blog-springcm-com-rss-fixed.xml

<rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>SpringCM Blog</title>
<link>https://blog.springcm.com</link>
<description>
SpringCM's applications help global brands and public agencies - Google, Facebook, Entegris, and the Commonwealth of Virginia, among others - increase revenues, cut costs, mitigate risk, engage employees, and delight customers. We make it easy to collaborate inside and outside the enterprise, work on mobile devices, sync content, and interact with relevant documents and files within the native application to get work done, including Salesforce, SharePoint, Office, NetSuite, and more.
</description>
<language>en-us</language>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2015 13:31:20 GMT</pubDate>
<dc:date>2015-08-20T13:31:20Z</dc:date>
<dc:language>en-us</dc:language>
    <item>
        <title>How cloud computing is influencing Federal government innovation</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/cloud_momentum_in_federal_government</link>
        <description>We attended the Cloud Computing Summit in Washington DC this week, with partners Acumen and salesforce.com. The event, geared toward government IT, was an interesting snapshot of the growing momentum for cloud computing in the Federal government.</description>
        <content:encoded>We attended the Cloud Computing Summit in Washington DC this week, with partners Acumen and salesforce.com. The event, geared toward government IT, was an interesting snapshot of the growing momentum for cloud computing in the Federal government.More agencies are getting serious about cloud computingA couple of non_scientific trends, compared to similar events last year, show that more agencies are getting serious about cloud computing:the ratio of people asking &quot;what is cloud&quot; to &quot;how do I do cloud&quot; reversed from a year ago, so that we had many more discussion on implementation issuesthe ratio of government agency personnel to contractors increased from a year ago, so the buyers themselves were much more a part of discussionsThe level of efficiencies that can be achieved with cloud computing are getting real interest. &amp;nbsp;There are healthy debates about what levels of security are appropriate for what types of data and how to evaluate vendors (more on this in a later post). Between the leadership of Vivek Kundra, the OMB initiative, the work at NIST, and another year of vendor maturity, you got the sense _ in this admittedly self_selecting group _ that it's now a question of how fast, not if, cloud computing takes off in Washington.Beyond Washington, there is growing interest at the state and local level in cloud document management and workflow applications as a way to address urgent needs in a budget_strapped year.How cloud computing is influencing (and improving) Federal government innovationCloud computing covers a wide range of levels in the stack, application types, and deployment types, so it looks like it will continue to be a noisy process. &amp;nbsp;If you're interested in SpringCM's take on the opportunities for applying cloud in government, take a look at our recent white paper&amp;nbsp;Improving Government Performance With Cloud Content ManagementImage source: DHuiz on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 07 May 2010 18:11:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/cloud_momentum_in_federal_government</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2010-May-07T18:11:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Cloud content and the IKEA Effect</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_ikea_effect</link>
        <description>A recent&amp;nbsp;blog post&amp;nbsp;by Mark McDonald provides the basis for insight into one of the challenges in transitioning from on_premise to cloud solutions: getting the various stakeholders in the organization moving in the same direction.&amp;nbsp;Some times this can be just the normal resistance to change &amp;ndash; it takes some individuals and organizations shorter or longer to adapt to and to adopt new approaches.&amp;nbsp;Some times this can be issues, or at least perceived issues, that relate to broader ecosystem requirements, or perhaps investment in end user or IT skills.</description>
        <content:encoded>A recent&amp;nbsp;blog post&amp;nbsp;by Mark McDonald provides the basis for insight into one of the challenges in transitioning from on_premise to cloud solutions: getting the various stakeholders in the organization moving in the same direction.&amp;nbsp;Some times this can be just the normal resistance to change  it takes some individuals and organizations shorter or longer to adapt to and to adopt new approaches.&amp;nbsp;Some times this can be issues, or at least perceived issues, that relate to broader ecosystem requirements, or perhaps investment in end user or IT skills.But if youre working on getting your organization to begin initial projects or broader roll_outs of cloud technology, there is a behavior that you should know about named the &quot;IKEA Effect from a book by Dan Ariely.Named after the well_known retailer, the IKEA effect was developed out of research Dan and his colleagues did around the obervation that we overvalue what we ourselves make.&amp;nbsp;In one passage from his book &amp;nbsp;The Upside of Irrationality, Dan notes,In one of our studies we asked people to fold origami and then to bid on their own creations along with other peoples. They were consistently willing to pay more for their own origami. In fact, they were so enamored of their amateurish creations that they valued them as highly as origami made by experts.So how does this relate to cloud adoption?Think of all the stakeholders that have been busy assembling their content management equivalent of IKEA furniture.&amp;nbsp; Think of all the steps and effort theyve had to go through to (hopefully) produce a solution that (hopefully) addresses a business need.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Under the lens of the IKEA effect, stakeholders can translate that (unnecessary) time into unrealistic value. &amp;nbsp;In an environment with no resource constraints, this may not be considered an issue, but for most of us it represents the waste of valuable resources and skills.&amp;nbsp; Instead of spending your organizations time on understand the instructions, finding the right tools and putting together the furniture, with cloud you can now focus on what furniture is needed and where to put it to use.&amp;nbsp; Instead of spending hours learning to fold paper to make a perhaps not so great swan, you can be a swan from an expert.So if youre an IT or line of business executive, consider that some of your organization may be putting value on the effort _ not the business outcome _ of an initiative, a bad bet in any economy. &amp;nbsp;You could do it the hard (old) way, or keep it simple with cloud.&amp;nbsp;Note: If you're interested in reading more on this topic, in addition to Mark's blog and Dan Ariely's book, there is a freely available article by Michael Norton on HBR titled&amp;nbsp;When Labor Leads to Love.Image Source:&amp;nbsp;Stellas Dolls&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 15 Jun 2010 21:25:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_ikea_effect</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2010-Jun-15T21:25:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How cloud solutions keep it simple for the enterprise</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/memo_to_the_cio_it_doesnt_have_to_take_a_village</link>
        <description>While the allusion is a bit dated, it seems appropriate for this post on the impact of cloud applications _ and in particular enterprise content management cloud applications _ on getting projects approved and implemented.</description>
        <content:encoded>While the allusion is a bit dated, it seems appropriate for this post on the impact of cloud applications _ and in particular enterprise content management cloud applications _ on getting projects approved and implemented.One of the great benefits of a cloud application is that theres little assembly required, as I wrote about in a recent post on the IKEA Effect.The benefit of not doing the work of assembly is obvious, but theres another factor: project team size.&amp;nbsp; In our experience with customers, the typical cloud application project team involves anywhere from 25% to 10% of the resources of a comparable on_premise project team. &amp;nbsp;This has a first impact on getting projects approved, because there is less contention for scarce resources.It also has impact on productivity and risk. If youre a CIO, youre probably familiar with classic IT project texts by Barry Boehm, Capers Jones, et al on the impact of larger project size on more time spent on project overhead vs. delivering function, the increase in error rates, etc.Basically, larger project team size generates complexity factorially.&amp;nbsp;A 3_person project has 3 communication paths; a 10_person project has 45.As one of my colleagues likes point out, even trying to schedule meetings with a 10_person project team can cause weeks of delay, especially this time of year.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;So if youre considering alternative models for a content management project, consider project team resource requirements as part of the equation.And instead of a village, use cloud to keep it simple.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 24 Jun 2010 21:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/memo_to_the_cio_it_doesnt_have_to_take_a_village</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2010-Jun-24T21:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Content Marketing: 6 Essentials to Getting it Right and Being More Productive</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/content_marketing_6_essentials_to_getting_it_right_and_being_more_productive</link>
        <description>What is content marketing?&amp;nbsp; Creating and sharing content to promote your product or service.&amp;nbsp; Yawn, that was boring.Perhaps a little wordy, but how about this: content marketing is the art and science of engaging your potential buyers in a conversation long before they say hello, so they&amp;rsquo;re more likely to buy from you.</description>
        <content:encoded>What is content marketing?&amp;nbsp; Creating and sharing content to promote your product or service.&amp;nbsp; Yawn, that was boring.Perhaps a little wordy, but how about this: content marketing is the art and science of engaging your potential buyers in a conversation long before they say hello, so theyre more likely to buy from you.Wait, isnt that social marketing?&amp;nbsp; It is that too, but either way its about a conversation.Content marketing is not new, but the way B2B and B2C buyers evaluate their needs, understand the possibilities and select with whom to do business is radically different.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The combination of the web, mobile and social means buyers look for information from, depending on what study you read, 6, 8 or even 11 sources before they ever formally talk  to you.&amp;nbsp;Were entering an era of reciprocity.&amp;nbsp; We now have to engage people in a way thats useful or helpful to their lives  To put it another way: How can we exchange value instead of just sending a message?&amp;nbsp;Jim Lecinski. Winning the Zero Moment of Truth. Zook, 2011.Theyre trying to get a handle on how to understand the needs they have, what others think about various approaches, whats hot and whats not, what the risks are, and where to buy the product or service.&amp;nbsp;Just to make things more complicated, the kinds of information buyers seek change as they progress through the buying cycle.&amp;nbsp;One of the big challenges in this model is that content marketing requires  content. And because theres so much of it now, we realize that content marketing means content managing.&amp;nbsp;Creating, maintaining, and, yes, managing all of that content is hard work. So how do you organize your marketing organization  and tools _ to get the best results and not get swamped? What content do you create? How do you create content that matters? How do you manage all this content without duplicate effort and lost documents?Here are 6 essential steps to consider in doing the hard work of content marketing.1. Start with your audienceWhile its the first rule in sales and marketing, we all know how easy it is to start talking before we understand to whom were speaking, and what they care about.&amp;nbsp;Tactics to consider are:Think of the individuals youre trying to reach not as leads or potential customers, but as an audience, a readership.&amp;nbsp;Find out what theyre interested in.&amp;nbsp; The Internet, search analysis and social media make this easier than ever, but dont forget to just ask them too.Write it down.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Make sure you really understand who your audience is and what they want by forcing the team to put it in writing.&amp;nbsp; This can also make sure your marketing teammates and sales team are on the same page.Make it interesting.&amp;nbsp; Now you know how to make your content relevant, so the challenge is to make it useful and credible.&amp;nbsp;Talk like a real person.&amp;nbsp; Unless youre marketing to quantum physicists, it shouldnt sound like youre writing about quantum physics.&amp;nbsp; Most of what we do in business isnt that complicated, it just sounds that way. Be authoritative, but stop the jargon and 6_syllable words.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;2. Create a PlanTo make sure you are getting the right content to the right buyers, have a plan. Think of it like an editorial calendar for a publication so you have clear expectations on the who, what and when of the content to feed your marketing machine.Tactics to consider are:Imagine what you could do.&amp;nbsp; Starting with your audiences, initiatives and buying phases, create a grid of possible contentCatalog existing pieces. Some may need revision, but others may be perennials _ those valuable pieces that people will always want to read.Build a strong foundation. Based on marketing objectives, identify core content pieces to create a foundation for your content marketing initiatives.&amp;nbsp; Often these are thought leadership pieces based on custom research or models, or the standard sales collateral that will be everywhere.Source it.&amp;nbsp; Who in your organization can be a subject matter expert and who help those experts polish finished pieces?&amp;nbsp; Weve often found that the more strategic professional services consultants have great insights, and of course product management, marketing and executives are often good sources.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Look at internal vs. external resources as subject matter experts or writers.&amp;nbsp; Dont forget 3rd&amp;nbsp;party sources such as analyst firms and brand name consultants as great ways to get authoritative, independent material.&amp;nbsp;From working through all this you now have a schedule. &amp;nbsp;Six things to track in your schedule:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Type of content.&amp;nbsp; Video, white paper, FAQ, byline article, blog post, podcast, webinarOwner.&amp;nbsp; Someone has to own it when it will be complete, as you have nurture, web and social campaigns that rely on the timing of content being deliveredTitle.&amp;nbsp; Spend time on this because your title really matters.Buying stage.&amp;nbsp; Early, middle or late state; or education, awareness, considerationBuyer segment.&amp;nbsp; Job title, role, geographyOverall campaign.&amp;nbsp; Grouping around a specific marketing campaign, theme or category3. &amp;nbsp;Work to the planMake the content. This is when a little inspiration turns into magic with a lot of perspiration.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Tactics to consider are:Make time. Set aside bi_weekly (or whatever frequency makes sense for you) time slots to work on contentCreate a workspace.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Have a central, easily accessible library of in_process materials.&amp;nbsp; Make sure everyone involved, including your agencies, can access the appropriate materials.Organize.&amp;nbsp; Organize your work_in_progress using the information in your schedule like type of content, status, due date and owner.&amp;nbsp;Automate it.&amp;nbsp; The less time you spend chasing content, the more time you can spend creating compelling content.&amp;nbsp; Use technology to&amp;nbsp;drive collaboration and review cycles, so getting the best input and sign_offs is a snap.&amp;nbsp;Track it.&amp;nbsp; Create a dashboard of whats in process, whats due to kick_off soon, whats overdue, who is a roadblock.&amp;nbsp; Dont forget to also have a view of whats been completed!4. Dont Forget the Sales TeamYour sales team will want to use all this great content, too.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; The key here is to make it easy.&amp;nbsp; Easy for them to find the right content, and easy for them to use it.Tactics to consider are:Give it a home.&amp;nbsp; Create a sales library, a single place where the sales team knows where to go, and where the most current content is always available.Make it self_service.&amp;nbsp; Give the sales team easy ways to search for, browse and use the most powerful content for the segment and stage.&amp;nbsp; If you really want to make it easy, you can even suggest relevant content for an opportunity within your CRM.Dont forget partners.&amp;nbsp; Channel, services and marketing partners have the same needs as your sales team, plus current logos, latest approved advertising, co_op program materials.&amp;nbsp;Track it.&amp;nbsp; You have great analytics for online marketing, dont forget to monitor which content the sales team uses most and uses least.&amp;nbsp; Some times it take marketing of your marketing collateral.5.&amp;nbsp; Reuse, re_imagineOne of the best ways to create content is to start from something you already have.&amp;nbsp; White papers can be leveraged into web copy, blog posts, guest articles and more, so you can get great leverage from your investment in useful and relevant content.Three tactics to consider:Whats hot, whats not.&amp;nbsp; Between your marketing platform, web analytics and sales/marketing library, you can quickly see which&amp;nbsp;content is being used&amp;nbsp;and engaging your audience, so you can double down on the content that is already working for you.&amp;nbsp; One simple test for thought leadership programs is what content causes your audience to come back for more.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Back to the plan.&amp;nbsp; The plan described earlier is an easy tool to quickly see where you can extend core content pieces.Its all relative.&amp;nbsp; Use your plan and content library to keep track of your content extensions so you have a clear view of what is impacted when you need to make updates and changes.6. Keep it FreshWith markets, best practices, your product or service and even branding elements changing all the time, your content will probably need regular reviews.&amp;nbsp; Some content by its nature, such as a Whats New Guide, may only be relevant until the next release.&amp;nbsp;Tactics to consider:Best if consumed by.&amp;nbsp; Make sure your core content is tagged with a reminder to review it or with an expiration date.&amp;nbsp; Content libraries can help you by making content disappear on the right date, and also remind you of when some regular review cycle.Have an owner.&amp;nbsp; Where possible, its easiest to have the decision to review, rewrite or retire content done by the original owner as they have the most context of the contents continued accuracy.Back to the plan.&amp;nbsp; If you decide to rewrite content, make sure your plan captures this.&amp;nbsp; Dont forget the related content.Summing it upCreating engaging content does not happen by accident.&amp;nbsp; Yes, it takes a good understanding of your audience, good ideas, and good writing.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; But it also requires discipline and content management.&amp;nbsp; Being able to quickly and easily find content, update content, ensure youre working with most current content, sharing it in review cycles, and then organizing it in one place. A classic case of 1% inspriration to 99% perspiration.With a little bit of process, some easy metrics and some easy to use technology, you can increase your chance of success, spend more time on the story than busy work, and&amp;nbsp; put your marketing team in a position to be better content managers, and great content marketers.&amp;nbsp;If you're interested in learning more about Content Marketing, check out&amp;nbsp;Content Rules&amp;nbsp;by Ann Handley and CC Chapman.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/content_marketing_6_essentials_to_getting_it_right_and_being_more_productive</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2011-Oct-25T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Salesforce.com Customers Looking for Easier Ways to Manage Content According to Survey</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/salesforce.com_customers_looking_for_easier_ways_to_manage_content_according_to_survey</link>
