About Sonoco
Sonoco is a leading manufacturer of consumer, industrial, and protective packaging. Sonoco serves many of the world’s best-known brands.
Overview
Hampered by data entry and software limitations.
Erik Rippon, Director of Strategic Accounts for Sonoco’s Converted Paper Products Division, faced a challenge felt by many key account management leaders. His team needed a better way of communicating proactive strategic plans with their largest customers. While they excelled at reacting to customer needs, it was sometimes difficult for them to effectively align and collaborate on these strategies with their key accounts.
Sonoco’s strategic accounts team executes for its key customers in a highly engaged manner. However, with the increasing amount of data generated and the increasing number of projects, the team realized a more robust, centralized communication platform was needed to meet internal and customer goals. Both Sonoco and their customers desired to ensure upfront alignment.
Sonoco’s challenge was demonstrating its value clearly and consistently. Data lived in software programs like Excel®, PowerPoint®, and Word®, as well as hard copy files and on individuals’ computers. This made it a challenge to translate outcomes into reports that resonated with customers.
Key Challenges
Reactive Response
Productively communicating proactive strategies was challenging.
Unwieldy Data
Managing inputs across multiple software programs created complexity.
Hidden Value
Data issues and fragmentation created difficulties for a concise outcome.
Solutions
Less data entry enables more customer alignment.
Now, Sonoco can unify and track all its customer data in Valkre. This allows teams to avoid moving data manually between multiple software platforms. Key account managers no longer spend their time on repetitive administrative tasks. Instead, they can draw from this single source of truth to align with their customer goals.
Key account managers use Valkre to connect with their top customers. The team is no longer viewed as reactive to customer input. Instead, Sonoco provides strategic plans for meeting customer needs, creating a better environment of collaboration. Sonoco and their customers work together on programs developed to benefit both organizations.
As the Sonoco team got more comfortable and mastered the Valkre platform, they were able to restructure their discovery process.
Every customer conversation turns into an opportunity. This iterative approach allows Sonoco to plan day-to-day activities around its
customer’s strategic outcomes.
Centralized Data
Sonoco was able to keep key customer data in one place, providing a holistic view of goals and performance.
More Collaboration
With less administrative burden and data entry, key account managers were free to connect with clients.
Strategic Planning
Starting with customer goals, Sonoco was able to deliver strategic programs with specific outcomes.
Results
Demonstrating value for each and every customer.
Using Valkre has allowed Sonoco to change the nature of its communication with key customers. Instead of conversations centered
around sales metrics, the dialogue now revolves around total value. Data visualization and reports from the Valkre platform reinforce the mutually beneficial partnership.
“One example”, says Erik Rippon, “came from a customer, all-hands meeting. The President of the customer’s company called out the value Sonoco was delivering for them. He then challenged his procurement team to find other suppliers like us.”
Sonoco transformed its key account management program from one viewed as price-focused and transactional to one fully leveraging
data and KAM-specific structures to deliver strategic outcomes that customers value.
Sonoco Wins More RFPs
Since adopting Valkre, Sonoco has been able to retain more customers through RFP cycles due to Sonoco’s ability to demonstrate value.
"Valkre has had a very positive impact on Sonoco for various reasons. The way we’re able to present the information to our customers is so clear that they just get it. We’re able to show the customer exactly how we’re creating value, measure that value, and align on it with them. Simply put, that wows them.” - Erik Rippon, Director of Strategic Accounts, Sonoco
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