An Account Manager needed to understand the history of revenue generated from a very important multi million pound customer account. They also needed to understand revenue from other similar customers and as well as indirect sales with this customer. A single report did not exist showing all of this data.

Data issues

In the past the data had been collated in different reporting systems and in different formats. Different names had been used for the same customer accounts and different data field definitions had been used to capture the relevant data. Some parts of company had been sold off, complicating sales comparisons.

Implementation

Working with the customer, we were able to gain an understanding of the account names and field definitions used in the past. We then agreed with the customer which data to include in the report. The relevant data was then pulled in to a new report using a common format with the data cleansed where appropriate. Each record in the report was assigned to a new category using a spreadsheet formula. Graphs were generated from the table and conclusions made.

Outcome

The new system produced a 5-year revenue history, plus a forecast for the current fiscal year, with the graphical presentation highlighting the main trends. In addition, we completed a written analysis of the data issues potentially affecting the accuracy of the reports. The data was presented in a historical context, highlighting the key events relevant to the final statistical analysis. 

This helped the Account Manager demonstrate to the Executive Team why they needed to engage at a personal level with the customer.  Since this happened a steady 5 year decline in orders and revenue from the account has been reversed.

“When I first took over as an Account Manager James supported me in finding data from the corporate systems on orders and revenue for the previous 5 years.  He then turned this into useful information I could use to baseline the account and understand how I to strategically take action to prevent further loss of market share.”