        <description>SpringCM recently commissioned a survey of over 100 salesforce.com customers on the role and effectiveness of document management with Salesforce CRM.</description>
        <content:encoded>SpringCM recently commissioned a survey of over 100 salesforce.com customers on the role and effectiveness of document management with Salesforce CRM.Importance of salesforceIf you attended Dreamforce 2011 or Cloudforce NYC in November, you saw and felt all the energy there, and will not be surprised by the response to the first question in our survey, as nearly all those surveyed responded that salesforce was both very important and valuable to their organization.&amp;nbsp;Importance of document management with salesforceNearly as many salesforce users felt that managing documents, or content, within salesforce was important to getting the most out of sales and marketing.&amp;nbsp; This is understandable given the importance in many sales and marketing models of different types of documents such as:promotional: presentations, ROI models, proposalstransactional: contracts, statements of work, quotesprocess: sales engagement plans, customer on_boarding plansTop 3 barriers to using content more effectively with salesforceIf salesforce is critical to the business, and managing documents more effectively is important to sales and marketing effectiveness, then whey are an estimated 50_90% of of sales cycles related documents not associates with relevant salesforce Accounts and Opportunities?&amp;nbsp; The top three issues cited relate to making it simpler to initial get documents associated with salesforce objects, then being able to manage and find them.Looking forwardA number of survey respondents also commented that having more documents in salesforce.com associated with the correct Accounts and Opportunities (or other salesforce objects) would be important as they looked towards more use of mobile devices, particularly tablets, and of their move to social enterprise initiatives using Salesforce Chatter.SummaryCustomers see tremendous value in having all relevant customer information in one place, but there are a number of basic issues that are preventing them from getting the most out of their platform.&amp;nbsp;If you have comments or questions on the survey, feel free to reach out to us, or better yet check out one of SpringCM's regular&amp;nbsp;webinars&amp;nbsp;to see how the top 3 issues, and 12 others, can be addressed using the&amp;nbsp;free VIP Edition.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/salesforce.com_customers_looking_for_easier_ways_to_manage_content_according_to_survey</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2011-Dec-05T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 More Factors Driving the Need to Break the Barrier Between Applications and Content</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/3_more_factors_driving_the_need_to_break_the_barrier_between_applications_and_content</link>
        <description>Our most recent blog post on&amp;nbsp;integrating content with applications&amp;nbsp;with&amp;nbsp;Open Cloud Connector&amp;nbsp;talked about the big impact of being able to find, view, share, edit and approve content such as proposals and presentations right from your CRM system, or resumes and offer letters right from your Human Capital Management application.There are three factors that make putting content &amp;ldquo;inside&amp;rdquo; your applications even more powerful:</description>
        <content:encoded>Our most recent blog post on&amp;nbsp;integrating content with applications&amp;nbsp;with&amp;nbsp;Open Cloud Connector&amp;nbsp;talked about the big impact of being able to find, view, share, edit and approve content such as proposals and presentations right from your CRM system, or resumes and offer letters right from your Human Capital Management application.There are three factors that make putting content inside your applications even more powerful:Mobile.&amp;nbsp; Business use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets is already moving beyond your email, to using of all the same applications as you use on your computer at work.&amp;nbsp; Naturally businesspeople want the same ability on their iPad or Xoom as they have on the web: to easily find, view and act on content related to the business processes managed by applications.&amp;nbsp;The&amp;nbsp;Rise of Video. Business content has always gone beyond Microsoft Office and PDF.&amp;nbsp; Images and engineering drawings are nearly as common for some industries and applications.&amp;nbsp;Adding to that, consumerization is unleashing explosive growth in use of video and audio for business.&amp;nbsp; 75% of executives watch work_related videos at least weekly according to research by Forbes Insights.&amp;nbsp; Various sources report that business use of video for internal company messaging, customer service, training, executive messaging, and collaboration is increasing by 50% every several years.&amp;nbsp;There are more content types than ever relevant to your business process of closing business, completing projects and hiring employees, increasing the value of having it at your fingertips inside your applications.Multiple applications.&amp;nbsp; Sales executives are hiring managers too.&amp;nbsp; Project managers need to see statements of work for new customers.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Giving them the ability to view and act on content in their applications can create value not just for one function, but also across a range of applications where content is relevant.The three factors of mobile, expanding content types, and multiple applications give you even more reasons to consider how to link content to transactional business data, and as Mark Gilbert of Gartner wrote,&amp;nbsp;deliver a rich information experience that allows end_users to get the job done easier and faster.Helping businesspeople get their jobs done easier and faster means making it easy, which takes a little magic behind the scenes.&amp;nbsp; Check out an upcoming blog post for more on this topic.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Sun, 01 Apr 2012 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/3_more_factors_driving_the_need_to_break_the_barrier_between_applications_and_content</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2012-Apr-01T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Mobile and Organization: Everything Has Changed</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/mobile_and_organization_everything_has_changed</link>
        <description>Everything has changed.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Maybe a little dramatic, but the transformation in how we work is astonishing.&amp;nbsp; The world of clear lines between work and personal life, just a few technology choices and highly structured work groups is over. &amp;nbsp;In an amazingly fast way, the latest in organization and technology have reinforced each other to create a whole new playing field of flexibility and productivity.</description>
        <content:encoded>Everything has changed.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Maybe a little dramatic, but the transformation in how we work is astonishing.&amp;nbsp; The world of clear lines between work and personal life, just a few technology choices and highly structured work groups is over. &amp;nbsp;In an amazingly fast way, the latest in organization and technology have reinforced each other to create a whole new playing field of flexibility and productivity.4 specific trends help to illustrate this new world:For business this isnt about playing Angry Birds or swapping photos either; as our CEO, Christopher Junker, says, Its not about sharing files, its about sharing work.&amp;nbsp; Organizations accomplish a lot more by working this new way.&amp;nbsp; They see executives more efficient, field sales and field service more effective, and generally knowledge workers getting things done more quickly. Source: TechValidate. TVID:&amp;nbsp;C4D_67A_60B&amp;nbsp;Taken all together, its clear that the way we work isnt just changing, its changed.&amp;nbsp;Thats why were so thrilled to have our new&amp;nbsp;SpringCM Mobile for iPad, iPhone and Android&amp;nbsp;to make it easier for our customers to work in all these new ways.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Well share more in an upcoming post on some places people are working, and the answer just might surprise you.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 02 May 2012 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/mobile_and_organization_everything_has_changed</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2012-May-02T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Mobile and Where We Work _ Anytime, Anyplace</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/mobile_and_where_we_work_anytime_anyplace</link>
        <description>The previous blog post on mobile noted how quickly the latest in organization and technology have reinforced each other to create a whole new playing field of flexibility and productivity.&amp;nbsp; One of more obvious ways this shows up is where we work from has changed so dramatically.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; For most of us, our workspace is no longer limited to, or even defined by our physical office or cubicle.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>The previous blog post on mobile noted how quickly the latest in organization and technology have reinforced each other to create a whole new playing field of flexibility and productivity.&amp;nbsp; One of more obvious ways this shows up is where we work from has changed so dramatically.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; For most of us, our workspace is no longer limited to, or even defined by our physical office or cubicle.&amp;nbsp;No longer is our office our office.&amp;nbsp;According to a&amp;nbsp;Forrester report&amp;nbsp;in 2011, 66% of information workers work remotely. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The report notes that this trend will have profound implications for everything from the location and design of offices, to IT's provisioning of technology, to how business leaders marshal expertise.&amp;nbsp;Working where you are todayIn addition to home offices, traveling to customers for sales and service, while not new, is one of the most common places where work happens outside your office, according to a recent study by TechValidate of SpringCM Mobile customers.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;What is new is that businesspeople expect to get more done while they are there, serving customers more efficiently and moving sales cycles along more effectively using mobile business applications.&amp;nbsp;With global supply chains, where those customers and partners are located is changing too.&amp;nbsp; Today visits to customers and suppliers just as easily to another continent as to another city.Third places, most epitomized by coffee shops such as Starbucks, offer a comfortable location with Wi_Fi to meet others.&amp;nbsp; For remote workers or free_lancers, they can be a more productive office away from the home_office environment, according to&amp;nbsp;LifeHackerA recent&amp;nbsp;Wall Street Journal story&amp;nbsp;described a new offshoot of this trend, as more consultants and freelancers are using the using the comfy chairs, free Wi_Fi and other amenities to be found in chic new urban hotels.Working where you are nowIts not just where you work on a day, but where you work over the course of the day that is changing.&amp;nbsp; With the lines between work and personal blurring, a typical day could look like:Checking in on things from your home office in the morning before you head to workUpdating a report while commuting on the trainResponding to a colleagues request for a copy of that presentation while in line at Starbucks or PeetesWorking from your officeApproving a report while waiting for your daughters volleyball game to startFinishing up a product announcement at the kitchen table that eveningEven the office isnt the officeWhile many of us have worked from different places like ski lifts or waiting in line at the car wash, one location that is part of the anywhere, anytime trend that may be the most surprising is  your office.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; In fact in the TechValidate study, one of the top places customers report using SpringCM Mobile is while in meetings or others offices.&amp;nbsp;Anywhere, anytime powered by mobileWorking from anywhere, anytime is the norm for most professionals now.&amp;nbsp; Powering this is the change in the different kinds of devices available for information workers to use.&amp;nbsp; More on this trend, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and some interesting patterns in which devices we use when in an upcoming post.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 08 May 2012 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/mobile_and_where_we_work_anytime_anyplace</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2012-May-08T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Mobile Devices: One Size Fits All to All Sizes Fit One</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/mobile_devices_one_size_fits_all_to_all_sizes_fit_one</link>
        <description>As described in the prior blog post,&amp;nbsp;working from anywhere, anytime&amp;nbsp;is now the norm for most professionals.&amp;nbsp; Underlying this trend is the wide array of devices available, most even supported, for information workers to use today.</description>
        <content:encoded>As described in the prior blog post,&amp;nbsp;working from anywhere, anytime&amp;nbsp;is now the norm for most professionals.&amp;nbsp; Underlying this trend is the wide array of devices available, most even supported, for information workers to use today.From one size fits allIn the past, most IT organizations defined the devices they supported.&amp;nbsp; Several configurations of desktops and laptops were assigned to you based on your role in the organization.&amp;nbsp; Blackberry became the mobile email device of choice because it provided on_the_go email in tandem with an enterprise server to manage the devices.&amp;nbsp; Typically you didnt buy your own device; you were handed one if it made sense to the organization based on your role.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps you even had access to some corporate resources through a home computer via VPN.As a strategy to minimize the cost of device support and provide a strong perimeter security model, this made sense.&amp;nbsp;But this strategy valued cost containment and control over flexibility and productivity.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Making life easier for IT, not helping business professionals get work done.To all sizes fit oneSmart phones and tablets, namely iPad, changed all this.&amp;nbsp; From a world of one size fits all, to all sizes fit one.&amp;nbsp; Business professionals now demand access to organizational resources  beyond email  not just from a device, but from multiple devices.&amp;nbsp; Often devices they purchased themselves, with both work and personal applications on each device.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; We see this all around us, but here are some of the statistics.TechValidate, an independent research organization, conducted a study of SpringCM Mobile customers, determining that&amp;nbsp;64% of IT organizations already belive they have to address 3 or more devices.Forrester Research noted in a study in February 2012 that&amp;nbsp;52% of business people say they 3 or more devices for work.World turned upside down for ITIn a matter of a few short years, one of the most basic IT strategies has been turned upside down, from a supply_led model with a small number of types of devices, to a consumerized model that offers the potential for a wide range of devices.&amp;nbsp; This of course creates some new challenges for how business content is delivered for sharing, collaboration and driving process on the go, anytime and anywhere.More on this trend, whos leading the charge, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives and some interesting patterns in which devices we use when in upcoming posts.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/mobile_devices_one_size_fits_all_to_all_sizes_fit_one</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2012-May-17T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Brand implementation made easy with a content management system</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/brand_implementation_made_easy</link>
        <description>You may have noticed that SpringCM launched a new brand this month. If you you've launched a new brand, you know how exciting it can be, what an awesome way to engage and built excitement across the company, your customers and your partners. It's a valuable process to remind everyone about what you stand for in the market, and why it matters.</description>
        <content:encoded>You may have noticed that SpringCM launched a new brand this month. If you you've launched a new brand, you know how exciting it can be, what an awesome way to engage and built excitement across the company, your customers and your partners. It's a valuable process to remind everyone about what you stand for in the market, and why it matters.Of course there's also the pressure to keep all the stakeholders working to deadlines, and anxious moments when you're presenting the branding elements, before a smile breaks out on the face of your CEO, or your peers and teammates wear the new t_shirts proudly. &amp;nbsp;Brand launch made simple&amp;nbsp;The marketing team at SpringCM went through all these moments, but there's one part of the brand launch in particular that was amazingly simple: getting the new brand elements implemented and used by the company.&amp;nbsp; It took ... one click.&amp;nbsp;Within seconds everyone in the company had a new Brand Central set of folders on their Windows PC's and Mac's. Brand Central is the one place for everyone for updated logos, updated Word templates, updated PowerPoint template, updated brand guide, inspiring videos supporting the brand launch.&amp;nbsp; Available at everyone's fingertips, online or offline, on across their many devices, no friction, no hassles. Need to create a new presentation? The beautiful new PowerPoint template is there.&amp;nbsp; Drafting a proposal from home? The right Word template is there. Need to use a logo? It's ready and accessible to insert using whatever your desktop software. Want an icon to support the key point in a presentation? Browse the icon palette from Windows Explorer or Mac Finder.One key to making this work is that the marketing team set Brand Central so files can be viewed, used and shared by anyone in the company, but not deleted or updated. So the right versions of brand elements will be there next month too. No accidental edits or deletions that get used in the future.&amp;nbsp; When new presentations or updated diagrams are added to Brand Central, they're on everyone's desktops in seconds too.As a side note, the old brand elements are gone. They may still be lurking in a few email attachments of course, but overall it now takes a lot of work to use the outdated brand. Now we just have to get that one developer to give up his old logo SpringCM beach ball.For the marketing team, this means we can focus on the next stage of our launch, not worrying about tracking down all elements.The importance of a sync capabilityThe magic to making this all so simple is with a Sync capability, like the one within SpringCM. It has all the standard file sync features, but what sets it apart is that it's designed to support they way organizations like us work. Already one of our favorite features here in Marketing is being able to subscribe everyone or specific groups to content they need to do their jobs, without going through the extra work on everyone's part to subscribe themselves.If you're a marketer and interested in how we used SpringCM to launch our new brand, feel free to reach out to one of us directly or through our web site, and we're happy to share the whole story from planning, though content creation with our agencies, through to launching the brand.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Sat, 14 Jul 2012 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/brand_implementation_made_easy</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2012-Jul-14T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Fueling content marketing: organizing marketing content in 6 steps</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/fueling_content_marketing_organizing_marketing_content_in_6_steps</link>
