Channel Engine reduced proposal creation time by 93%

The challenge

ChannelEngine’s sales team used PandaDoc to streamline proposal creation, reducing their time-to-create to only 15 minutes. Sidd Hora, Revenue Operations knew there was an opportunity to leverage automation and data centralization to further streamline their sales process and how they created complex contracts and quotes with PandaDoc. 

The solution

Sidd Hora, Revenue Operations Specialist at ChannelEngine recognized the need to take full advantage of PandaDoc’s capabilities using the HubSpot CRM and Zapier integrations. For their partner-led sales initiative, he had Channel Engine implement automations with Zapier and PandaDoc that not only eradicated manual errors but also reduced time spent creating contracts from an already impressive 15 minutes to just one minute — a 93% reduction in time spent by their sales team.

Need for (more) speed

ChannelEngine stands at the forefront of e-commerce innovation, providing a robust solution that seamlessly connects brands, distributors and retailers to global marketplaces and sales channels. They empower their customers to control their online sales, optimize their strategies and expand their reach to amplify their online presence and increase revenue with better margins.

ChannelEngine saw the value of PandaDoc early on in their journey and reduced their time to create sales proposals to an astonishing 15 minutes. When Sidd Hora joined the Channel Engine Revenue Operations team, he knew there was so much more that PandaDoc could do. Having past experience implementing PandaDoc at a previous company, he got to work to further streamline the sales process and get more ROI out of PandaDoc.

First-party data enrichment through automation

In their quest for data accuracy, ChannelEngine leveraged PandaDoc and Zapier to enrich first-party data into their HubSpot CRM. Recognizing the limitations of standard data enrichment tools, Sidd found a solution that would directly involve the customer in the data verification process. For example:

• ChannelEngine includes fields for customer input in their proposals like company address, VAT number etc. 
• The customer fills in the fields in PandaDoc and signs the proposal
• Using a workflow automation in Zapier, the fields the customer inputted in the PandaDoc proposal are automatically populated in the HubSpot CRM

By customizing PandaDoc contracts and proposals to include fields for essential, yet often missing data points, ChannelEngine ensures the accuracy of the information directly from the source, and saves the sales team’s time filling in this vital information in the CRM during prospect meetings. 

Once a contract is signed by a customer, the integration between PandaDoc and HubSpot CRM automatically updates these data fields within the HubSpot CRM. This seamless automation minimized manual data entry errors and saved a considerable amount of time for the sales team. Now the HubSpot CRM contains first-hand information received directly from their customers, enhancing the quality of their data hygiene — a critical component in ChannelEngine’s sales optimization efforts.

Automating proposal creation for partners 

Sidd implemented a low touch proposal creation process for ChannelEngine’s partner-led sales initiatives using PandaDoc’s quote builder. They wanted their partners to be able to send prospects a contract on behalf of ChannelEngine with structured pricing with minimal effort from the internal sales team.

How the new, automated sales workflow works:

• A lead gets referred by a partner.
• Zapier creates a contract in PandaDoc based on the information their partner provides.
• The contract is pre-filled in PandaDoc and a shareable link is generated.
• Zapier then sends a personalized email with the shareable PandaDoc contract.

This approach not only streamlined the process for ChannelEngine’s partners but also expedited the time it took for potential customers to receive their proposals, significantly speeding up the decision-making process. Before, it took 7––10 clicks to generate a proposal for partner referrals. Now, it takes under a minute and requires no human intervention.

HubSpot and PandaDoc two-way sync

ChannelEngine has also taken advantage of the new HubSpot and PandaDoc Two-Way sync functionality, addressing a critical bottleneck in their negotiation phase. Before the integration, any adjustments in pricing or terms during negotiations required reps to manually update details in both HubSpot and PandaDoc.

With the two-way sync feature, any changes made in PandaDoc are automatically updated in HubSpot, and vice versa. Reps no longer need to alternate between platforms to update deal terms or pricing. Instead, they can focus on engaging with customers and finalizing deals with full confidence that any changes will be reflected across both platforms instantaneously.

Finding value beyond sales

Seeing the value PandaDoc had on their sales team’s processes, ChannelEngine extended the use of PandaDoc into their HR department, as well.

The implementation of PandaDoc for HR stemmed from the need to ensure all employees sign and agree to follow their fire safety protocol at the office. Using PandaDoc’s form feature:

• They created a form outlining the steps to be taken in the event of a fire
• The form link was sent out to all internal employees 
• Employees read the form and filled in necessary details such as name, title and email address, and the acknowledgement that they have read and understood the protocol
• Upon submission of the form, a PandaDoc is automatically generated and sent to each employee who signed, serving as an acknowledgment receipt

This process ensures ChannelEngine complies with internal safety regulations and can streamline internal communication and acknowledgment of HR protocols at scale. Now, HR functions such as the onboarding of new employees, managing contracts and compliance documentation are handled within PandaDoc. 

Reduced time spent creating proposals by 93%

PandaDoc’s flexibility and ability to integrate with ChannelEngine’s HubSpot CRM and Zapier enabled ChannelEngine to automate several aspects of their sales cycle. Their motion to automate their partner-led sales initiatives reduced time spent creating contracts dramatically from around 15 minutes to just one minute, allowing the sales team to re-allocate their focus towards their core competencies—engaging and closing deals.

The power of PandaDoc

ChannelEngine’s use of PandaDoc alongside several integrations optimized their sales process and enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of their contract creation, contributing significantly to their strategic