Synopsis
AB2Cue used to spend nearly $600 a year on Zapier, a platform for automating tasks, along with annual Salesforce expenses, to meet the needs of their clients and business.
Andy Bryant, the owner and a longtime production engineer, believed there was a way to integrate his work processes directly with Google without needing these automations.
Although Zapier is a great product, Andy found that setting up these automated triggers took up a lot of his time. This meant he was spending more time managing business logistics than focusing on client experiences and productions.
Now, thanks to intuitive solutions developed by Quantum Leap Consulting, AB2Cue has clear visibility into their client journeys and business logistics without relying on complex automations.
AB2Cue Productions Inc., led by Founder and CEO Andy Bryant, is an event management company known for orchestrating seamless corporate events and award shows. With over three decades of experience, AB2Cue has built a reputation on the heels of Andy’s Broadway expertise and strategic use of new media technologies. Their impressive client list includes well-known brands like Nike, Cadillac, and Microsoft. AB2Cue Productions stands out in the industry for its ability to create memorable experiences with meticulous attention to detail.
Despite the success and expertise at AB2Cue Productions, they faced challenges with their Salesforce implementation, which was crucial for managing the company’s operations. The primary issue was not being able to see the true sales pipeline. Additionally, AB2Cue was eager to move away from using Zapier for integrations in favor of a more seamless connection with the Google Cloud Suite, seeking to reduce external costs.
To address AB2Cue’s logistical challenges, the solution was divided into two phases.
Phase 1: Enhancing Salesforce Functionality
The first phase focused on enhancing Salesforce’s functionality by creating a flow that automatically generates opportunities and associated products based on job start and end dates. This business process was enriched with a screen flow for selecting various price points and automatically creating opportunity products, which updated the opportunity amounts natively. A custom dashboard and reports were also developed to provide deeper insights into the opportunity pipeline.
Phase 2: Direct Integration with Google Services
The second phase aimed to eliminate the reliance on Zapier by establishing a direct integration between Salesforce and Google Services, specifically Google Calendar and Google Drive. By using Salesforce External Services, we made it possible to create, update, and delete calendar events directly from Salesforce, triggered by changes in opportunity records. Additionally, the integration automated the creation of Google Drive folders at specific stages of the opportunity lifecycle. This ensured all relevant documents were easily accessible and organized for invoicing. This not only streamlined the workflow but also reduced expenses by eliminating the need for Zapier.
If you followed along in the video, Andy mentioned he was getting errors with the folder creation flow.
That issue was resolved with an additional filter criterion on the flow to prevent it from updating old opportunities that did not require a folder to be created.
By enhancing processes on Salesforce Sales Cloud and integrating Google Services, our solutions have significantly streamlined AB2Cue Productions' operations, reducing manual effort and improving data management.
AB2Cue Productions is now equipped with an efficient and cost-effective system that supports their complex event planning and execution tasks, setting the stage for continued success and growth in the entertainment industry.
We look forward to seeing AB2Cue Productions thrive as they leverage these new tools to manage operations with greater ease and precision. These improvements will enable AB2Cue to focus more on delivering exceptional client experiences and productions.