        <description>Ever have to waste time hunting through multiple systems looking for marketing assets to find what you need? Or not find it?&amp;nbsp; Or find different versions of the same marketing asset?&amp;nbsp;According to industry analysts, you can be losing up to 15% of your revenue opportunities, incurring 20% additional agency costs for duplicate and inefficient work, and slowing your time to market by up 400%.&amp;nbsp; Not because you don&amp;rsquo;t have a brilliant campaign, but because the fuel of your content marketing engine, content, isn&amp;rsquo;t organized.</description>
        <content:encoded>Ever have to waste time hunting through multiple systems looking for marketing assets to find what you need? Or not find it?&amp;nbsp; Or find different versions of the same marketing asset?&amp;nbsp;According to industry analysts, you can be losing up to 15% of your revenue opportunities, incurring 20% additional agency costs for duplicate and inefficient work, and slowing your time to market by up 400%.&amp;nbsp; Not because you dont have a brilliant campaign, but because the fuel of your content marketing engine, content, isnt organized.Here are 6 steps to get more from your content marketing engine:1. &amp;nbsp;Bring it all togetherThe most common problem we hear from marketers is that brand assets and sales collateral are scattered across any number of siloed systems.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; A good first place to start then is collecting all of your marketing assets in a single repository.2. &amp;nbsp;Organize marketing content with foldersNow you have it all in one place, how do you organize it so its easy to find and use? &amp;nbsp;Folders are a natural way to organize marketing content, and make it:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Easier (and so more likely) that assets will be added in the right place&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Natural to browse&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Simpler to manage who can view, edit, share or delete marketing contentWhat should your folder hierarchy for marketing assets be?&amp;nbsp; A good place to start is to match your folder hierarchy to your organizations go_to_market model.&amp;nbsp;Example: Geography&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Industry&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; |&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Product3. &amp;nbsp;Organize around all the other ways you go to marketDoes your sales team know what marketing content you have for a specific product? Do you know what customer videos you have?&amp;nbsp; Or how often French versions of sales collateral is used? Attributes are the basis for marketing teams to know the answers to these questions and more.&amp;nbsp; Unlike tags, attributes give you a consistent approach to describing, organizing, managing and delivering marketing content in as many ways as you need to without being limited to your folder structure.Example:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Type of content: image, video, case study, logo, image, press release&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Product: Product name or SKU&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Title&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Language&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Keyword or Twitter hashtags4. Organize around your content lifecycleMarketing content is not a static thing; it has a life cycle. Date and status attributes are critical to helping you manage when content will be available, what content is stuck in approvals, and when it should be pulled.Example:&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Due date for availability to use&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Expiration date to review relevance, or pull from active use&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Status, such as draft, edit, approve, complete, retired5. Use naming conventionsMarketing content exists outside of your repository, so it needs to be easy to identify.&amp;nbsp; Ever had a hard time figuring out what topic a file called 2012_Product_Presentation.pptx on your laptop was about?&amp;nbsp; Or what was in an image called 891132.jpg? Having a consistent approach to naming files makes it easier for sales and marketing teams to know what theyre using.Example: Product_ContentType_Title_Language.ppt6. &amp;nbsp;Don't forget full_text indexingSome times all these ways of organizing dont help when youre looking for a theme or particular phrase.&amp;nbsp; Full_text indexing your (text_based) marketing assets lets you organize by any word or phrase.ConclusionThese six simple steps to organizing your marketing content can go a long way to eliminating those desperate emails looking for a particular marketing asset, make your marketing budget go farther, and make you a hero with your field marketing and sales teams.&amp;nbsp; They also give you the platform to transform how you create, distribute and analyze marketing assets. &amp;nbsp;Image source:&amp;nbsp;Milan Klusacek&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/fueling_content_marketing_organizing_marketing_content_in_6_steps</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2012-Oct-08T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>2 Reasons Why You Should Turn Off Your Old School Content Management System</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/old_school_content_management_system_turn_it_off</link>
        <description>The ability to quickly adapt to change can mean the difference between failure and success. Adapting to change almost always means overcoming new content hazards or clearing the way for new content flows.</description>
        <content:encoded>The ability to quickly adapt to change can mean the difference between failure and success. Adapting to change almost always means overcoming new content hazards or clearing the way for new content flows.Legacy Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems served their purposes.&amp;nbsp;In the 1990s.&amp;nbsp;Times are different in the 21st Century. Work certainly is. Content types have exploded. Teams are on the move, bringing their own devices to work. They aren't bringing their devices for fun (well, most aren't!). They're doing it to get work done.Two Reasons You Should Turn Off Your Old School Content Management&amp;nbsp;Old school ECM systems are just too inflexible, making it difficult to quickly and cost_effectively launch new technology and business initiativeslike a comprehensive mobile strategy or cloud initiative.With their high costs, they require long negotiation cycles. So by the time the systems are implemented, they are outdated. Want to support a new initiative? That requires programming. Want to integrate with another system? That requires programming, too.&amp;nbsp;Let's face it, old_school Content Management Systems just aren't agile enough to meet the needs of the enterprise today.Image source:&amp;nbsp;Earls37a&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Sun, 07 Apr 2013 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/old_school_content_management_system_turn_it_off</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2013-Apr-07T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Top 5 risks for contract management in Salesforce </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/five_risks_contract_management_in_salesforce</link>
        <description>As a Salesforce.com Admin for the last 4 years at SpringCM, I&amp;rsquo;ve seen sales reps and sales teams work on a deal for months. They finally win a deal and then struggle through the contracts process. From contract creation to inserting specials terms, negotiations and challenges with printers, fax machines and formatting; it can be a complete nightmare!My experience has shown that everything that can happen will happen while creating, negotiating and managing a contract.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a Salesforce.com Admin for the last 4 years at SpringCM, Ive seen sales reps and sales teams work on a deal for months. They finally win a deal and then struggle through the contracts process. From contract creation to inserting specials terms, negotiations and challenges with printers, fax machines and formatting; it can be a complete nightmare!My experience has shown that everything that can happen will happen while creating, negotiating and managing a contract.Salesforce streamlines the sales process but leaves contract management behindClearly, using Salesforce.com streamlines the sales process. It helps with the steps of the sales cycle, and gives us one system to view accounts, opportunities and deal notes. But the contract management process is still a frustrating cycle of emails, faxes, phone calls and even text messages, as we try to coordinate schedules and approvals and messages, just to get one contract signed. Sales reps, customers and executives can lose their patience, and deals are often stalled and sometimes lost throughout this process.The 5 Salesforce contract management risks&amp;nbsp;to avoidWhy is this so hard? This is what I have found that hinders the process:Multiple truthsWhile working on contracts, sending them around to get approvals and input and negotiating, multiple versions of the truth arise _ ESPECIALLY if you are using email, faxes or a basic file sharing tool between multiple offices and departments. Its virtually impossible to ensure that the most current version is being processed, sent or signed.File StoringFiling cabinets _ both physical and digital (Box or Dropbox) _ are dead ends. How much time have you spent searching for contract information, only to later discover that you dont have the most current version? And storing something online doesnt make it easier to find it or ensure that its accurate.Contract (In)consistencyStoring templates and working from old contract versions is something that sales teams often do. Sales operations teams get contracts back with expired data, graphics or trademarks, and they have to make sure that dates, dollars and information are correct before sending a final version to a client.Data DisastersMisspelled names, incorrect dates, wrong addresses, missing or incomplete information about a product or service, or a carryover of a special term that was used on an old contract, all slow the process and indicate that the sales rep wasnt working with a new and fresh contract.Losing MomentumYou finally get yes from a client after an excruciatingly long deal cycle, work through internal approvals and send it for signature, only to find out that something has changed  maybe a merger, acquisition, reorg/ layoff or budget freeze.&amp;nbsp;Does any or all of this sound familiar? Ive been through this firsthand, and I know that there is a better, easier way! We augmented our Salesforce.com instance with content cloud services, and the difference has been night and day. Our company had already made the decision to run our sales process in the cloud, so it only made sense to move the contract management process there as well.The benefits of contract management within SalesforceBy placing contract management within Salesforce.com, we streamlined everything _ contract creation, changes, approvals, signatures, archiving and renewals. We eliminated paper contracts, got rid of file cabinets (both kinds) and increased data accuracy. We gave reps easy access to every contract for a given customer, so they spend much less time generating, updating and negotiating contracts and close deals faster and have more time to sell. And we provide them the most up_to_date corporate blessed contracts, so they have the fastest route to a successful close.The reps are happier, but Im the happiest!As a Salesforce.com Admin, you have a unique perspective of the sales and contracts management process, and you can use your influence to improve them. You owe it to yourself!Image Source:&amp;nbsp;istarman&amp;nbsp;on Flickr &amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 14 Oct 2013 21:16:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/five_risks_contract_management_in_salesforce</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2013-Oct-14T21:16:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title> A letter from SpringCM's CEO: The time is now</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_time_is_now</link>
        <description>I&amp;rsquo;m excited to take the reigns today as SpringCM&amp;rsquo;s CEO. As one of the company&amp;rsquo;s cofounders, it&amp;rsquo;s been amazing to watch us grow from an idea to where we are today. &amp;nbsp;With that experience in mind, I am happy to report that the demand for Content Cloud Services has never been greater. The explosion of cloud, mobile, and social has ushered in a business renaissance, forever changing how work gets done.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Im excited to take the reigns today as SpringCMs CEO. As one of the companys cofounders, its been amazing to watch us grow from an idea to where we are today. &amp;nbsp;With that experience in mind, I am happy to report that the demand for Content Cloud Services has never been greater. The explosion of cloud, mobile, and social has ushered in a business renaissance, forever changing how work gets done.&amp;nbsp;Our customers understand thisand they understand the critical role content plays in each of these strategic investments. In addition, depending on which analyst numbers you reference, theres anywhere from $10 to $20 billion in old school enterprise content management systems companies are getting ready to replace.These are exciting times for SpringCM, where we are seeing:The greatest period of innovation in our history:&amp;nbsp;Our team has added a wide range of new features to make it easier and faster to put content to work, securely and from every device you use to do work.The greatest customerswith more joining every day:&amp;nbsp;Whether theyre looking to streamline sales contracts or get a handle on key marketing materials, enterprises and government agencies are turning to us, joining the likes of AthenaHealth, Facebook, NCR, Office Depot, the U.S. Department of Energy, and more.The greatest partners: Were committed to expanding our technology and channel partnerships to put SpringCM into the hands of more people in more ways than ever before through partners like salesforce.com, Oracle, EchoSign, Privia, and more. If youre going to this years Dreamforce event, youll see what I mean!Finally, I want to recognize our tremendous team. Every day I have the privilege of working with a talented group of people who know what it takes to put content to work to solve complex, thorny problems that stand in the way of success. And its a fun team to work with. They deserve much of the credit for making SpringCM the company we are today.Ill continue to stay in touch with our community through the SpringCM blog, Twitter (&amp;nbsp;@gbuchholz) and a growing number of events were participating in. You can always contact me directly at&amp;nbsp;gbuchholz@springcm.com.If youre a SpringCM customer or partner, thanks for your trust and business. If youre evaluating a cloud_based content management systemand youve found other options lackingwed love to hear from you.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 22 Oct 2013 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_time_is_now</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2013-Oct-22T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>8 Years and Counting: SpringCM Named to KMWorld 100 Companies That Matter</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/8_years_and_counting_springcm_named_to_kmworld_100_companies_that_matter</link>
        <description>KMWorld&amp;nbsp;Magazine just announced their &amp;ldquo;100 Companies that Matter in Knowledge Management&amp;rdquo; and we made the list for the eighth consecutive year.&amp;nbsp;We love it when our&amp;nbsp;customers&amp;nbsp;tell us how SpringCM has improved their business. It&amp;rsquo;s also fantastic validation when a third party recognizes us&amp;mdash;especially when it happens eight years in a row! KMWorld generates the elite list through a year_long evaluation by a team of judges comprised of colleagues, analysts, system integrators, theorists, practitioners and select users that identify companies providing true solutions to real and profound problems and challenges.</description>
        <content:encoded>KMWorld&amp;nbsp;Magazine just announced their 100 Companies that Matter in Knowledge Management and we made the list for the eighth consecutive year.&amp;nbsp;We love it when our&amp;nbsp;customers&amp;nbsp;tell us how SpringCM has improved their business. Its also fantastic validation when a third party recognizes usespecially when it happens eight years in a row! KMWorld generates the elite list through a year_long evaluation by a team of judges comprised of colleagues, analysts, system integrators, theorists, practitioners and select users that identify companies providing true solutions to real and profound problems and challenges.SpringCMs inclusion is based in large part on our ability to anticipate customer needs and develop smart, innovative solutions that solve thorny content problems. Looking for a great example? Check out how we help Salesforce customers eliminate the back_and_forth that slows down&amp;nbsp;contracts&amp;nbsp;and other key deal_related content necessary to go from won to done.Were flattered that KMWorld recognizes the contributions were making in the&amp;nbsp;cloud content management&amp;nbsp;arena. Content mattersand it really matters when youre looking to increase revenue, cut costs, mitigate risk, and engage customers and employees. Well continue to developproducts&amp;nbsp;that transform the way people find, share, collaborate and work with content. And we look forward to earning another spot on the 100 Companies that Matter list next year.Interested in learning how Facebook, Google, NCR, OfficeDepot, PDI Nice_pak and others #SpringIt?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Wed love to hear from you!</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 26 Feb 2014 22:07:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/8_years_and_counting_springcm_named_to_kmworld_100_companies_that_matter</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Feb-26T22:07:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How content cloud services can support complex business needs</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/welcome_to_the_party_microsoft</link>
        <description>SpringCM is part of a massive market we call Content Cloud Services. These are software applications that help people at home and at work store their content in the cloud. If you&amp;rsquo;re using iCloud to store music and photos, you&amp;rsquo;re using the consumer version of Content Cloud Services.Not surprisingly, business users have more complex needs than consumers. Massive amounts of business content remains trapped in shared drives, email attachments, laptops, and file cabinets across offices and geographies. And, in spite of modern technology, much of it still arrives via snail mail and fax. Getting your arms around your business content first entails getting the paper off the floor, as one of our customers succinctly put it. And that&amp;rsquo;s not always as easy as it sounds.</description>
        <content:encoded>SpringCM is part of a massive market we call Content Cloud Services. These are software applications that help people at home and at work store their content in the cloud. If youre using iCloud to store music and photos, youre using the consumer version of Content Cloud Services.Not surprisingly, business users have more complex needs than consumers. Massive amounts of business content remains trapped in shared drives, email attachments, laptops, and file cabinets across offices and geographies. And, in spite of modern technology, much of it still arrives via snail mail and fax. Getting your arms around your business content first entails getting the paper off the floor, as one of our customers succinctly put it. And thats not always as easy as it sounds.Hence, the mounting interest in cloud file storage. Cloud file storage may be the best funded niche in technology. Two companies aloneDropbox and Boxhave raised hundreds of millions of dollars to take their wares to market. Were in that business, too, although were an animal of a different stripe. And, while we havent raised as much money as the box twins, weve raised enough to deliver the class of services required at the enterprise level to meet the needs of industry giants like NCR, Facebook, and Google.Now Microsoft has entered the fray.&amp;nbsp;They announced this week they are selling cloud storage directly to businesses.&amp;nbsp;A market shake up? Hardly. Storing files in the cloud is table stakes. Microsofts entry validates our market and hastens the commoditization of cloud file storage.It also gives us a boostunintended Im sure. By giving our market more visibility, they shine the light on those of us, like SpringCM, who do so much moreand do it so much better.Let me net it out. SpringCM addresses content from a business perspective, not only where you put it and how you share it, but who can see it, when, where it needs to be routed, who needs to approve it, and what gets done with it next. SpringCM manages content of all formsincluding media files, paper, and faxesand automatically triggers workflows. Weve had customers ask us, Can you even automate a process as complex as ours? The answer is, You bet.So welcome, Microsoft! Shine your bright light on us!Image Source:&amp;nbsp;IvanWalsh.com&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 10 Mar 2014 20:58:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/welcome_to_the_party_microsoft</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Mar-10T20:58:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title> A letter from SpringCM's CEO: Put content to work</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/ready_for_the_enterprise_we_were_born_ready</link>
