Sales Enablement Product Design - D2D Sales and Canvasing Apps

The Challenge & Opportunity

Every year, Aptive employs a large door-to-door sales force to sell pest control subscriptions. These teams have succeeded for years, even with basic mobile apps. My role was to enhance existing tools, identifying opportunities to streamline workflows and improve efficiency. By refining their apps, I helped reps close sales more effectively and generate greater revenue, maximizing their potential while building on their proven success.

My Role and Approach

When I joined Aptive’s Sales Product Team, they were already using two iPad apps for closing sales and canvassing neighborhoods. I stepped in to replace a designer reassigned to another project. My first priority was to deeply understand Aptive’s sales reps, their processes, and various door approaches. This involved shadowing reps nationwide, conducting surveys, hosting feedback events, and implementing systems to gather ongoing input. By immersing myself in their workflows, I identified key opportunities to enhance the tools they relied on, ensuring the apps better supported their efforts to close sales and improve overall efficiency.

What I learned

After my initial research phase, I quickly realized that making ongoing research an active, regular practice for the team was essential. Sales approaches change, and different personalities present unique challenges and opportunities that designers must consider. From the existing solution, I identified key pain points faced by sales reps and managers. It became clear that creating a sales process adaptable to any subscription offering was important, as these changed year to year. Additionally, strengthening the sales approach with clearer service explanations and streamlining the closing process were key needs. I also learned that some sales approaches, being overly aggressive and vague, negatively impacted long-term customer retention.

Significant Features and Improvements I've Released So Far

1. Improved brochure material. Providing rich video content of various offerings to strengthen and bring value to each sales approach.
2. Dynamic subscription feature that allowed Aptive to more quickly and easily change their offerings each year without needing significant design or development changes.
3. Improving the ability for sales reps to collect and record specific customer needs that are then passed directly to technicians for their first appointment.
4. Improved the payment collection process.
5. Implemented a 'Welcome Survey' process where sales reps are held more accountable by a survey that is conducted with each customer to confirm the details of the sale.
6. Introduced Goal Tracking Features
7. Improved mapping and pins features to be more accessible and provide more relevant data to each home.
8. Created the ability to sell Termite pest control for future reps when licensed.

What I did

Conclusion

Because of the incredible dedicated and resilient sales force Aptive employs every year, I would not dare to suggest that my design solutions and feature improvements have been the direct reason for our revenue gains. My thought has been, if I can identify pain points and opportunites for improvement, test multiple potential solutions and release the best result, if that results in closing additional revenue, better customer and sales rep retention, my role on the team has been a success. We really celebrate our wins together on this team.