In this article, we will discuss a few of the key aspects within ClickUp which enable us to be more productive than ever!<\/p>\n
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- Our Solution Engineering Team\u2019s Favorite ClickUp Features<\/a>\n
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- 1. Salesforce Integration<\/a><\/li>\n
- 2. Automations<\/a><\/li>\n
- 3. Personalized Views<\/a><\/li>\n
- 4. Templated Docs<\/a><\/li>\n
- 5. Time Tracking<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Using ClickUp to Enhance Collaboration and Keep Our Team Organized<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Our Solution Engineering Team\u2019s Favorite ClickUp Features<\/h2>\n
1. Salesforce Integration<\/h3>\n
When someone says lip balm, you likely think of ChapStick. In a similar fashion, when someone says CRM, you picture Salesforce.<\/p>\n
This is because Salesforce is fantastic at living up to its namesake and managing customer relationships! A productivity tool<\/a> like ClickUp offers collaboration benefits, not in scope for your typical CRM.<\/p>\n
One of the main focuses of a solutions engineering role is supporting a sales team, so it\u2019s critical that we\u2019re always on the same page with our sales counterparts regarding any customer engagements!<\/p>\n
To ensure this is always the case, we integrated ClickUp with Salesforce<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Our sales team tracks their contacts and activities within Salesforce, and so when an opportunity reaches the stage where a solutions engineer is looped in, the integration creates a related task within ClickUp and attaches a hyperlink to the task within Salesforce under the ClickUp Task URL field.<\/p>\n
In a similar manner, the Salesforce Opportunity URL is also stored within ClickUp for easy reference by our sales counterparts!\ufeff\ud83e\udd1d\ufeff<\/p>\n
\n![\"ClickUp](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ClickUp-Salesforce-Integration-1400x875.png\")
Fields from Salesforce automatically update ClickUp solutions engineering request tasks in ClickUp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n With the integration<\/a> being bi-directional, updates to opportunity information such as stage, expected revenue, close date, and notes can occur in either system. This ensures the entire ClickUp team stays synchronized. It also minimizes the amount of manual work being done by our team and enables us to ensure nothing gets overlooked, creating the best customer experience possible!<\/p>\n
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Every time I update my notes, MEDDIC sales methodology fields, next steps, close date, and opportunity values in Salesforce \u2013 it automatically syncs to ClickUp, so my Solutions Engineer is always alerted of key updates and risks on our opportunities together<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Kevin](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-22.png\")
Kevin Schmidt<\/cite>,\u00a0<\/span>Senior Account Executive at ClickUp<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n None of this would be possible without ClickUp\u2019s robust API<\/a>, which enabled us to create this integration to match our exact needs. Additionally, it\u2019s given us the flexibility to iteratively enhance it over time as we discover additional areas for process improvement!<\/p>\n
2. Automations<\/h3>\n
While driving a manual car may be a sense of pride for some, manually processing work definitely is not!<\/p>\n
With ClickUp, we consistently leverage automations<\/a> to minimize the manual work needing to be completed by our team.<\/p>\n
An example of this is when a sales opportunity is marked as \u201cWon.\u201d This triggers an automation to apply a templated Doc, standardizing our pre-sales to post-sales implementation hand-off process.<\/p>\n
By having this automatically included in our workflow, we not only save time\u2014historically spent making these documents manually\u2014but also establish a more seamless customer experience from start to finish!<\/p>\n
With such an intuitive user interface, our managers can effortlessly make updates to any of their automations when required! \ufeff\ud83d\udd7a\ufeff<\/p>\n
\n![\"ClickUp](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/ClickUp-Automations.png\")
Automations are used to automatically trigger results when an action takes place. For example, using the \u201cwhen status changes\u201d automation, we apply a template to a task to ensure no valuable information is lost during client handoffs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n With all the free time saved by automating administrative work<\/a>, previously completed manually, our managers have significantly more time to assist in deal strategy, supporting us on live calls, and developing enablement material to help us grow as a team.<\/p>\n