        <description>The recent press generated by Box and Dropbox&amp;mdash;around the money they&amp;rsquo;ve raised and the features they&amp;rsquo;ve released&amp;mdash;has surfaced a number of discussions, especially around just what &amp;ldquo;ready for the enterprise&amp;rdquo; means. And the general conclusion is that &amp;ldquo;ready for the enterprise&amp;rdquo; happens in degrees to most of the companies in the space we compete for business.Note the emphasis on &amp;ldquo;most.&amp;rdquo; We&amp;rsquo;ve got a different story. And I&amp;rsquo;ll get to it in a minute.</description>
        <content:encoded>The recent press generated by Box and Dropboxaround the money theyve raised and the features theyve releasedhas surfaced a number of discussions, especially around just what ready for the enterprise means. And the general conclusion is that ready for the enterprise happens in degrees to most of the companies in the space we compete for business.Note the emphasis on most. Weve got a different story. And Ill get to it in a minute.Box and Dropbox are great companies and they have many fans. But their roots are in basic file storage and sharing. And as hard as they are scrambling to be ready for the enterprise, these things take time. As predicted in&amp;nbsp;a recent Tech Crunch article, this is a battle that will be playing out over the next 36 months as multiple vendors, including SpringCM, fight for the hearts and minds of enterprise users and their IT administrators.The reason this is a battle is that there are BIG business outcomes riding on itnot just for the vendors who deliver content management and collaboration software (which by the way is the largest category of enterprise software today) but for the companies who are making the transition to the cloud. Increasingly companies understand the huge business impact of not only storing and sharing content in the cloud but putting it to work by automating processes (which, along with our&amp;nbsp;Salesforce integration, is our sweet spot).Weve got a ton of ROI examples that demonstrate how SpringCM lowers costs and increases revenues, ranging from NCR, who reduced the time to execute contracts (and, therefore, time to revenue) from 3 weeks to 3 days, to Village Green, who reduced their annual FedEx bill by a quarter million dollars.Today we announced that weve received&amp;nbsp;$18 million in funding&amp;nbsp;to fuel the continued growth of our company. This comes on the heels of the largest revenue year in SpringCMs history. We also announced what were going to use it for, which is to dramatically scale our sales and marketing efforts to address the growing demand from enterprises for cloud services.Why sales and marketing? While we continue to invest in expanding our platforms features and functionality, we have the good fortune of already being enterprise ready. Our roots are in enterprise content management, and our focus has been on the stringent demands of enterprise IT from day one. Weve spent over $50 million and more than 7 years building a content platform that is enterprise ready. And we have nearly 400 enterprises exercising it hard to drive BIG business outcomes.And now, we get to let the rest of the world know.Image Source:&amp;nbsp;Avi&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 16 Apr 2014 20:47:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/ready_for_the_enterprise_we_were_born_ready</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Apr-16T20:47:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How a large insurance company automated contracts for 12,000 dentists</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/this_isnt_our_first_rodeo</link>
        <description>Cloud store and share is NOT content managementSpringCM is always getting put in a &amp;ldquo;box,&amp;rdquo; so to speak, lumped together with other file sharing sites. And, frankly, it&amp;rsquo;s frustrating to see blank looks when I try to explain that a cloud file sharing and storage solution is NOT a content management solution.&amp;nbsp; Until you can truly automate a business process, resulting in faster time to revenue, lower costs, and increased compliance, you are just moving content from one repository to another.As my chief marketing officer is always saying, our customers tell our story best. And he&amp;rsquo;s right. If you really want to know SpringCM, if you really want to understand how we&amp;rsquo;re an animal of a very different stripe, you have to&amp;nbsp;listen to the customer webcast&amp;nbsp;aired last week. It will blow you away.</description>
        <content:encoded>Cloud store and share is NOT content managementSpringCM is always getting put in a box, so to speak, lumped together with other file sharing sites. And, frankly, its frustrating to see blank looks when I try to explain that a cloud file sharing and storage solution is NOT a content management solution.&amp;nbsp; Until you can truly automate a business process, resulting in faster time to revenue, lower costs, and increased compliance, you are just moving content from one repository to another.As my chief marketing officer is always saying, our customers tell our story best. And hes right. If you really want to know SpringCM, if you really want to understand how were an animal of a very different stripe, you have to&amp;nbsp;listen to the customer webcast&amp;nbsp;aired last week. It will blow you away.Out of the storage box and into the content cloudLife &amp;amp; Specialty Ventures is a joint venture of multiple Blue Cross Blue Shield plans that focuses on specialty insurance products, in this case dental. The Blues were managing 12,000 dentists in four states and had their dental provider data spread across 15 systems. As Lee Ann Mitchell, Director of LSVs Dental Network, says in the webcast, Thats no way to run a rodeo.Then came a huge, impending event. Because they were putting a new claims processing system in place, they had to renew contracts&amp;nbsp;with all 12,000 dentistsone dentist at a timea daunting, paper_intensive task.They rose to that task and more.They integrated a fistful of best in class (their words) cloud technologies with SpringCM and Salesforce at the coreSpringCM for content_intensive processes and Salesforce for managing provider relationships.They automated the contracting process (SpringCM &amp;gt; mailhouse &amp;gt; dentists &amp;gt; signed contract scanned back into SpringCM).They created an opportunity database in Salesforce, where SpringCM dynamically delivers the correct contract depending on the specialty of the dentist theyre signing up.Theyre establishing a Center of Excellence for credentialing, another paper_intensive process theyre automating on SpringCM.Its really an amazing example of business acumen combined with hard work and, lets face it, courage. It was their first journey to the cloud, and they were definitely getting out of their comfort zone.But, boy, what a payoff.Image source: z287marc on Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 22 May 2014 18:27:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/this_isnt_our_first_rodeo</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-May-22T18:27:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A brief history of "the cloud"</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/will_the_real_father_please_stand_up</link>
        <description>More than a great, big filing cabinet in the sky&amp;nbsp;Remember when &amp;ldquo;in the cloud&amp;rdquo; referred only to rain or angels? Wasn&amp;rsquo;t that long ago. As our Aunt Sue says: &amp;ldquo;You mean there&amp;rsquo;s some mysterious place where everything is stored instead of file cabinets?&amp;rdquo; On this Father&amp;rsquo;s Day, we salute the people who got things rolling.The idea of &amp;ldquo;the cloud&amp;rdquo; actually dates to the 1960s when some tech gurus thought computation could one day be a public utility. &amp;nbsp;They used a cloud icon to describe it in flowcharts but did not use the term &amp;ldquo;cloud.&amp;rdquo; So as Maury Povich would say: 1960s, you are not the father!</description>
        <content:encoded>More than a great, big filing cabinet in the sky&amp;nbsp;Remember when in the cloud referred only to rain or angels? Wasnt that long ago. As our Aunt Sue says: You mean theres some mysterious place where everything is stored instead of file cabinets? On this Fathers Day, we salute the people who got things rolling.The idea of the cloud actually dates to the 1960s when some tech gurus thought computation could one day be a public utility. &amp;nbsp;They used a cloud icon to describe it in flowcharts but did not use the term cloud. So as Maury Povich would say: 1960s, you are not the father!Enter George Favaloro of Compaq and Sean OSullivan of NetCentric. Favaloro has 1996 notes about Internet Solutions Division Strategy for &quot;Cloud Computing&quot;&amp;nbsp;and OSullivan the same year noted, Cloud Computing: The Cloud has no Borders.By 1997, Professor Ramnath K. Chellappa was the first to use the term academically and for the public at a conference in Dallas where he described the evolution from a main_frame_based structure to a network_based architecture.In 2006 Googles Eric Schmidt used the term at a conference, making the word mainstream within businesses and to the general public. But just because you make a kid popular, doesnt make you the father, sorry Eric.The cloud as a competitive edge&amp;nbsp;While we may never know the real father of the cloud, theres one thing we do know: the cloud is making a profound transformation on the way companies run their business. Organizations looking to gain a competitive edge are rapidly shifting their customer management, financial, HR and other&amp;nbsp;key business apps to the cloud.And now, those companies are moving critical business content to the cloud to make it easier to find,&amp;nbsp;share and work with content. Were honored that over 400 leading brands and government agencies now&amp;nbsp;#SpringIt.To all the dads  and moms  whove made the cloud a reality, thank you.Image Source: Horia Varlan on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 13 Jun 2014 18:50:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/will_the_real_father_please_stand_up</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Jun-13T18:50:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How creative teams are using the cloud to look awesome!</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_easiest_way_to_look_awesome</link>
        <description>No, not the Tory Burch flats or the polo that makes clear you&amp;rsquo;ve got a gym membership. You will look even better at work when you get stuff done faster than anyone. Here&amp;rsquo;s how I did that, and how you can too.If you&amp;rsquo;ve got someone working remotely, see if this sounds familiar: I was one of several designers in a global company, sitting in multiple time zones, in regular contact with colleagues in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.</description>
        <content:encoded>No, not the Tory Burch flats or the polo that makes clear youve got a gym membership. You will look even better at work when you get stuff done faster than anyone. Heres how I did that, and how you can too.If youve got someone working remotely, see if this sounds familiar: I was one of several designers in a global company, sitting in multiple time zones, in regular contact with colleagues in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.Imagine the hassle of trying to maintain access to our files on one remote server  located in the office of a fellow designer, so (surprise!) he had few complaints. He was unaffected by the inconvenience of waiting forever for an InDesign file to open off of the server. We quickly learned to not even try opening large files. How sad is that?The IT team made adjustments to how we accessed the server, but that opened the door to potential file version conflicts. Multiple designers could be collaborating on the same file, but the last version saved would trump all others. Managing this process resembled elephants dancing.Those, and more pain points, could have been greatly alleviated, actually avoided, by implementing&amp;nbsp;SpringCM enterprise solutions. Since becoming the companys designer, I learned that creative teams thrive productively in the cloud with SpringCMs desktop&amp;nbsp;Sync feature.Now, I can work in the office, on the road or at home without worrying about getting trampled. Our&amp;nbsp;SpringCM mobile apps&amp;nbsp;for iOs and Android devices allow me to send drafts of presentations or mock_ups while Im in transit. So thanks to the content cloud services of SpringCM and the creative apps of Adobe Creative Cloud Im working faster and having more fun. How awesome is that?Image source: hikingartist on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 17 Jun 2014 19:27:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_easiest_way_to_look_awesome</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Jun-17T19:27:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>SpringCM customer story: teaming with Salesforce again for National Seminars Training</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/springcm_and_salesforce_national_seminars_training</link>
        <description>Tell us about your journey to the cloudOne of the best parts of working at SpringCM? Our customers! I love learning about their journey to the cloud and how we&amp;rsquo;re helping them with business transformation. National Seminars Training is one of our newest customers, and they are a great example of a company doing big things with&amp;nbsp;SpringCM and salesforce.com. They selected salesforce.com to create a 360 degree view of the customer, and they selected SpringCM to get the right content, to the right customer, at the right time. Content management at its best.</description>
        <content:encoded>Tell us about your journey to the cloudOne of the best parts of working at SpringCM? Our customers! I love learning about their journey to the cloud and how were helping them with business transformation. National Seminars Training is one of our newest customers, and they are a great example of a company doing big things with&amp;nbsp;SpringCM and salesforce.com. They selected salesforce.com to create a 360 degree view of the customer, and they selected SpringCM to get the right content, to the right customer, at the right time. Content management at its best.What makes a content company?National Seminars Training is focused on meeting the continuing education needs of adult professionals in all industries and professions. How to Legally Terminate Employees With Attitude Problems, Assertiveness Skills for Business Professionals, and Developing Your Emotional Intelligence are just a few upcoming online seminars. They offer over 900 courses backed up with 35 terabytes of content for seminars, including marketing assets for every course. National Seminars is, in the words of their CTO Bret Rhodus, a content company!Content hazards are keeping companies from hitting goalsWhat I learned from Bret is similar to what I hear from other&amp;nbsp;SpringCM customers: content is trapped in multiple places, it takes too long to find and tribal knowledge doesnt scale. These are all great examples of&amp;nbsp;content hazards&amp;nbsp;that slow a companys goals around increasing revenues, lowering costs, mitigating risk, engaging employees and delighting customers and partners.National Seminars is celebrating their 30th anniversary, an amazing milestone in any business. Ill close with another great nugget from Bret Content is king here. Thats where SpringCM comes in. What were doing today is all about the next 30 years.Are you a Salesforce customer?If you want to hear more about Bret and National Seminars' journey, come join us at the Midwest Dreamin' event on July 10 in our hometown of Chicago. Midwest Dreamin is organized by a number of regional salesforce.com user group leaders, and were proud to be the lead sponsor. Bret will join other SpringCM customers on a peer discussion panel about the power of embedding a content cloud in Salesforce. For more information please visit&amp;nbsp;http://midwestdreamin.com.Ready to learn more? Check out all of&amp;nbsp;The Goods! All SpringCM resources, all in one place!Image Source:&amp;nbsp; Kim S&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 30 Jun 2014 20:27:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/springcm_and_salesforce_national_seminars_training</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Jun-30T20:27:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>SpringCM customer stories: secrets to getting stronger ROI on salesforce revealed</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/secrets_to_customer_success_revealed_at_navy_pier</link>
        <description>If you weren&amp;rsquo;t at Chicago&amp;rsquo;s Navy Pier for the recent (and spectacular) Salesforce Midwest Dreamin&amp;rsquo;, you&amp;rsquo;re in luck: We&amp;rsquo;ve got some highlights for you.&amp;nbsp;SpringCM&amp;rsquo;s Karry Kleeman hosted a customer success panel with leading companies sharing insight into how and why they, with their enterprise teams, embedded content clouds within Salesforce to help them tackle big thorny issues &amp;ndash; and get even stronger ROI on their Salesforce investment.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>If you werent at Chicagos Navy Pier for the recent (and spectacular) Salesforce Midwest Dreamin, youre in luck: Weve got some highlights for you.&amp;nbsp;SpringCMs Karry Kleeman hosted a customer success panel with leading companies sharing insight into how and why they, with their enterprise teams, embedded content clouds within Salesforce to help them tackle big thorny issues  and get even stronger ROI on their Salesforce investment.&amp;nbsp;Our three favorite customer success stories?Pam Volk, Business Continuity Manager at RW Baird in Milwaukee, WI:Pam had been using Salesforce for three years but had always been in search of a tool that would be able to automate workflow and manage content. &amp;nbsp;Pam added, The data you have may be informational but no one knows its there! With the right cloud solution, you save time. And if you can save your company time and resources, you can be a rockstar too.Karen Hodson, Senior Manager at Ellucian in Fairfax, VA:Karen said with previous systems she had worked with, the API was just not enough. You need to have a stronger user interface and&amp;nbsp;true&amp;nbsp;integration with Salesforce. Karen understands that, its not just about storing content, its about using it. This is why one of Karens favorite things about using SpringCM is the&amp;nbsp;mobile app&amp;nbsp;__ She loves the ability to pick up my phone and access it and share it, all mobily and globally.Bret Rhodus, CMO/CTO at National Seminars Training in Kansas City:Bret realized that his company had 30 years of&amp;nbsp;content needing attention. We had 900 training courses I didnt even know about on top of videos and webinars. They went on an ECM hunt to get it in order. After implementing SpringCM, Now we actually have a system almost acting like a traditional librarian  the content is with the right person at the right time.ConclusionEmbedding content clouds, like SpringCM, within Salesforce extends your investment in the Salesforce platform. The proper tool gives you a secure content cloud within Salesforce to centralize, organize, and share content both inside and outside your organization.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 23 Jul 2014 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/secrets_to_customer_success_revealed_at_navy_pier</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Jul-23T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>SpringCM Customer Story: Helping POPSUGAR with Contract Management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/popsugar_contract_management</link>
