Technology doesn’t just transform processes; it transforms careers. As a Customer Care Manager at CitySprint, Donna Smith had no system development experience – until she decided to take the plunge with a new role. Now, she’s getting her hands dirty with tech and loving every minute of it. We spoke to the Business Process Manager about how Salesforce helped her discover a new passion and improve the experience for CitySprint customers and colleagues.

Tell us about your work at CitySprint

CitySprint is a nationwide courier network providing flexible, fast deliveries tailored to our customers’ needs. In February 2019, I moved out of customer service and into the world of tech – and while I was nervous initially, I’ve never looked back. I’m now the product owner, analyst, and data scientist helping to create the platform that’s transforming the experience for CitySprint customers and colleagues.

Working with Salesforce has lit a fire inside me and given me more drive than I’ve ever felt before!

How did you get up to speed on the Salesforce platform?

Trailhead was my main learning resource –  and I am still using it now, when I can find the time!

I went from having no Salesforce experience to earning 26 badges in the space of two weeks. Trailhead is amazing and I am really proud that I managed to achieve so much in a short space of time. I followed trails that I found interesting even if they were not directly relevant to my job. It’s tough when you don’t know what you don’t know, but I just started looking at different trails and was quickly engrossed!

I’ve also used the Salesforce Accelerators, which helped me to see customer records through the eyes of our users – it’s really important to get that perspective.

Tell us more about how Salesforce has transformed customer service

As part of our customer service transformation we centralised 36 independently-operating call centres into six, aligned customer service centres, meaning we can respond to customer queries faster and more efficiently, while giving them a reassuring voice at the end of the phone - it’s important to provide that when customer transactions are likely to be urgent and more emotional for them.

An integration between Service Cloud and NewVoiceMedia has empowered our agents with better visibility into who’s calling and their case history, the team can also provide quotes for new deliveries through an integration with our booking platform, CityTrack. The transformation means we’ve put the customer at the heart of our operations and the team using the platform have a better experience as well.

What support do you get from the Salesforce team?

They have been brilliant from start to finish. They always follow up conversations with helpful links and articles. Unlike other providers, it really feels like the Salesforce team want to help you and your organisation succeed. It has a culture of employing people who bring a human touch to everything they do and that really shines through – our relationship never feels transactional.

What does being a Trailblazer mean to you?

Salesforce has changed my life. In the past I’ve struggled to find my confidence but the flexibility of the Salesforce platform made me realise I could take the plunge and try something new. It’s an amazing feeling to develop a really cool feature and then sit back and watch your colleagues using it. With support from the Salesforce team, I’m hoping to get more involved in public events and share our experience soon.

Salesforce resources also helped me to deliver 467 user stories from concept to production. I was able to find answers to every question and gain support from community users, which certainly underpinned my personal success.

Don’t be scared, you can’t break Salesforce! Use Trailhead and ask all the question you need to ask – if you stay quiet, you will never learn.  Leave any preconceptions you have about CRM systems at the door – Salesforce is in a league of its own.

Even though our current iteration is great, I know there’s so much more we can do. For example, we’re now looking at additional functionality we can bolt on with apps, not to mention the queue of teams we haven’t onboarded yet who can’t wait to get started on the platform.

To find out more about how CitySprint has improved customer engagement and service levels, read the success story here.