Scott Krueger on Salelytics’ Pandemic Pivot and Inside Sales Growth

Even for a 20-year veteran of an established company, a new year can mean a fresh start. Such was the case in 2020 for COO Scott Krueger and the Appleton, Wisconsin-based Salelytics.

For 30 years, Salelytics has handled inside sales, account management, and inbound support services for Fortune 100 and 500 companies. In January, the company was setting out on its own, divested from its former owner and charting a course that would also take it back to its roots.

The excitement became uncertainty as winter faded and COVID-19 brought unexpected changes, but Krueger says that uncertainty has been replaced by optimism and a sense of opportunity.

“We’re developing our own culture. We’re becoming more family oriented. Shifting people to a work at home environment in five days is part of showing we care about staff.”

On Their Own

Founded in 1988, Salelytics has grown to two offices in Appleton, as well as locations in Wausau and Middleton, Wisconsin, and a fifth in San Antonio, Texas. In all, about 1,500 employees handle inside sales and inbound calls for roughly 70 companies across B2B, health care, and consumer packaging verticals.

The divestiture from former parent company West Corp. occurred in January 2019, as leadership looked to shift focus toward becoming more of a tech company. Accounting recruiters in Wisconsin have played a part in keeping the back office staffed through that change.

“It wasn’t us driving the bus. But now that we are, it helps us put people first. We grew 30 to 40 percent in some years but lost some of our vibe and culture. We want to bring that back.”

Upgrading the Tech, Elevating the Experience

That means improving the overall job experience and upgrading the technology behind Salelytics’ omnichannel approach. Whether through emails, calls, video conferencing, or texts, associates and customers can choose their communication preferences. Added gamification tools provide analytics and motivation for better performance.

Salelytics also uses its patented speech analytics, which tracks keywords and statements to show which phrases and methods work best.

“We’re more boutique. We take things beyond a call center with digital outreaches while our clients concentrate on enterprise accounts.”

Sudden Changes

That people-first approach was put to the test in early March as the COVID-19 pandemic spread through Wisconsin and Texas. Salelytics was completely office-based, and quite suddenly those offices needed to close.

Krueger doesn’t consider a workforce of 1,500 to be very large, but getting everyone equipped to work remotely was no small feat — and only possible because the Salelytics IT team planned ahead and executed well.

“That’s the good thing about being on the smaller side. We were able to be very agile and get people home within a week, and our customers noticed how quickly and smoothly we were able to make the switch.”

The omnichannel approach required providing company video tools as part of the equipment, along with setting up two-factor virtual private networks for security and tracking of all items taken home. A holistic and organized approach meant Salelytics had little interruption in operations.

None of the offices have closed completely. While they can only be filled to 20 percent capacity, the real percentage of people coming in is 5 to 10 percent.

Appreciated Efforts

The swift internal pivot had to be accompanied by clear external communications and assurances to customers that Salelytics could safely continue operations.

Not only were the company’s outreach efforts successful, but customers who had relied on several vendors to handle inside sales began sending more work to Salelytics. That has led to the company adding temporary staff. As a result, attrition has been reduced by 20 percent since the divestiture, and Salelytics has become a job creator in a time of double-digit unemployment.

“Our hiring and training process is remote, we’re using video technology more than we ever have. For me it’s all about how people want to hear from leadership and understand where we’re going.”

Looking Ahead

Those efforts have brought about new growth and may be setting the stage for the company’s next evolution. Like so many others, Salelytics is wondering if working completely on-site will ever be necessary, let alone advantageous.

These days are also cause for excitement for Krueger, who was raised in Chicago but has called Wisconsin home since attending the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He remained in Wisconsin, working as a CRM consultant before joining Salelytics in December 1998. In March 2009, he was named vice president of information services and became COO in February 2019.

Beyond the Office

A married father of two, one in college and the other a 2019 graduate, Krueger and his family have always enjoyed traveling. If he goes on an extended business trip, his wife sometimes joins him.

Some people run to relieve stress. Krueger runs right by them; marathons are only a starting point for someone who runs 50K races. The whole family is looking forward to running the Disney Marathon next year in early January, and Krueger will run both the half and full marathons over the race weekend.

The long run for Salelytics may not be as arduous, but the divestiture and pandemic have created new opportunities and a new sense of purpose for Krueger.

“It’s exciting becoming our own entity. What I get satisfaction from is the things I alluded to — when people feel they are taken care of and want to come to work. I almost feel like a father figure to 1,500 people.”