        <description>SpringCM has some very cool customers, and&amp;nbsp;POPSUGAR&amp;nbsp;is one of the coolest. The popular site features breaking news, photos, videos and event recaps on today's most popular celebrities. Looking for can&amp;rsquo;t miss celebrity pics? Check. Can&amp;rsquo;t wait to see Prince Harry&amp;rsquo;s latest dance moves from a charity event in Chile? Got it. Wondering what female mega_star beat out Oprah as the top_earning star of the year? POPSUGAR is on it!</description>
        <content:encoded>SpringCM has some very cool customers, and&amp;nbsp;POPSUGAR&amp;nbsp;is one of the coolest. The popular site features breaking news, photos, videos and event recaps on today's most popular celebrities. Looking for cant miss celebrity pics? Check. Cant wait to see Prince Harrys latest dance moves from a charity event in Chile? Got it. Wondering what female mega_star beat out Oprah as the top_earning star of the year? POPSUGAR is on it!POPSUGAR's Contract Management ChallengeNot surprisingly, POPSUGAR handles a lot of content.&amp;nbsp;For example, POPSUGAR manages hundreds of contracts and agreements each month including NDAs, video releases, talent agreements and third_party vendor contracts. Like many SpringCM customers, POPSUGAR is growing quickly, and they realized they needed a more efficient&amp;nbsp;contract management solution.Prior to SpringCM, the team would initiate an agreement, work out the specifics, and manage legal approvalall with a very manual process. This time_consuming approach involved a lot of back_and_forth and wasnt very efficient. As Sean Hendricks, POPSUGARS IT manager, shared with me, Our objective was to give the team the ability to download approved agreement templates, share those with third_parties and quickly handle edits.POPSUGAR's Contract Management SolutionEarlier this year, POPSUGAR deployed SpringCM to meet that objective. Now, the company has a more efficient&amp;nbsp;business process&amp;nbsp;that allows users to quickly and easily access what they need. All agreements are now stored in a single, secure and searchable cloud repository.&amp;nbsp;Security&amp;nbsp;is also a major requirement for POPSUGAR, and with SpringCM theyre able to ensure the right person sees the right content at the right time.For POPSUGAR, theyre now providing a better experience to their team and third parties they regularly work with. And they have a solution in SpringCM that can scale as their business continues to grow. Thats something any company can appreciate.Now, if youd excuse me, I need to catch up on the latest </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 23 Jul 2014 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/popsugar_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Jul-23T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What Will Cloud Computing Be Like One Year From Today?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/future_of_cloud_computing</link>
        <description>Have you seen the&amp;nbsp;North Bridge Future of Cloud Computing Survey? The annual survey, completed in partnership with Gigaom Research and 72 collaborators including SpringCM, showed a dramatic increase in the number of companies that have adopted software_as_a_service (SaaS), including SpringCM, Salesforce and Workday. How dramatic? The survey reveals adoption rose from just 13 percent in 2011 to 74 percent today.</description>
        <content:encoded>Have you seen the&amp;nbsp;North Bridge Future of Cloud Computing Survey? The annual survey, completed in partnership with Gigaom Research and 72 collaborators including SpringCM, showed a dramatic increase in the number of companies that have adopted software_as_a_service (SaaS), including SpringCM, Salesforce and Workday. How dramatic? The survey reveals adoption rose from just 13 percent in 2011 to 74 percent today.Security: A major concern in&amp;nbsp;moving to the cloud.However, theres another finding that caught my eye. Nearly 50% of respondents cited security as one of their major concerns in&amp;nbsp;moving to the cloud. In fact, a report unveiled at the&amp;nbsp;RSA Conference&amp;nbsp;earlier this year showed a similar finding. In that report, 54% of organizations&amp;nbsp;cited security concerns as their biggest barrier to adopting cloud services.That concern, by the way, is merited. Most businesses consider contracts, partner agreements, sales presentations and other enterprise content as intellectual property to be protected at all costs. Yet every day, employees unwittingly put that content at risk by storing it in consumer cloud storage services like Dropbox.And its not just consumer cloud services creating security headaches. Employees stuff content in multiple unsecured places (hard drives, shared drives, and thumb drives  not to mention mobile devices they use outside the office). Even companies who have allegedly &quot;standardized&quot; on SharePoint have challenges with employees who pull content out of SharePoint to work with that content. But can you really blame employees? They are doing so out of sheer necessity, because their companies are not making it easy for them to do the right thing.Why are employees going rogue with content?Because content is almost always attached to business processes. Ultimately, you have to do more than just store and share content  you have to&amp;nbsp;put content to work. And that's a really hard problem to solve. You could argue that its the big reason why content is the last big enterprise category to move to the cloud.ConclusionIll close with another bright spot from the North Bridge survey: 49% of respondents are using the cloud for revenue_generating activities. If youre not using the cloud that way out of security concerns, lets talk. SpringCM provides robust&amp;nbsp;security&amp;nbsp;to help your IT group relax with a user experience your teams will fall in love with.I believe that next years North Bridge survey will show that companies are making even more aggressive moves to the cloud, in part because companies like SpringCM understand&amp;nbsp;enterprise_class security needs, and how to help companies get things done. Thats when adoption becomes not just acceptance, but total commitment.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 24 Jul 2014 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/future_of_cloud_computing</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Jul-24T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Sales Contract Chaos _ 4 Reasons Why Managing Sales Contracts Is Hard</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/sales_contract_chaos_4_reasons_why_managing_sales_contracts_is_hard</link>
        <description>You are head of sales for a B2B company.&amp;nbsp; Your marketing team is managing the lead process in salesforce.com or another CRM, your sales team converted a lead to an opportunity, and worked the account plan process just the way you drew it up.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Great news, you&amp;rsquo;ve been selected!&amp;nbsp; Now it&amp;rsquo;s time to turn intent into revenue by creating a contract that the prospect and your company agree on, and get it signed.</description>
        <content:encoded>You are head of sales for a B2B company.&amp;nbsp; Your marketing team is managing the lead process in salesforce.com or another CRM, your sales team converted a lead to an opportunity, and worked the account plan process just the way you drew it up.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Great news, youve been selected!&amp;nbsp; Now its time to turn intent into revenue by creating a contract that the prospect and your company agree on, and get it signed.Ironically, right when youre closest to revenue is often the part that can be the most chaotic.&amp;nbsp; Why?&amp;nbsp; Here are 4 reasons to consider:Contracts are a Big Part of the Sales Cycle.&amp;nbsp; In theory, the hard work is done, but according to Aberdeen,&amp;nbsp;sales contracts&amp;nbsp;can be up to 18% of the total effort in a sales cycle, particularly for industries such as high tech, financial services and insurance, and other industries with negotiated agreements.&amp;nbsp; In industries such as consulting services, business services, travel and entertainment, and media, the contract is really an order form where the scope and nature of the products and services are not standard, but are defined in the agreement.&amp;nbsp;There may be multiple agreements involved a software license and statement of work for services, or a product sales agreement and installation and services agreementeach of which needs to be created, reviewed, approved and signed, and all of which must work together.&amp;nbsp; So while contracts are a big part of the process, typical marketing and sales processesand the CRM systems that support themdont reflect this and you run into sales contract process challenges. &amp;nbsp;More Players.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The sales contract process brings a new cast of players into the process.&amp;nbsp; Sales operations now may be front and center on getting a completed contract to the prospect.&amp;nbsp; Legal may also play a role in negotiated agreements.&amp;nbsp; Engineering, product management or customer service may also need to get involved if non_standard products, services, or terms are involved.&amp;nbsp; This means bigger challenges in organizing, prioritizing and collaborating to get the right agreements completed, to the prospect and signed.The Prospect.&amp;nbsp; More prospect stakeholders may be involved, whose incentives, priorities and availability will not coincide with yours, further complicating managing the process.&amp;nbsp; Most sales executives have experiences where missing a window of time with a procurement manager means a delay of weeks or more.Your CRM Doesn't Understand Documents.&amp;nbsp; Contracts are documents.&amp;nbsp; CRM applications like salesforce.com may have some ability to store and share documents, but they're more about transactions, and dont typically manage&amp;nbsp;documents&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;document workflows.&amp;nbsp; Also, many of the players at this stage like the prospect, legal and engineering are likely not users of your CRM.&amp;nbsp; So while your process and coordination challenges have gone up, your CRM probably doesnt help you managing the contracts themselves, and doesnt connect you effectively with all the stakeholders.You may have other reasons in your organization, but these are some of the main reasons we hear from sales executives why managing the last steps of the sales cycle can be contract chaos, creating issues such as&amp;nbsp;lack of contract visibility, reduced&amp;nbsp;sales productivity&amp;nbsp;and increased compliance issues. For more on this topic, check out&amp;nbsp;It's Quarter_End _ Do&amp;nbsp;You Know Where Your Sales Contracts Are? </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 13 Aug 2014 22:10:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/sales_contract_chaos_4_reasons_why_managing_sales_contracts_is_hard</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Aug-13T22:10:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract management statistics for sales leaders</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_statistics_for_sales_leaders</link>
        <description>Contract Management is often confused with solutions that simply generate documents. A full_featured contract management solution minimizes risk while automating and streamlining each step of a contract&amp;rsquo;s life for both inbound and outbound transactions.Chances are if you&amp;rsquo;re worried about your contract workflow, then you&amp;rsquo;re probably too busy to casually read analyst reports or industry research. Luckily, Aberdeen or Forrester generally author our beach reads.</description>
        <content:encoded>Contract Management is often confused with solutions that simply generate documents. A full_featured contract management solution minimizes risk while automating and streamlining each step of a contracts life for both inbound and outbound transactions.Chances are if youre worried about your contract workflow, then youre probably too busy to casually read analyst reports or industry research. Luckily, Aberdeen or Forrester generally author our beach reads.Contract management statsBelow are a few interesting stats to help you better understand how investing in a contract management solution can save money, delight prospective and current customers and support company business goals.Contract approval time drops an average of 82% with the use of a Contract Management solution (Source: Aberdeen)&amp;nbsp;Tweet this stat.90% renewal rates were seen by companies using Contract Lifecycle Management solutions (Source: Aberdeen)&amp;nbsp;Tweet this stat.3.4 Weeks  Average amount of time it takes to create and approve a contract (Source: Forrester)Tweet this stat.20,000_40,000  Average number of contracts per organization (Source: Price Waterhouse Coopers)Tweet this stat.85% of companies are using manual processes to manage sales contracts (Source: Aberdeen).&amp;nbsp;Tweet this stat.Based on these stats, Contract Lifecycle Management is an investment that can add a lot of value to your company.What to look for in a contract management solutionSome of you might already understand the value of contract management solutions, but how do you know which solution is right for your companys needs? Here are some key differentiators that set true contract management solutions apart from contract generation software.Sales Team ProductivityA full_featured Contract Management (CM) solution will save your sales team time beyond contract generation. Everyone knows theres more to closing a deal than sending off a document with a dotted line. The best CM solutions will provide all relevant parties _ sales, legal and prospective client _ with real_time tracking of important documents. This way, your sales team spends more time selling and less time chasing down documents.Increased VisibilityWhether youre working in simple transactions or complex, highly negotiated contracts, any changes need to be tracked. This especially saves your legal team time, as tracked changes eliminate the need to do side_by_side comparisons, as is common in more manual contract management processes. Beyond that, a full_featured CM should provide leadership with insight into all contracts in progress. They can use this perspective to identify bottlenecks at a high level and make tactical decisions to ensure revenue continues to grow.Risk ReductionThe executive benefit to having a full_featured contract management solution cannot be overstated. Not only are you able to provide more selling time back to your sales team, and keep a close eye on contracts in play, but youre able to ensure that risks associated unauthorized or unregulated contracts are mitigated.The Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) Process can be complex with plenty of places for contracts to hide. &amp;nbsp;Even simple processes can be difficult to track. &amp;nbsp;Many contracts require more than a single round trip, and more steps mean longer sales cycle and productivity killers. &amp;nbsp;Whether youre in sales, legal or an executive leader, youll be more productive and more profitable leveraging a contract management solution.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Sun, 07 Sep 2014 21:24:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_statistics_for_sales_leaders</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Sep-07T21:24:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract Management: 3 ways to add value to Salesforce</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_3_ways_to_add_value_to_salesforce</link>
        <description>There are plenty of important documents in the cloud today. Businesses continue to turn to the cloud to solve complex process pains, and contracts lifecycle management is moving to the forefront.</description>
        <content:encoded>There are plenty of important documents in the cloud today. Businesses continue to turn to the cloud to solve complex process pains, and contracts lifecycle management is moving to the forefront.Unlike some content pains, the&amp;nbsp;contract process&amp;nbsp;is unique. It includes both internal and external teams, which requires any solution youre using to be flexible. &amp;nbsp;Salesforce is the dominant CRM solution, used by more than 200,000 companies to manage customer data. And while they are excellent at handling customer data, their platform isnt the best for contract management.According to a recent&amp;nbsp;report from Nucleus Research, here are some key areas where contract management solutions add value to Salesforce.1. Sales Reps know where contracts areNothing kills productivity like a salesperson hunting for&amp;nbsp;approvals and signatures. Instead of allowing pending deals to distract from deals still in the pipeline, invest in a CM solution that provides insight into contract status, so theres no more mystery and sales teams can get back to selling.2. Legal teams arent reinventing the wheel with each reviewEveryone knows lawyers love red pens. They also arent usually set up to use Salesforce. So a lot of edits, and no access to your CRM system means youre putting a lot of delicate content into email threads, with little to no insight as to the most recent version. A CM within Salesforce should allow access to non_SF users like legal teams while tracking changes to the contract.3. Customers are editing contracts on the same platform as your teamWhile wed all like our&amp;nbsp;customers&amp;nbsp;to be up and running immediately, the fact is most deals require at least a little negotiating. If you have to compare and review contracts instead of seeing changes automatically tracked, youre losing countless hours of productivity that could be spent closing more business.According to the Nucleus report, sales teams utilizing a&amp;nbsp;full_featured Contract Management Solution&amp;nbsp;like SpringCM in conjunction with Salesforce have the best results. These companies see significantly decreased time spent generating contracts and searching for the latest version or status of a document because they never have to leave Salesforce. Think about running an entire contract process from within your Salesforce instance. Now compare that vision to you digging through dozens e_mail attachments. &amp;nbsp;But this solution pairing doesnt just benefit sales teams.Legal teams&amp;nbsp;have sped up the contract review and approval processes by leveraging locked templates and customizable fields; as a result, attorneys no longer spend extra time reviewing each line of a document ensuring clauses and paragraphs havent been modified or removed by quick_moving sales teams.Now that is something we can all get excited about! </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 10 Sep 2014 21:29:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_3_ways_to_add_value_to_salesforce</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Sep-10T21:29:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Is your legal team stalling your sales contracts? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/is_your_legal_team_stalling_your_sales_contracts</link>
        <description>Contracts and lawyers. Together, the two words&amp;nbsp;trigger groans, sobs and personal accounts of contract hell. While people usually have plenty of sympathy for non_legal participants in the contract process, rarely do they consider how terrible the contract process might be for lawyers and legal teams alike.With organizations producing an average of&amp;nbsp;20,000_40,000 contracts, it&amp;rsquo;s no wonder legal teams are treading water in an ocean of contract frustration.Here are three common misconceptions about a lawyer&amp;rsquo;s role in contract management,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;how simple fixes can save your company both time and budget when closing deals.</description>
