taking them.

MSC's Story

Before adopting Proton, the CSRs were "100% reactive with the exception of pitching some promotional items," according to Kim Shacklett, Senior Vice President of Sales & Customer Success. However, the goal was to make "seamless, personalized experiences for our customers." Through Sales AI, Proton provided the necessary insights for sales reps to know who to talk to and what to sell, surfacing due-to-reorder recommendations, wallet share gaps, and new item recommendations.

The adoption of Proton by MSC's customer service team resulted in reps making more personalized and strategic recommendations during customer interactions. Today, Proton has enabled MSC to add value for customers during quick call and email interactions.

Since switching from their legacy sales intelligence platform to Proton, they’ve seen a significant increase in upsell/cross-sell revenue. On average, MSC sees a 13% conversion rate on the recommendations suggested by Proton, with reps generating approximately $15K in upsell/cross-sell revenue per year.

According to Erik Gershwin, CEO of MSC, "because the recommendations are so timely and relevant, [Proton] feels more like a partner, and we've seen 20x the results that we did with the last [system] we were tinkering with."

The switch to Proton has not only been helpful for generating revenue, but it has also been helpful for reps. A CSR from MSC stated, "I was never successful getting sales before we started using Proton. There are too many products for me to keep track of, and repeating the same promo items over and over with every customer isn’t effective. With Proton, it’s so easy to [up]sell because it gives me exactly what I need!"

The move to Proton has allowed MSC to transform their call center into a profit center, thanks to the ability to make personalized and strategic recommendations during customer interactions. This has not only benefited MSC, but also their customers, who receive personalized value and a better experience.