OREANDA-NEWS. May 25, 2016. Coffee and tea are more than just beverages. They are a cultural, spiritual, and essential part of daily life for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

That’s why Royal Cup Coffee and Tea, a century old roaster, importer and distributor of premium coffees and teas, is more focused on serving people than just selling a product.

Royal Cup sells its coffee, tea, and brewing equipment directly to restaurants, hotels and resorts, offices, and convenience stores. In a recent interview, Bill Beasley, Director of Sales Support, and Matt Monroe, Director of Sales Operations at Royal Cup, explained how the company is adapting its sales approach and leveraging modern technology to enhance the customer experience.

Understanding the Customer

Royal Cup is focused on knowing its customers and understanding their ever-changing needs. “Customer demands are changing fast. They want more, they want it faster, and they want high quality, whether that be organic coffees or specialty teas,” said Monroe.

Decision makers are also becoming younger, and mobile devices and social platforms have changed the buying journey. It’s not enough for sales people to know the business. Customers expect them to know their business and be able to quickly offer ideas and solutions that will add value and increase sales.

“We use SAP Hybris Cloud for Sales to help coach our sales people so they can successfully bring our customers the programs and products they desire,” said Beasley.

Understanding each customer’s specific needs is imperative to maintain brand loyalty. “Customers today are more willing to switch brands than ever before. Loyalty has to be earned constantly. Our ability to bring solutions to customers, that they didn’t know they needed, is critical,” said Monroe

Enabling the Sales Team

SAP Hybris Cloud for Sales has driven change and introduced industry best practices into Royal Cup’s sales process. “Before, we used a lot of Excel sheets and other manual processes,” said Beasley. “Now we have a mechanism we can use everyday to see the information we need to manage our sales process.”

Data in the new system is also updated in real time. So people aren’t making decisions based on old data anymore. Beasley explained, “Our manual processes created a timing issue. We were always looking backward instead of forward. Now we have real-time information that we couldn’t see in the past.”

Everything from manufacturing data to what products and services a customer might need is available instantly. “Our salespeople can be more efficient and effective with the time they have in front of the customer. That’s the main thing,” said Beasley.

Simplifying the Pipeline

Another key benefit of the new system is increased visibility of sales opportunities and pipeline. Previously, nobody in the company could see what leads people were working on or where opportunities were in the sales pipeline. “We had to simplify our pipeline management process. It was a major issue for us,” said Monroe.

Switching to SAP Hybris Cloud for Sales, made everything in the pipeline visible. “We can now see what all of our salespeople and managers are working on in a real-time basis,” added Beasley.

With a clear picture of what is going on across an account, Sales can service the customer better. They can group opportunities together where it makes sense, and offer the right products and services at the right time.  As a result, customer meetings are more productive and efficient.

Executives at Royal Cup also gained additional insight into the business. They now have a live view into the pipeline and can closely monitor the close ratio – something they couldn’t do before. They can forecast better, manage cash flow better, and give better direction to senior management in real-time.

Going Mobile

Increased mobility is another key benefit for Royal Cup. The sales team can enter customer data, leads, and sales information into the system using a mobile device at anytime from anywhere. Whether they want to take down notes immediately after an impromptu customer interaction, or capture a new restaurant as a potential opportunity as they drive by it in their car, they can do it live and in the moment.

“Our sales people don’t have to spend their nights at home updating the system. They can do it during the day when the information is fresh, and spend their time at home with their family, as they should,” said Beasley.

As a result, the number of opportunities captured is expected to rise drastically. “We want to exceed 100% more opportunities in the top of the sales funnel than we had before,” said Monroe.

Driving Growth

Simplified sales process, increased visibility, and mobility are all driving revenue growth at Royal Cup. “Over the next five to ten years, Royal Cup is looking to grow 30 to 40%. “That’s the future: growth, putting our time towards sales, and taking care of our customers,” said Monroe.

Royal Cup’s customers will feel the benefits too. Time is in short supply for businesses and they don’t want to spend more of it than needed talking to sales people. “We are more knowledgeable and prepared in front of customers, so our time spent with them is more focused on solving their problems than them answering our questions,” added Monroe.

Happy customers means more delicious Royal Cup coffee and tea in the hands of coffee and tea crazed consumers. “The future at Royal Cup is bright.  We have a new generation who is moving the company forward, and we expect SAP Hybris Cloud for Sales to help us be more successful in bringing customers into the Royal Cup family,” concluded Beasley.