        <content:encoded>Contracts and lawyers. Together, the two words&amp;nbsp;trigger groans, sobs and personal accounts of contract hell. While people usually have plenty of sympathy for non_legal participants in the contract process, rarely do they consider how terrible the contract process might be for lawyers and legal teams alike.With organizations producing an average of&amp;nbsp;20,000_40,000 contracts, its no wonder legal teams are treading water in an ocean of contract frustration.Here are three common misconceptions about a lawyers role in contract management,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;how simple fixes can save your company both time and budget when closing deals.1. Lawyers have full visibility into every aspect of the contract processYouve probably heard that Justice is blind. While this is great for the courtroom, its terrible for your contract management process.&amp;nbsp;Lawyers have limited visibility  especially if they are working with a piecemeal Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) solution. While any capable CLM can integrate with your organizations CRM (like Salesforce), in todays budget_friendly business environment, many organizations choose not to purchase CRM licenses for their legal teams. Without that access, lawyers are only able to view where the contract is once theyre invited to take action.The solution?&amp;nbsp;Its definitely not buying more seats. Thats putting Band_Aids on chicken pox. Instead,&amp;nbsp;invest in a tool that embeds within your CRM but exists outside of it as well. This way, your lawyers can track contracts without forcing your sales team out of your CRM. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;2. Most lawyers have a well_functioning processMore often than not, your current general counsel didnt create their process for contract management. If youre in sales, you can relate to this common problem of process inheritance. Instead of fixing it, though, it becomes another instance of, Weve always done it this way. Without a well_functioning process, legal teams become frustrated. Even simple processes like capturing the most up_to_date versions of contracts become complicated. Many contracts require more than one round of negotiation and review. Without a well_functioning process, these extra steps become productivity killers. &amp;nbsp;The solution?&amp;nbsp;While theres no one_size_fits_all contract process, its important to start with something foundational. You cant change a process until you standardize it for all users. While youre standardizing your process, its crucial to invest in a solution that is automated and will consistently add efficiency to your process. Automation is key; otherwise youll be weighed down with manual processes and 27_plus steps in winning a single contract. &amp;nbsp; 3. Lawyers ensure that contracts are secureHow many times have you lost an important email and spent minutes frantically digging through spam folders, archives and your (far from zero) inbox? Given that people just had to reactivate their fantasy football accounts, this scenario probably hits home for most.&amp;nbsp;Now, how many times have you sent or received a contract via email? You thought that was the norm, didnt you?&amp;nbsp;But sending contracts via email greatly increases the risk of&amp;nbsp;losing&amp;nbsp;your document. Lost contracts lead to unhappy clients and, often, lost revenue. Now imagine trying to find the right version of a particular contract when its time to renew. Too much revenue is being lost when sales teams and legal treat contracts like any other email attachment.&amp;nbsp;The solution?&amp;nbsp;Use a solution that actually hosts your contract and related data.&amp;nbsp;Most cloud companies will host and secure their customers data. Combined with multiple levels of facility and network redundancy, this ensures that customer data&amp;nbsp;is secure and readily available.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;ConclusionThe simple fix? A robust Contract Lifecycle Management solution that accounts for visibility, productivity and risk mitigation.We can all agree that&amp;nbsp;the pressure to increase the productivity of your sales team,&amp;nbsp;including supporting players like lawyers, has never been higher. Now that youve debunked these three contract management misconceptions, youre one step closer to a productive and (relatively) painless contract lifecycle. &amp;nbsp;Your turn: Whats holding up your contracts? Wed love to hear about your experience in the comments below. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 16 Sep 2014 12:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/is_your_legal_team_stalling_your_sales_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Sep-16T12:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 e_Signature features necessary for contract management </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/esignature_features_contract_management</link>
        <description>What is your sales team's favorite part of selling? &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;The signature!&amp;nbsp; As the famous movie quote states: &amp;ldquo;Because only one thing counts in this life: Get them to sign on the line which is dotted.&amp;rdquo;At the end of any contract process there is a signature &amp;ndash; could be many, could be one, but without it, you don&amp;rsquo;t have an agreement. There are plenty of e_signature platforms out there that make it easy to sign on the dotted line from your computer or mobile device. It&amp;rsquo;s great, it&amp;rsquo;s secure and it&amp;rsquo;s convenient. But when it comes to an enterprise_class contract management&amp;nbsp;solution, what are some of the e_signature features you should be looking for?</description>
        <content:encoded>What is your sales team's favorite part of selling? &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;The signature!&amp;nbsp; As the famous movie quote states: Because only one thing counts in this life: Get them to sign on the line which is dotted.At the end of any contract process there is a signature  could be many, could be one, but without it, you dont have an agreement. There are plenty of e_signature platforms out there that make it easy to sign on the dotted line from your computer or mobile device. Its great, its secure and its convenient. But when it comes to an enterprise_class contract management&amp;nbsp;solution, what are some of the e_signature features you should be looking for?Here are 3 eSignature features necessary for contract management:1. Customizable signing fieldsOne of the most popular features I hear about in conversations with customers and partners is the ability to customize the location of signing fields. Your team spends a lot of time designing your forms and other documents, youll want to make sure that they get signed, initialed, etc. in the right locations.&amp;nbsp; Being able to quickly position fields via drag and drop is a huge time saver and allows you to create the professional look and feel you want the signing experience to have.2. Multiple signersEver hear the old proverb It takes a village?&amp;nbsp;Every sales executive knows it can take that same village to approve a contract, and every member of that village has to sign off on the contract before you can count it as a won deal. Instead of having to send off unique instances of the same document to all the&amp;nbsp;different players, its crucial to productivity that your e_signature solution is able to account for multiple&amp;nbsp;signers on the same document in the necessary order.3. CC capabilityAnother favorite saying of mine is, The left hand doesnt know what the right hand is doing.&amp;nbsp; Ever have an experience like this?&amp;nbsp; It can happen all the time in contract approval processes.&amp;nbsp; Heres one typical situation.&amp;nbsp; As a sales rep, you work with a person in the early portion of the sales cycle; but more times than not, a different person needs to sign the agreement. A Cc capability becomes extremely useful in a situation like this; the rep sends the document to the appropriate person for their signature, while at the same time adding his contact as a Cc.&amp;nbsp; Essentially enabling an FYI to his contact so that he knows when the contract was sent and can follow up with the signer to make sure things go smoothly.&amp;nbsp; A powerful tool to keep everyone in the loop.There are a number of eSignature providers offering capabilities like these.&amp;nbsp; SpringCM partners with two of the best: EchoSign and DocuSign.&amp;nbsp; In fact, with our latest release that went out, we added the ability to do all of the above directly from SpringCM as part of a contract or other document process.&amp;nbsp;Check it out! </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 18 Sep 2014 12:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/esignature_features_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Sep-18T12:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Lessons learned running a cloud company in your 50s</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/lessons_learned_running_a_cloud_software_company_in_your_50s</link>
        <description>The median age for all workers in the U.S. economy is 42.3_years_old. Now consider that Facebook, Google, Zynga, and AOL have a median age of 30 years or younger. &amp;nbsp;As this New York Times article states, technology workers are really young. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) &amp;nbsp;I'm in my 50s, and I'm running a cloud software company. Many VC's would consider me too old or &quot;past my prime&quot;, but I've learned that it's a cyclical thing.&amp;nbsp;When we are in a bubble, everyone wants to hire 20_somethings with great vision and passion. When that bubble bursts, there's usually a rush to bring back experienced generals.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>The median age for all workers in the U.S. economy is 42.3_years_old. Now consider that Facebook, Google, Zynga, and AOL have a median age of 30 years or younger. &amp;nbsp;As this New York Times article states, technology workers are really young. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) &amp;nbsp;I'm in my 50s, and I'm running a cloud software company. Many VC's would consider me too old or &quot;past my prime&quot;, but I've learned that it's a cyclical thing.&amp;nbsp;When we are in a bubble, everyone wants to hire 20_somethings with great vision and passion. When that bubble bursts, there's usually a rush to bring back experienced generals.&amp;nbsp;While there are plenty of excellent books on entrepreneurship and running companies, the fact of the matter is none of them can take the place of real experience. Experience _ tested ability _ is the difference between a great idea and a product that changes the lives of customers on a daily basis.&amp;nbsp;Technology advances have helped us live more productively and stay better informed.When I was in school, there were no PC's, no cell phones and certainly no internet. Technology advances have helped us live more productively and stay better informed. But when I consider the technology that gives me the most pleasure, it's an easy choice. I love my iTunes account and the surrounding ecosystem of gadgets and services.&amp;nbsp;I can still remember what initiated me as a music lover__ both recorded and live. My 6th grade music teacher didn't just teach the classics, jazz, and blues, but played LP's in the class, and had us sing the songs and learn the beat. Knowing exactly when to come in with vocals on Chicago's 25, or 6 to 4, is no small feat. I went on to see&amp;nbsp;Led Zeppelin live twice in the 70's, which gives me street cred with the employees, though doing little to knock any years off my age __&amp;nbsp;nor Robert Plants for that matter.My friends and I used to spend hours recording music to 8 tracks and cassette tapes. We'd challenge ourselves to compose perfect compilations that would score the varied moments of our lives,&amp;nbsp;with particular focus on hitting just the right lag_time between songs. What a chore. Now, it takes me all of 5 minutes to drag and drop a Playlist for 70's Classics or Greg's Car Playlist September 2014.&amp;nbsp;How does this relate to running a cloud software company in your 50s?My life experience has afforded me the opportunity to experience the evolution of technology. It has given me a unique perspective on where we've been, and where we're going. Manual efforts like putting together a true mix_tape used to take entire evenings, now I can pull together a quick playlist while walking to my car.&amp;nbsp;Software companies used to sell complex software that would take years to install, customize, implement, and adopt.&amp;nbsp;Like my music, the Cloud collapses this process into days or weeks.&amp;nbsp;And, we continue to drive rapid advancement towards greater automation and integration between cloud systems. More than ever, it's vital to keep in mind the manual processes we are updating. Without that context, we run the risk of forgetting about the user. Not every process has to be a labor of love, but we can't lose sight of the purpose of that task as we strive to make it more efficient or productive.&amp;nbsp;There's a lot to love about being in cloud software when you're in your 50s. Going to work is easy: I love&amp;nbsp;my company, I love the team, I love our&amp;nbsp;products&amp;nbsp;and I love the&amp;nbsp;customers&amp;nbsp;that keep us coming back each day.&amp;nbsp;From where I sit, the future of tech looks pretty bright.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 24 Sep 2014 12:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/lessons_learned_running_a_cloud_software_company_in_your_50s</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Sep-24T12:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Moving to Cloud Computing: Why HTTP tracing tools are essential</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/moving_to_cloud_computing</link>
        <description>A few years ago, I read an article in InfoWorld by Paul Venezia&amp;nbsp;(@pvenezia) that covered some interesting topics:&amp;nbsp;Most bottlenecks and related issues can be diagnosed by going to the packet tracePacket tracing Ethernet is becoming a &quot;dark art&quot;and we need to encourage teams to keep these skills honedI've been delivering enterprise, browser_based applications for 15 years now. As I get more involved in our larger client implementations, I'm finding this observation holds true for HTTP tracing.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>A few years ago, I read an article in InfoWorld by Paul Venezia&amp;nbsp;(@pvenezia) that covered some interesting topics:&amp;nbsp;Most bottlenecks and related issues can be diagnosed by going to the packet tracePacket tracing Ethernet is becoming a &quot;dark art&quot;and we need to encourage teams to keep these skills honedI've been delivering enterprise, browser_based applications for 15 years now. As I get more involved in our larger client implementations, I'm finding this observation holds true for HTTP tracing.&amp;nbsp;A network administrator, or help desk technician, is now at the forefront of optimizing the cloud for business applications.&amp;nbsp;With great cloud solutions comes great responsibility...It used to be that a help desk tech could walk the floor and work with employees on troubleshooting local client_server software, e.g., email clients, CRM, HR software, ERP software, ticketing systems and so on.&amp;nbsp;These systems were on fast networks behind corporate firewalls that eliminated a lot of the variables that are now in_play with cloud technology. Now that same team is supporting employees that may be working with many browser_based applications connected to public or private cloud applications...a shift that requires the use of new tools.&amp;nbsp;HTTP tracing is just for front_end software developers, right?Not necessarily.&amp;nbsp;Yes, about 80% of the results from an HTTP trace is only useful for the developer who's writing the application. However, it's incredibly useful for diagnosing why a page is slow in a browser, or why desktop sync clients are having latency issues.&amp;nbsp;HTTP tracing allows you to see:Where lag_time is being spentAny errors on certain hostsBad browser cachesFirewall obstructionISP issuesDNS issuesBad browser render timeEtc.&amp;nbsp;There are a number of tools to collect captures. Most browsers nowadays will have a quick shortcut to trace web pages. Oftentimes, it's as simple as enabling &quot;Developer Tools&quot; and hitting F12. These tools offer an ability to export traces into a JSON or XML format that can be read by tools such as Fiddler, Charles, HTTPWatch and other HAR viewers.&amp;nbsp;With these tools, the help desk techs and network admins can review them offline, attach them to tickets, or share them with your vendors. This dramatically accelerates time to resolution and oftentimes identifies unhealthy machines, reveals issues with corporate VPN tunnels, pinpoints resource constraints in a VDI (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure), uncovers bottlenecks in local networks or trouble with an ISP.Know your browser, leverage cloud computingA better understanding of what a browser is doing will inevitably make moving to the cloud a more rewarding experience. Companies that embrace the cloud, and that have IT teams who develop cloud_related skills, will see a smoother transition to the cloud than those that don't. They'll save money on implementations, have better user experiences and fully realize the potential of the cloud.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Image Source:&amp;nbsp;http://dentonmattt.tumblr.com/post/48790580995&amp;nbsp;on Tumblr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 26 Sep 2014 11:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/moving_to_cloud_computing</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Sep-26T11:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What Will Predictive Content Look Like One Year From Today?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_will_predictive_content_look_like_one_year_from_today</link>
        <description>Sales and marketing teams are frustrated. Although we all say we're breaking down the silos, the truth is the two teams are often at odds. Sales is frustrated because they can't get the necessary content to help them close deals. Marketing is frustrated because the content they've created often sits and collects digital dust. Sound familiar? If this is a problem within your organization, you're not alone. Lost sales productivity and marketing misalignment costs companies at least $1 trillion a year. (Source: here)</description>
        <content:encoded>Sales and marketing teams are frustrated. Although we all say we're breaking down the silos, the truth is the two teams are often at odds. Sales is frustrated because they can't get the necessary content to help them close deals. Marketing is frustrated because the content they've created often sits and collects digital dust. Sound familiar? If this is a problem within your organization, you're not alone. Lost sales productivity and marketing misalignment costs companies at least $1 trillion a year. (Source: here)Before we dive into predicting what predictive content will look like one year from today, let's start by defining what we mean by predictive content. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;What is predictive content?I asked one of the experts, Jim Lundy, CEO and Lead Analyst at Aragon Research. Jim said, &quot;Predictive&amp;nbsp;content&amp;nbsp;is the ability of a software application to recognize what the user is doing and sliver the right&amp;nbsp;content,&amp;nbsp;in the context of the work or activity that's being done. In sales, this means showing and/or recommending the right&amp;nbsp;content,&amp;nbsp;such as brochures, collateral, and videos.&quot;&amp;nbsp;What will predictive content look like one year from today?&amp;nbsp;Aragon Research predicts that, by the end of 2015, 50% of sales enablement software will have&amp;nbsp;predictive&amp;nbsp;capabilities.&amp;nbsp;Why is this so important? While everyone is talking about the importance of content, few are talking about the challenges that having all this content brings. Quite frankly, you can have the greatest content in the world, but if your sales team can't find it, it's useless.You need the right tools to make that content available to the right people, at the right place, in the right time.What should you look for in predictive content tools?Effective predictive content tools should fit your businesses needs. These might include the different stages of selling, such as:Discovery: A great tool will provide things like questionnaires, surveys and checklists to help sales reps pinpoint a selling opportunity and value proposition.Development: Your marketing team will definitely be on board with this one __ a well_functioning predictive content tool will put things like white papers, case studies, ebooks and more at your sales reps' fingertips. From there, they'll be able to quickly distribute the content to their prospects.&amp;nbsp;Proposal: An effective predictive content tool will provide proposal templates and push best_practice proposals (from similar opportunities that have been won).It's important to note: a good tool should be customizable. The use cases mentioned, above, are examples.&amp;nbsp;As you're evaluating the tool that works best for you and your team, be sure to ask lots of questions. And, rely on the experts __ the predictive content software that you choose to use should include a team of&amp;nbsp;implementation experts, who will work with you to capture requirements, configure the software, provide training and get you live in days (not weeks or months).Your turn: what do&amp;nbsp;you think predictive content will look like one year from today?&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 30 Sep 2014 12:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_will_predictive_content_look_like_one_year_from_today</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Sep-30T12:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What is predictive content?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/infographic_what_is_predictive_content</link>
