Increase in conversion leads and process improvement

Challenge

Having a strong grasp on data hygiene is essential to maintaining productivity. Esko was using multiple systems to manage their database, which led to gaps across their systems that, ultimately, led to lost opportunities and revenue. To support its future growth, Esko needed a way to cleanse, enrich, and keep its database up-to-date in order to increase conversion rates.

Bart Audenaert, Marketing Database Specialist at Esko, was tasked with finding a system that could automate Esko’s data management processes, segmentation, and ensure accurate prioritization for fast lead follow-ups.

Team members were performing manual checks for duplicates, which impeded productivity and led to data management short falls. Esko was in search of a solution that could be flexible in handling data merging, automations, and provide advanced features that would allow their data to work effectively for them.

Before using ZoomInfo, Esko had no way to tell which leads were the most important, so they were not following up with them. This resulted in low conversion rates.

“We have a lot of leads that come in through our website, but it was hard to prioritize them because we wouldn’t know which leads we should be following up with. Important leads were not identified, and were stuck in our Salesforce for days, which damaged our lead conversion rates,” explained Audenaert.

Without automated lead-to-account matching, the only way incoming leads could be matched to accounts for a holistic view of account activity was to manually check leads, enrich them with data, and match them to accounts. This was a resource and time-intensive process that led to delays.

“We needed a platform that could improve the quality of our incoming leads,” said Audenaert. More specifically, Esko needed a consistent and automated way to allocate leads and contacts into campaigns, or segment into departments, functions, or roles, so marketing and sales teams could personalize messaging even further.

“We now have an all-in-one solution that allows us to keep our database clean, enriched, and automatically match leads with accounts all with one tool.”

Bart Audenaert

Marketing Database Specialist at Esko

Solution

Esko was in search of a unified platform that could perform all of the functions of the other systems they were working within. Audenaert found Operations, an all-in-one platform that enables go-to-market teams to prepare, maintain, and route their data assets for activation.

Esko was able to automate processes within Operations to solve its challenges involved with multiple duplicate management processes, multiple data source inputs, and lack of data readiness. Now as a lead comes in via manual entry through Esko’s website or following a purchase, all data lists are imported into the Operations platform.

“We now have an all-in-one solution that allows us to keep our database clean, enriched, and automatically match leads with accounts all with one tool,” explained Audenaert.

To ensure that Esko has accurate prioritization for fast lead follow up times, Esko has utilized the Operations platform to enrich the record, so it can be quickly identified and matched to its respective account to be contacted as soon as possible.

To divide up its marketplace database, Audenaert explained how Esko uses normalization, enrichment, and segmentation. Esko uses OperationsOS to orchestrate their data, so job titles can be normalized, grouped, and segmented into specific organizational departments.

The Results

By enriching and deduplicating data in real-time as it comes into their database, Audenaert has been able to increase duplicate match rates and improve the overall richness and quality of data within Esko’s database. Esko has closed the manual gaps in its processes in turn creating more time to sell and increase conversion rates. Speaking to this process, Audenaert shares how it “helps us ensure that data coming in from multiple sources is clean and complete.” The new enrichment process has helped Esko identify the best potential leads for sales coordinators to follow up with.

“We’ve had an increase in conversion leads as we have a better overview of each account, our customers, website visitors, and contacts—the people we need to get in contact with,” explained Audenaert.

Esko’s marketing team is equipped with the most up-to-date information to inform its activities when contacting a lead. Engagement can be more personalized and cater to specific regional factors such as language.

“We are really happy with the results of our segmentation. We have been able to really enrich our accounts, particularly in North America,” said Audenaert.

Esko has been able to move from using a range of point-to-point tools, to using ZoomInfo’s all-in-one platform enabling them to overcome data management short falls, improve efficiency through automation, reduce follow-up time and drive lead conversions.