This is just one example, but the sky is truly the limit in regards to what can be automated using ClickUp!<\/p>\n
3. Personalized Views<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s no secret that different individuals prefer to view their work in different ways.<\/p>\n
With ClickUp, each Solutions Engineer can manage their active deals in the manner they find most efficient! Using a combination of filters<\/a> and grouping<\/a>, we seamlessly drill down into the details that matter the most and hide information that may not be the most relevant such as deals that are on temporary hold.<\/p>\n
![\"Personalized](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Personalized-views-in-ClickUp-1400x909.png\")
List view ensures that the solutions team can see the exact information that they need<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n \n\n
I use a personalized view to help me review all of my solutions engineer engagements with the sales professionals.<\/p>\n
We are able to group by account executive and update each solutions engineer request in the list as we go.<\/p>\n
This also allows me to collapse the other account executives\u2019 opportunities so only one person\u2019s deals are shown on the screen. I can easily open the Task modal for each opportunity and update any notes and next steps and then close it to go back to my view.<\/p>\n
This makes my 1:1 meetings with the account executives much more efficient and allows us to keep the focus on what matters most<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Patrick](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-23.png\")
Patrick Wise<\/cite>,\u00a0<\/span>Solutions Engineer at ClickUp<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n 4. Templated Docs<\/h3>\n
Within ClickUp, you can create engineering templates<\/a> for just about anything!<\/p>\n
For any and all notes related to customers our team is working with, we have a Doc<\/a> automatically created once we\u2019re engaged with an opportunity.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Templates](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Templates-in-Clickup-Docs.png\")
Custom-made Doc templates ensure that we can streamline repeated processes and document the most important information<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n By maintaining a consistent format for note-taking, our team spends less time prepping for customer meetings, so we\u2019re organized by default!<\/p>\n
Additionally, when someone from the team or broader ClickUp crew needs to reference our notes, they know exactly where to go to find them.<\/p>\n
After meeting with a customer, follow-up is frequently required regarding the next steps, action items<\/a>, etc. To ensure these action items are completed in a timely fashion, we simply select any relevant note in our Doc and turn it into an assigned comment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n![\"Assigned](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Assigned-Comments-in-ClickUp-Dos.png\")
Assigned comments ensure that action items are not lost, no matter where they are created<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n Solutions Engineering is naturally a more collaborative role and can have touch points with three to five different departments on any given day. Having the option to assign comments allows us to collaborate with additional teams and resources as needed without worrying that they will get lost in our personal notifications.<\/p>\n
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Being able to have a consistent structure for logging my discovery and demo notes in a ClickUp Doc is such a game changer.<\/em><\/p>\n
I can prepare for customer calls, collaborate with my account executives, and log all opportunity updates in one place.<\/em><\/p>\n
No context is ever lost and everyone involved is on the same page so that each customer interaction is cohesive<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-24.png\")
Mike Slaby<\/em><\/cite>,\u00a0<\/span>Senior Solutions Engineer<\/em> at ClickUp<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n 5. Time Tracking<\/h3>\n
Understanding where your time is being spent is important, especially for Solutions Engineers. Time is money\u2014literally!<\/p>\n
As our team continues to grow and scale, maximizing efficiency is key, so the team wants to understand where and how<\/em> time is spent.<\/p>\n
Time tracking labels to the rescue.<\/p>\n
Any time that a Solutions Engineer works on a task, they track their time. From discovery, demos, and follow-up notes, that time is accounted for and reported.<\/p>\n
- 2. Automations<\/a><\/li>\n
- 1. Salesforce Integration<\/a><\/li>\n
![\"Time](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Time-Tracking-in-ClickUp.gif\"){kind=tracking}
![\"Jennifer](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-25.png\")
![\"Kelsey](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/image-26.png\")