        <description>We are surrounded by more content than any one person could possibly know what to do with. Not only is sales responsible for researching, contextualizing and aligning with the pains of a potential client, but we also expect them to dig through content graveyards in the hopes of ressurrecting the right piece of compelling collateral. (Brace yourself for ghoul_themed wordplay for the next thrity one days.)&amp;nbsp;But what if we aligned activities we&amp;nbsp;need sales to do _ keeping our CRM and other data_centric systems populated with the most accurate, up_to_date information _ with tools sales&amp;nbsp;needs to close new business? Like it or not, the best sales people are needs_driven and opportunistic. Predictive content lines up your needs with the most strategic assets sales people need to close business. This way you're not appealing to the carrot and the stick, but creating a mutually beneficial relationship that drives key business results.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>We are surrounded by more content than any one person could possibly know what to do with. Not only is sales responsible for researching, contextualizing and aligning with the pains of a potential client, but we also expect them to dig through content graveyards in the hopes of ressurrecting the right piece of compelling collateral. (Brace yourself for ghoul_themed wordplay for the next thrity one days.)&amp;nbsp;But what if we aligned activities we&amp;nbsp;need sales to do _ keeping our CRM and other data_centric systems populated with the most accurate, up_to_date information _ with tools sales&amp;nbsp;needs to close new business? Like it or not, the best sales people are needs_driven and opportunistic. Predictive content lines up your needs with the most strategic assets sales people need to close business. This way you're not appealing to the carrot and the stick, but creating a mutually beneficial relationship that drives key business results.&amp;nbsp;The brilliant minds&amp;nbsp;at Aragon Resarch have put together this great infographic highlighting what you NEED to know about predicitve content.&amp;nbsp;Tweet&amp;nbsp;// // Share this Image On Your Site&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Please include attribution to www.springcm.com with this graphic.&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href='http://blog.springcm.com/what_is_predictive_content_infographic'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;img src='http://go.springcm.com/hs_fs/hub/411038/file_1736230943_jpeg/v3_infographic_.jpeg' alt='what_is_predictive_content' width='2011' border='0' /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;  &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;//  </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 01 Oct 2014 12:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/infographic_what_is_predictive_content</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-01T12:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How well do you know the Full House theme song lyrics?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_well_do_you_know_the_full_house_theme_song_lyrics</link>
        <description>With Dreamforce less than one week away, the SpringCM Dreamforce Team is&amp;nbsp;staging a blog takeover. From now through next Thursday, all our posts&amp;nbsp;will be Dreamforce_related. As 140,000 people make their way to San Francisco, what better way to prepare for the trip than testing your Full House knowledge? Have mercy!</description>
        <content:encoded>With Dreamforce less than one week away, the SpringCM Dreamforce Team is&amp;nbsp;staging a blog takeover. From now through next Thursday, all our posts&amp;nbsp;will be Dreamforce_related. As 140,000 people make their way to San Francisco, what better way to prepare for the trip than testing your Full House knowledge? Have mercy!&amp;nbsp; </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 07 Oct 2014 16:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_well_do_you_know_the_full_house_theme_song_lyrics</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-07T16:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How NCR was saved by the cloud</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_saved_ncr</link>
        <description>How your&amp;nbsp;company&amp;nbsp;handles the&amp;nbsp;contracts lifecycle says a lot to your customers about their upcoming experience working with your company. Some questions your contracts process answers:How well can you get me onboarded?Can you make it easy for me to continue the relationship?All of these&amp;nbsp;questions can be&amp;nbsp;summed up in one:&amp;nbsp;Are you a good partner when it comes to the contracts process?</description>
        <content:encoded>How your&amp;nbsp;company&amp;nbsp;handles the&amp;nbsp;contracts lifecycle says a lot to your customers about their upcoming experience working with your company. Some questions your contracts process answers:How well can you get me onboarded?Can you make it easy for me to continue the relationship?All of these&amp;nbsp;questions can be&amp;nbsp;summed up in one:&amp;nbsp;Are you a good partner when it comes to the contracts process?NCR was&amp;nbsp;drowning in contract&amp;nbsp;administrationNCR knows all about this. The company tried to manage partner contracts via email but that created lengthy, complex communications. Steve Lorenzen,&amp;nbsp;channel operations specialist at NCR puts it simply: &quot;We were drowning in contract&amp;nbsp;administration&amp;nbsp;work.&quot;&amp;nbsp;NCR's Channel Operations team simplified its complex partner relationships by moving to SpringCM and integrating SpringCM with its Salesforce.com instance. Using the combination, NCR created a self_service portal for partners to streamline the sign_on process, including contract templates and workflow to automate contract approval processes.1to1 media, a&amp;nbsp;customer experience publication, featured NCR's transformative story in an&amp;nbsp;article,&amp;nbsp;Collaborating in the Cloud.&amp;nbsp;Summing up the benefits of moving to the cloud, Steve added:&quot;Moving to the cloud allowed us to overcome those [logistical and administrative] barriers,&quot; he says. &quot;Now we provide an exceptional partner_facing contract experience and we're able to focus on growing our program and leveraging our innovative technology solutions to expand revenue opportunities with new and existing partners&quot;.&amp;nbsp;Now it's your turn: How does your contract management process&amp;nbsp;impact the way that you do business?&amp;nbsp;Image source: Sanak Glgen on Flickr&amp;nbsp; </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 08 Oct 2014 12:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_saved_ncr</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-08T12:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>10 Twitter accounts you need to follow during Dreamforce</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/10_twitter_accounts_you_need_to_follow_during_dreamforce</link>
        <description>Dreamforce is next week and the Twitters are packed with compelling&amp;nbsp;hashtags and hyperlinks. While we all like to pretend we have the mental&amp;nbsp;capacity&amp;nbsp;of a dozen rocket scientists, in reality we need to choose carefully what we pay attention to during this crucial week. Luckily, your good friends at SpringCM have culled the Twittersphere to pull&amp;nbsp;the best accounts for you to follow at Dreamforce this year!</description>
        <content:encoded>Dreamforce is next week and the Twitters are packed with compelling&amp;nbsp;hashtags and hyperlinks. While we all like to pretend we have the mental&amp;nbsp;capacity&amp;nbsp;of a dozen rocket scientists, in reality we need to choose carefully what we pay attention to during this crucial week. Luckily, your good friends at SpringCM have culled the Twittersphere to pull&amp;nbsp;the best accounts for you to follow at Dreamforce this year!You're welcome. &amp;nbsp;Tweet&amp;nbsp;your way to Dreamforce successSo who are The Chosen? Glad you asked.&amp;nbsp;1. Marc BenioffDreamforce setting new records already! Raising $8M for @UCSFChildrens! Over 135K registered to attend! pic.twitter.com/X6D5TYNim6 Marc Benioff (@Benioff) October 8, 2014If you're attending Dreamforce, chances are you're familiar with Salesforce CEO, Marc Benioff. If you don't know Benioff, we hope you at least know what CRM stands for...2.&amp;nbsp;Jeff Grosse3 Reasons You Can't Miss the Service Cloud Product Keynote #df14 http://t.co/gKEzklkh1P Jeff Grosse (@CRMFYI) October 3, 2014A self_proclaimed Disney fanatic and a Salesforce MVP, Jeff brings a refreshing, and informed,&amp;nbsp;voice to the world of cloud technology.&amp;nbsp;3. will.i.amEvery middle &amp;amp; high school has a basketball court, baseball &amp;amp; football field on campus...but no coding class http://t.co/LVBTrG2IDQ #codeNOW will.i.am (@iamwill) October 9, 2014While mostly known for his days in the Black_Eye Peas and channeling Yoda, rumor has it he'll be announcing a new wearable device at Dreamforce 2014.&amp;nbsp;4. Hillary ClintonIn #SiliconValley today visiting @Google, @Facebook, &amp;amp; @Twitter. Looking forward to seeing everyone and answering some questions. Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 21, 2014Going to let the former first lady's Twitter bio do the work for me: &quot;Wife, mom, lawyer, women &amp;amp; kids advocate, FLOAR, FLOTUS, US Senator, SecState, author, dog owner, hair icon, pantsuit aficionado, glass ceiling cracker, TBD...&quot; Maybe we'll learn more about the TBD at Dreamfore.5. Koka SextonGetting ready for @Dreamforce #DF14? Download this guide [ http://t.co/0o5TmeMNKC ] pic.twitter.com/CXegavIHWL Koka Sexton (@kokasexton) October 8, 2014Koka heads up the social selling movement, which makes him a great person to watch during one of the year's biggest gathering of sales, marketing and cloud professionals. See if you can pick up any tips for closing deals via social in 2015.&amp;nbsp;6. Ken Krogue#4 on Forbes! Dreamforce: Top 10 Reasons Why People Love Salesforce And Marc Benioff http://t.co/SbAVK4hbpZ via @forbes Ken Krogue (@kenkrogue) October 9, 2014Ken is the CEO/founder of Insidesales.com&amp;nbsp;and a frequent contributor to Forbes. As with Koka, it'll be worth following Ken to see what sort of insight you can pick up for your sales and marketing initiatives in 2015.&amp;nbsp;7. Jill RowleyAt #DF14 and every event I attend. RT @salesforce: Why I Crave Content, Connections and Cocktails (by @Jill_Rowley) http://t.co/siabWqLhvw Jill Rowley (@jill_rowley) October 9, 2014You've heard that ABC stands for, &quot;Always be closing,&quot; but Jill Rowley disagrees. ABC means, &quot;Always be connecting.&quot; &amp;nbsp;8. Jeremy StoppelmanThe #DF14 community is coming together to provide 1M meals for people in need. Ill bring a can for #DFGives! http://t.co/i5E5L3T5tG Jeremy Stoppelman (@jeremys) October 9, 2014&amp;nbsp;Jeremy is the co_founder and CEO of Yelp. You know, that app that has dictated where you eat for the past few years. &amp;nbsp;9.&amp;nbsp;Brent Leary&amp;nbsp;Latest @CRM Magazine column: Sales Processes and Tools Must Adapt to Customer Behavior. http://t.co/1v0Y9vJZ8l pic.twitter.com/rzy28qrg0z Brent Leary (@BrentLeary) October 1, 2014One of the internet's favorite experts when it comes to all things CRM.&amp;nbsp;10.&amp;nbsp;Bret Rhodus and Cristina Yoon&amp;nbsp;Great #IGNITE session today at @salesforce with @LevelFive &amp;amp; @Tricension _ #NST @ExperienceNST pic.twitter.com/LLZiaOCacq Bret Rhodus (@tech4growth) October 7, 2014When #Philanthropy Is Weird http://t.co/Jc0CtPpo4K @nytimes via @pndblog Cristina Yoon (@yooncristina) September 8, 2014Bret and Cristina are two of our favorite customers and just happen to be presenting at Dreamforce this year. Bret is CMO_CTO at National Seminars Training, while Cristina is Grants Manager at the Skoll Foundation. Bret and Cristina will definitely provide you with two very unique views on CRM and Dreamforce next week!&amp;nbsp;Bret's TalkTitle:&amp;nbsp;Increase Adoption by Establishing a Clear Vision for SuccessWhen: Tuesday at 4pm and Thursday at 9am.Cristina's TalkTitle:&amp;nbsp;Next_generation GrantmakingWhen:&amp;nbsp;Thursday at 11:15am.&amp;nbsp;CONCLUSIONBy now, you've no doubt created a list of the above accounts and are marveling in all the Dreamforce goodness they are sharing. Tweet 'em, Retweet 'em and favorite 'em throughout the week, and make sure to share their brilliance with your fellow attendees.&amp;nbsp;In the meantime, make sure to pack a fleece.&amp;nbsp;See you next week ( at booth #N1117)!</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 09 Oct 2014 20:29:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/10_twitter_accounts_you_need_to_follow_during_dreamforce</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-09T20:29:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to do Dreamforce 2014 like a local</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_do_dreamforce_2014_like_a_local</link>
        <description>Update: Check out our Dreamforce 2015 Guide! San Francisco is about to be overrun by 140,000 Dreamforce attendees. Luckily, your friends at SpringCM have put together a guide to San Francisco from a local's perspective. Below is a teaser of the full &quot;Get it! Guide: San Francisco.&quot; If you're heading to San Francisco for Dreamforce next week (or plan to return for a more relaxing trip sometime in the future), you'll want to check out at least one of our three favorites below. Trust us.</description>
        <content:encoded>Update: Check out our Dreamforce 2015 Guide! San Francisco is about to be overrun by 140,000 Dreamforce attendees. Luckily, your friends at SpringCM have put together a guide to San Francisco from a local's perspective. Below is a teaser of the full &quot;Get it! Guide: San Francisco.&quot; If you're heading to San Francisco for Dreamforce next week (or plan to return for a more relaxing trip sometime in the future), you'll want to check out at least one of our three favorites below. Trust us.&amp;nbsp;Venue&amp;nbsp;1: Jamber Wine PubWhy go: The 20 wines are served on tap, as are the 10 beersall from Californiain this industrial chic former elevator repair shop. Lots of comfort food: Mr. Meatloaf, tots, chicken and waffles. And for those of you being good about your veggies: beet/spinach/avocado salad or vegan soup of the day.Address: 858 Folsom St.Neighborhood: SoMa (South of&amp;nbsp;Market St.)Approx Uber travel time from Moscone:&amp;nbsp;3 minutesClosing time: 12am&amp;nbsp;Venue&amp;nbsp;2: El FarolitoWhy go: Just. Seriously. Listen to us on this one. If you like superburritos (yes, thats one word), please go to El Farolito. No frills. Huge portions. Cash only. Look for the line out the door.&amp;nbsp;Address: 2779 Mission St. (or as locals say, right next to the 24th St. BART station)Neighborhood: The MissionApprox Uber travel time from Moscone:13 minutesClosing time: 2amVenue&amp;nbsp;3: The Mint Karaoke LoungeWhy go: Simply put, if you are born to sing, The Mint is hella fun. The sushi bar next door will deliver while you wait for your song request to come up. Remember to tip when you submit a request (if you want to hear your song before the night is over). Cash only. Nearby, just five_minute stroll south on&amp;nbsp;Market St., is Churchill (198 Church St) for cocktails in Mason jars, til 2am.Address: 1942 Market St.Neighborhood: Duboce Triangle (locals pronounce it dew_bose)Approx Uber travel time from Moscone:&amp;nbsp;10 minutesClosing time: 2am&amp;nbsp;When you're back at Moscone Center, be sure to stop by booth N1117 and meet the people behind these great recommendations.See you next week!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 10 Oct 2014 20:52:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_do_dreamforce_2014_like_a_local</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-10T20:52:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Three Dreamforce sessions every Salesforce Admin needs to attend</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/three_dreamforce_sessions_every_salesforce_admin_needs_to_attend</link>
        <description>Just days away from Dreamforce 2014, we're all busy preparing for our&amp;nbsp;biggest conference of the&amp;nbsp;year. The first year I went to Dreamforce, in 2010, there were just over&amp;nbsp;30,000 attendees. Four years later, it's projected that there will be roughly&amp;nbsp;140,000 attendees. The explosive growth of the event speaks to the quality of the networking, professional growth and impact on attendees' businesses.As a Salesforce Admin, I look forward to the networking and skills growth opportunity.</description>
        <content:encoded>Just days away from Dreamforce 2014, we're all busy preparing for our&amp;nbsp;biggest conference of the&amp;nbsp;year. The first year I went to Dreamforce, in 2010, there were just over&amp;nbsp;30,000 attendees. Four years later, it's projected that there will be roughly&amp;nbsp;140,000 attendees. The explosive growth of the event speaks to the quality of the networking, professional growth and impact on attendees' businesses.As a Salesforce Admin, I look forward to the networking and skills growth opportunity.Every year, I walk&amp;nbsp;away with key takeaways that I will actually use in my day_to_day. At&amp;nbsp;last year's conference, the&amp;nbsp;session that really resonated&amp;nbsp;with me was the keynote with Cheryl Sandberg, and the working session on LeanIn. My team and I&amp;nbsp;came back and implemented LeanIn&amp;nbsp;circles to grow personally and professionally!Dreamforce 2014:&amp;nbsp;the sessions I'm most looking forward to.This year, I'm going to focus&amp;nbsp;on &quot;Circles of Success&quot; sessions. There are literally hundreds of &quot;Circles of Success&quot; sessions. The thing I love about them is you learn from your peers. Facilitated by a member of the Salesforce Success Team, the&amp;nbsp;sessions feature a small group of peers discussing challenges and opportunities that we all face each day. They're interactive and usually&amp;nbsp;include a white boarding&amp;nbsp;exercise.Here are several &quot;Circles of Success&quot; sessions that are geared towards Salesforce Admins:1. Top Tips for AdminsMonday, 11:00 AM _ 11:40 AM at the Westin St. Francis San Francisco (Other sessions are scheduled, as well. Check the agenda builder.)This session will focus on working smarter, not harder. Attendees will learn from a&amp;nbsp;panel of industry peers, collaborate with other administrators and share&amp;nbsp;top tips on&amp;nbsp;being a Salesforce rock star.&amp;nbsp;2. Business Metrics for Your Sales Success with SalesforceTuesday, 1:00 PM _ 1:40 PM at the&amp;nbsp;San Francisco Marriott Marquis&amp;nbsp;(Other sessions are scheduled, as well. Check the agenda builder.)If you're challenged with determining the best key metrics for your organization, this session is for you. You'll walk away with ideas on what (and how) you can measure.&amp;nbsp;3.&amp;nbsp;Driving Improved Data Quality Within SalesforceThursday, 9:00 AM _ 9:40 AM at the&amp;nbsp;San Francisco Marriott Marquis&amp;nbsp;(Other sessions are scheduled, as well. Check the agenda builder.)As Salesforce Admins, we've all been challenged with the quality of data inside Salesforce.&amp;nbsp;In this session, you'll&amp;nbsp;to learn how to help improve data quality inside Salesforce and drive overall user adoption.&amp;nbsp;Your turn: What Dreamforce sessions are you planning on attending? Share in the comments, below!Got content challenges in Salesforce? We'll help you solve them all, including the really tough ones like contracts and other opportunity_related documents that bog down sales teams and frustrate customers.&amp;nbsp;Come see us in Booth N1117 in the North Hall. &amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Sat, 11 Oct 2014 17:14:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/three_dreamforce_sessions_every_salesforce_admin_needs_to_attend</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-11T17:14:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>10 tips to survive your first day at Dreamforce</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/10_tips_to_survive_your_first_day_at_dreamforce</link>
        <description>If you're new to Dreamforce, today can feel like the first day of school. You might be a&amp;nbsp;little nervous, but even more&amp;nbsp;excited, because this is going to be an incredible week! To help you launch into Dreamforce with confidence, we've compiled 10 tips to survive&amp;nbsp;your first day, so you'll know where to go, how to get there and who to go with.</description>
