Why We Designed Our B2B App Like a B2C Product

Most CRM systems allow you to filter and sort leads as you'd like.

This can be a very important feature when you're focused on sifting through years of data to find what you need.

But what about the leads and activity that are important right now? How does a salesperson keep the most relevant prospects for them at the top of their list?

After all, that person’s ability to sort out qualified leads from the slush pile is what the sales organization depends on for success.

That’s why FranFunnel’s app was purpose built with a central dashboard called the Lead Feed. Our users look at this screen all day to help them prioritize work.

And what’s important to know about the Lead Feed is, it uses a sorting algorithm called last interaction.

Last interaction is the fancy high tech term, but you can think about sorting your leads similar to how the text message app on your phone orders conversations.

The most recent conversations are found at the top, followed in descending order by the less and less recent conversations.

Essentially, every time a lead is either added to FranFunnel or takes an action (responds to a text, opens or clicks an email), it is promoted to the top of the list. Icons to the right of the name indicate which specific actions have been taken.

And as leads are doing things, the salesperson not only is notified about them, but they’re visually cued to take an action if they feel compelled to. This helps them stay current, prioritize and not have to worry about losing relevant information about their leads.

Our design of the Lead Feed was highly intentional both tactically and strategically. Unlike other platforms salespeople use to manage their leads, we wanted to develop FranFunnel’s interface to look more like the everyday texting app on your phone.

Most people are already familiar with this sorting structure, so that made it easier to use. Just like your smartphone, users can’t reorder the feed on the app. The software decides how you’re ordering, in this case, via last interaction.

In short:

We built FranFunnel, a b2b solution, like a b2c product.

This was a major decision very few companies have made.

Because historically, b2c brands had all the fun.

They could offer seamless, relevant, friendly experiences to their customers.

But thanks to modern technology automation, b2c strategies aren’t distinct and mutually exclusive anymore. The b2c and b2b landscapes aren’t worlds apart like they used to be pre internet. They were always polarized as fire and ice, but now they’re merging. Personalized communications are available, regardless of the size of the buyer. The old economy of faceless, nameless, brandless b2b companies is over.

Today’s b2c consumers aren’t the only ones who are demanding seamless, relevant, friendly experiences with the brands they buy. The new b2b buyer wants more than a product, but a partner. They are thinking more like a b2c customer than a b2b purchaser than ever before.

That’s why FranFunnel was unwavering in the way leads are sorted. We’ve never offered users that option, because we want them to think of our app like the rest of their text messaging apps on their phones.

FranFunnel isn’t trying to be a lifestyle brand or anything. Nobody is tattooing our logo on their chests. At least, not yet.

Our mission is to help salespeople actually connect with their leads, in a fast, friendly and accessible way. And sorting those leads by last interaction is merely one spoke on a larger wheel, one that’s ultimately about human connection.

If you want to see the franchise industry's first text messaging solution designed to make salespeople more effective at setting appointments, book a demo with us today.

Scott Ginsberg is the Head of Content at FranFunnel. His last interaction with another human being (whom he's not married to) was sometime in early March.

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