bazaarvoice case study
Accelerating Implementation with Automated Demos
Company Size
1,400
Presales Team
25 Solutions Consultants
SMB Sales Team
40 Account Executives
Presales Workload
8 Demos per week, per SC
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The results at a glance: 12 Months
The Challenge
Maintaining momentum at the bottom of the funnel
The last thing you want is for deals to stall when you’re this close to the finish line. Bazaarvoice knew they could close faster by cutting down the wait time for implementation demos—the demos that buyers need right before they sign. Bhavik Gandecha, Manager of Solutions Consulting, Bazaarvoice, saw a clear opportunity: their team was juggling multiple acquisitions, new products were rolling out, and the demand for these demos was through the roof—especially at the end of the quarter. The solution? Streamline the process and eliminate the downtime buyers were facing.
The Solution
Automating Implementation and Repetitive Demos
Bazaarvoice chose Consensus to automate their implementation and overview demos, allowing their team to meet sales demands without the need to increase presales headcount. They evaluated multiple demo automation solutions and found Consensus to be the perfect combination of video-based selling and personalization that would accelerate the buyer’s journey at scale.
They kicked off implementation in EMEA, where the need for multi-language demos was highest. Bhavik and the Bazaarvoice team built a demo library packed with their most critical, repeatable demos. Once EMEA was up and running, they expanded to the U.S., training teams on how to use demo automation as a secret weapon for discovery and qualification.
The Results
A Shorter Sales Cycle
Bazaarvoice instantly shortened their sales cycle by eliminating lag times of up to a week that buyers previously endured to see an implementation demo.
Getting a week back in the sales cycle was a game-changer. With more time on their hands, SCs could cover more deals and have a bigger impact on the pipeline. Using Consensus Demolytics, they uncovered over 150 new buyer contacts in just the first quarter. This gave both SCs and buyers the ability to show up to live calls ready—armed with specific questions and tailored recommendations for a smoother implementation. The real win? Automated demos on demand, combined with Consensus’ powerful analytics, helped Bazaarvoice slash some of their SMB deal’s sales cycles by up to 33%
A Better Buying Experience at Scale
In addition to shortening sales cycles, Consensus helped Bazaarvoice scale their presales team by adding hours back to their day.
Bhavik’s teams reported up to a 25% reduction in repetitive or overview demos. This helped SCs dedicate more time to becoming experts in newer solutions added through acquisitions without taxing them with an unbearable workload. The ability to train on new solutions and shift focus to other parts of the pipeline has strengthened the partnership between presales and sales. This collaboration has even allowed the presales team to extend its influence into other areas of the company, including marketing and customer success.
Visible Revenue Impact and ROI
After one quarter of using Consensus, Bazaarvoice reported that demo automation influenced up to $3.5M in the pipeline. They also reported an impact on the budget in the time saved by presales resources by not having to be on calls or by having shorter calls. These savings totalled up to $100,000 quarterly, demonstrating that their solutions consulting team is most effective when they use a digital companion to qualify deals, engage buyers asynchronously, and enhance live calls with more involved participants.