        <content:encoded>If you're new to Dreamforce, today can feel like the first day of school. You might be a&amp;nbsp;little nervous, but even more&amp;nbsp;excited, because this is going to be an incredible week! To help you launch into Dreamforce with confidence, we've compiled 10 tips to survive&amp;nbsp;your first day, so you'll know where to go, how to get there and who to go with.1. The easiest route from A to BAll attendee hotels have shuttle service directly to Moscone. While shuttles run all day from 6:30AM to 8:30PM, you might have to wait up to 30 minutes between the &quot;non_peak&quot; hours of 10:00AM to 4:00PM. There is another shuttle for the Dreamforce Gala with service to Civic Center Plaza at 6:15PM. Pro tip: The earlier you arrive, the smaller the crowd between you and your destination. With that in mind...2. Nab&amp;nbsp;your badge earlyArrive early Monday morning to beat the crowds to your badge! Registration desks are open at Moscone North, Moscone West and the Marriott &amp;amp; Hilton Hotel Union Square. Registration starts today at 7:00AM and closes at 8:00PM. The hours for the rest of the week are:Tuesday, October 14 7:00am _ 6:30pmWednesday, October 15 7:30am _ 6:00pm (7:00am _ 4:30pm Hilton)Thursday, October 16 8:00am _ 3:00pm3. Choose one other thingWalking into Dreamforce is like being a kid in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory _ there's so much to see and do, and just look at that everlasting&amp;nbsp;gobstopper! While much of what you can see and do is Salesforce related, we recommend choosing at least one learning opportunity&amp;nbsp;that is outside that scope to really take advantage of all this conference has to offer. You wouldn't want to miss the Dreamforce equivalent of Fizzy Lifting Drinks (though they might just serve those at the after parties).4. Grab your Get it! Guide: San Francisco from SpringCM at booth N1117 or this link&amp;nbsp;San Francisco is a magical place, with or without Dreamforce (moreso with!), and we want to help you have a great trip to one of our&amp;nbsp;favorite cities. So we put together a San Francisco Guide with local tips of our favorite watering holes, eateries,&amp;nbsp;and activities. Bonus: Visit us at our booth or download the PDF guide, and you'll be instantly entered to win a weekend getaway to anywhere in the U.S.5.&amp;nbsp;Explore San Francisco with&amp;nbsp;MuniThe easiest ways to get around San Francisco?&amp;nbsp;Muni, Uber, or your own two feet (walking tends to be quite a bit faster, this week).&amp;nbsp;Muni is San Fran's&amp;nbsp;public transportation system, which will&amp;nbsp;take you just about anywhere you'd want to go. If you're new to the area, you may want to map your route ahead of time.6. Pre_register for the sessions you want to attendDreamforce has more than 1,400 sessions and some are more popular than others. Very likely, some of those more popular ones are already on your Can't Miss List. Do yourself a favor and pre_register for the sessions you want to attend. If you registered for Dreamforce, you hopefully received an email with further details on reserving your seats.7. Map out your refueling plan of action (breakfast, lunch, dinner, water, snacks, etc.)Dreamforce isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. And, just like a marathon, you have to plan where and how to refuel so you can continue on full_speed ahead. Pro tip: Bring a refillable water bottle so you can stay hydrated if the lines at Starbucks are too long. And, use meal times to network. Breakfast is served in Yerba Buena Gardens from 7:00AM to 8:30AM on Monday and Tuesday, and from 7:30AM to 9:00AM on Wednesday and Thursday. Lunch is also served in Yerba Buena Gardens, and also at all Campus hotels, between 11:30AM and 1:30PM Monday through Thursday.&amp;nbsp;8. Allow extra time for getting placesWith roughly 140,000 Dreamforce attendees, it can take time to get places. Expect long lines at Starbucks and Jamba Juice between sessions, and if you have to meet someone on the other side of the conference center, start walking there earlier than you'd think.&amp;nbsp;9. Set aside time to network&amp;nbsp;Dreamforce isn't just sitting and listening to great minds talking from a podium _ great minds are sitting right next to you, too. Bring a full deck of business cards and get to know your neighbors! Use breaks and meal times to share notes and ideas.10. Know where you're going after_hoursWhether you're headed to after_hours Dreamforce events, one of the many parties in San Francisco, or sipping a Sonoma chardonnay&amp;nbsp;at Jamber Wine Pub with your&amp;nbsp;new friends (it's in our guide), make good use of your evenings. Even if you're exhausted, you might find that your best ideas come after sharing a bottle with a stranger you met at your favorite breakout session. But, if you don't plan your night ahead, you might just go to bed _ which is such a waste!&amp;nbsp;Like our tips or think we missed something? Stop by booth N1117 and&amp;nbsp;let us know!Image courtesy of&amp;nbsp;Jon Mountjoy&amp;nbsp;on Flickr. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 13 Oct 2014 13:34:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/10_tips_to_survive_your_first_day_at_dreamforce</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-13T13:34:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Key Takeaways from Salesforce for Marketers</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_key_takeaways_from_salesforce_for_marketers</link>
        <description>Can't be at Dreamforce this year? Or, maybe you just missed this session? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Just like when you missed a day in high school, you can use our notes to catch up.Monday&amp;nbsp;morning, presenter Woodson Martin, Chief Marketing Officer at&amp;nbsp;Salesforce, had some insight into customer acquisition and retention in his Salesforce for Marketing session at Dreamforce. Here&amp;nbsp;are 5 key takeaways:</description>
        <content:encoded>Can't be at Dreamforce this year? Or, maybe you just missed this session? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Just like when you missed a day in high school, you can use our notes to catch up.Monday&amp;nbsp;morning, presenter Woodson Martin, Chief Marketing Officer at&amp;nbsp;Salesforce, had some insight into customer acquisition and retention in his Salesforce for Marketing session at Dreamforce. Here&amp;nbsp;are 5 key takeaways:Take a holistic approach to marketing, sales and customer service.1. Blurred lines and customer successThe lines are becoming increasingly blurred between sales, service and marketing teams when it comes to customer interactions. Now, it's more important than ever for different factions to work together to create a holistic, consistent approach to the customer relationship. From the first touch as a prospect to the day_to_day of being an end_user, companies need to leverage cloud technologies and data to inform the way they nurture and support the success of customers.2. Nix the silo fixWhen one team exists entirely within one product, without considering the valuable, relevant&amp;nbsp;information that goes unshared within that product, its a silo fix. And, its not good. To avoid falling into a silo fix, find solutions that integrate and communicate with each other. Then, constantly measure the impact of these solutions on your business.3. Service at scaleThe trick to providing terrific, personal, ridiculously good&amp;nbsp;customer service that can scale with your companys growth is to integrate solutions and share information.4. The service_to_marketing loopMartin clarifies integration by saying We want all of our service to be so good its marketing. We also want our marketing to be so good, its like customer service. Essentially, when your customer support becomes so good that customers are tweeting about how awesome you are, it becomes marketing. And thats exactly what you want.5. Connect the dots on the customer journeyAsk yourself: How do you connect with your customers? What does the customer journey look like for your ideal customers? How do they find you? Where were&amp;nbsp;they before they found&amp;nbsp;you? When you want to reach your customers like never before, you have to plan and optimize their journey from start to finish. One of the most effective ways to do that is&amp;nbsp;to&amp;nbsp;deliver personalized, meaningful content across every channel and device they are on.ConclusionThe real take_home of Martin's&amp;nbsp;session was that customers dont want to be sold to, and they dont want to wait for your customer service team to get up_to_speed on whats troubling them. The want you to meet them where they are, prove your worth, and then proactively help them to love your product. That is when marketing, service, and success become one holistic approach to long_term customer relationships.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 14 Oct 2014 14:28:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_key_takeaways_from_salesforce_for_marketers</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-14T14:28:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Key Takeaways from Current, Future Sales Ops</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_key_takeaways_from_current_future_sales_ops</link>
        <description>Joe Galvin is one of the most prominent thought leaders in the sales world, so when we saw his name attached to a Dreamforce 2014 breakout session, we signed up in a flash. His Tuesday afternoon session on Current, Future Sales Ops brought some significant issues out into the open, and got us thinking about solutions we might bring to the table.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Joe Galvin is one of the most prominent thought leaders in the sales world, so when we saw his name attached to a Dreamforce 2014 breakout session, we signed up in a flash. His Tuesday afternoon session on Current, Future Sales Ops brought some significant issues out into the open, and got us thinking about solutions we might bring to the table.&amp;nbsp;One of the main problems in sales right now is misalignment.1. Automation Still Relies on Human FactorsResearch done by Miller Heiman, a professional sales performance company, says that companies spend between $1,000 and $4,500 on Sales Force Automation tools every year _ with one goal: to increase sales productivity. While the Salesforce tools are excellent, the problem lies in the human factor.2. Current Performance Indicators Are ImperfectThe main performance indicator used is sales, but to increase sales productivity, we also have to look at infrastructure. Infrastructure, like sales enablement, sales technology, skills training and sales operations, is the framework supporting productivity and performance. By focusing solely on sales, you may miss the bigger picture.3. You Don't Know Your Sales Data As Well As You ThinkSales data is a mystery. The quality of those numbers is dependent on sales executives inputting the data correctly and honestly, when all of the incentives point to doing the opposite.&quot;I'm going to tell my sales manager what he wants to hear and only take one beating,&quot; says the sales rep. When soft_peddling the real numbers is incentivized and transparency comes with risk, you can't get an honest insight into sales data.&amp;nbsp;4. It's All ConnectedSales ops aligns with Chief Financial Officer; Sales Training aligns with HR; Sales Enablement aligns with Marketing; Sales Technology aligns with IT. They're all connected, and the more companies begin to recognize that, the better they'll be able to align their efforts.5. Misalignment May Start OnlineMarketing has rapidly gone digital, while sales is lagging behind in its attempts to digitize. Ideally, both sides should be aligned _ online and offline.ConclusionWhile sitting in session, we thought there was something missing from the conversation. We've seen that sales is measured through sales team performance, and that infrastructure is how we manage and track our impact on productivity _ but we think Joe might be missing part of the equation.What is the end_goal of all of these investments in productivity and sales performance? Winning new business, right? But the biggest drain on your productivity, from sales to legal teams, is contract management. Without a mature contract lifecycle management solution in place, your sales operations will never achieve the productivity you need to reach and exceed future goals.Yes, disconnection is slowing you down. Yes, the human factor is flawed. But we believe there is much to be gained by streamlining the most frequent processes for maximum efficiencly _ like the hundreds of contracts written, updated, sent and signed&amp;nbsp;every day.Image source:&amp;nbsp;Kristian Bjornard&amp;nbsp;on Flickr&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 15 Oct 2014 18:16:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_key_takeaways_from_current_future_sales_ops</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-15T18:16:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Data_Driven Takeaways from the Makers of Dreamforce</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_data_driven_takeaways_from_the_makers_of_dreamforce</link>
        <description>GPJ does more than 6,000 events per year, but their company description doesn't include the words &quot;event planners.&quot; No, what they do is so much more: &quot;Inspired experiences driven by results&quot; is their apt description. GPJ is an &quot;experiential marketing&quot; agency that takes a data_driven approach to making marketing a visceral experience that lasts in the hearts and minds of everyone involved.In Wednesday's breakout session Be Like Dreamforce: Tap into the Power of Data_Driven Experiential Marketing, we got a rare peek behind the curtain at the wizards themselves.</description>
        <content:encoded>GPJ does more than 6,000 events per year, but their company description doesn't include the words &quot;event planners.&quot; No, what they do is so much more: &quot;Inspired experiences driven by results&quot; is their apt description. GPJ is an &quot;experiential marketing&quot; agency that takes a data_driven approach to making marketing a visceral experience that lasts in the hearts and minds of everyone involved.In Wednesday's breakout session Be Like Dreamforce: Tap into the Power of Data_Driven Experiential Marketing, we got a rare peek behind the curtain at the wizards themselves.1. Why do Experiential Marketing?The first point speakers Steven Boyce (GPJ Sr. Director, Digital Strategy) and Scott Kellner (GPJ Experience Marketing, VP Marketing) made was that they do experiential marketing because it drives revenue. Not only is it &quot;data_driven&quot; and passion_driven, it's money_driven.2. &quot;80 percent of my job is analytics&quot;An experiential marketing campaign begins with basic data, with strategy formed around it. To start, they look at all&amp;nbsp;stages of the sales funnel to find ways to accelerate the pipeline and deepen relationships with customers and prospects (with the goal of increasing ROI). But, the question on 88 percent of peoples' minds is: &quot;How do I measure the ROI of marketing?&quot; As marketers, we have to have measurable ROI.3. Tools of the tradeAnalytics and real_time insights are generated through digital technology that is integrated into the marketing process. From those numbers, you can form a plan to create memorable brand experiences that have impact on the account_level pipeline, registrations, and other ROI markers. In short, you need the right tools to collect the right data, and you need the right data to form the right strategy.4. The proof in the puddingThe power of data_driven experiential marketing is: accelerating pipelines, deepening relationships, and increasing ROI.&amp;nbsp;5. It's all about relationshipsSteve and Scott's closing thought was this: Events are about building relationships, and better experiences create better relationships. You don't have to host a multi_day conference with thousands of people to create an experience. Every interaction you have with a customer or prospect is an experience in the making. Take advantage of each of these moments to make them positive and memorable experiences _ and that's some really great marketing.Our thoughts: Just like we try to support the experiences of our customers, we need to use data to inform the processes we expect our sales reps to follow.Your thoughts? Share 'em&amp;nbsp;in the comments below.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_data_driven_takeaways_from_the_makers_of_dreamforce</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-16T14:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The 9 Best Booths at Dreamforce14</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_9_best_booths_at_dreamforce14</link>
        <description>Maybe you spent last week along with us in the basement of the convention center in downtown San Francisco. Maybe you just wish you had. Either way, here&amp;rsquo;s a quick look at the leading brands (other than SpringCM) that creatively made the most of the moment __ and that you&amp;rsquo;ll want to spend time with next year (Sept. 15_18, FYI).A cardinal rule: Get them to stop at your booth, then make it worth their time. Some can do that on strength of personality and group demos alone &amp;ndash; the team of energetic guys in the white Nike golf shirts staffing InsideSales.com were especially effective.For everyone else, there are (yawn) mints or golf balls. But wait, before you order you</description>
        <content:encoded>Maybe you spent last week along with us in the basement of the convention center in downtown San Francisco. Maybe you just wish you had. Either way, heres a quick look at the leading brands (other than SpringCM) that creatively made the most of the moment __ and that youll want to spend time with next year (Sept. 15_18, FYI).A cardinal rule: Get them to stop at your booth, then make it worth their time. Some can do that on strength of personality and group demos alone  the team of energetic guys in the white Nike golf shirts staffing InsideSales.com were especially effective.For everyone else, there are (yawn) mints or golf balls. But wait, before you order your next huge shipment of branded giveaways for your next event, check out what these rockstars did that set them apart as most memorable to capture the most leads. In random order:1. Silverline&amp;nbsp;Genius. A master builder created Silverline's&amp;nbsp;entire desk front out of Legos. Guess closest to actual number of bricks used, and theyll build you (or your six_year_old niece) anything you want out of Legos. Note to self for next year: The correct answer was 68,127 pieces.&amp;nbsp;2. LiveOps&amp;nbsp;Notice the fine print at bottom of sign: Winner must be able to drive a stick shift. Smart lead segmentation. Now draw our name and send us to the racetrack in Sonoma (seriously) for our prize, LiveOps.&amp;nbsp;3. SurveyMonkey&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Wed love SurveyMonkey&amp;nbsp;even if they didnt integrate so perfectly with HubSpot, but we digress. They brought sketchers in from Portugal(!) to doodle in real time booth visitors and noting their favorite aspect of the week so far. Notice how they nicely captured my broad shoulders.&amp;nbsp;4. ToutApp&amp;nbsp;Clever&amp;nbsp;and interactive without needing WiFi. Complete the sentence The First Thing I Ever Sold Was. While at the ToutApp booth, you likely heard lots of stories and laughs being shared. Emotional connection at work. Sure beats a keychain wrapped in plastic.&amp;nbsp;5. Gainsight&amp;nbsp;First, Gainsight gets bonus points for breaking through the glass ceiling of foam action heroes. Next, did we mention the foam action heroes? An easy way to prompt passers_by to pause long enough to find out more about the business.&amp;nbsp;6. DocuSign&amp;nbsp;When we heard that DocuSign was&amp;nbsp;going to be making and giving away fresh juice all day, every day, we thought 1) Where do they store five tons of oranges? and then 2) Lets go get one! Turns out it arrived in bottles from Pressed Juicery (maybe youve been to their shops in Malibu or West Hollywood?), which means lot less bits of kale flying about than if theyd hauled in a Vitamix.&amp;nbsp;7. Tact&amp;nbsp;Drones were a thing at the show this year, especially as an incentive to sign up for a trial or as a raffle prize or to deliver a soda. Apparently we're not the only ones who heard Andy Borowitz say,&amp;nbsp;Theres no such thing as a bad drone. Tact went classy with this number. If they didnt draw your name, you can grab one on Amazon for about $1,200.&amp;nbsp;8. Dun &amp;amp; Bradstreet&amp;nbsp;Setting aside any pesky copyright issues, whats not to love about some Tabasco sauce? Especially when no one else thought to offer it. And look at us talking about it now. Kudos, D&amp;amp;B.&amp;nbsp;9. Salesforces Desk.com&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Forbes describes Desk.com __ customer service for small businesses __ as the beefed up reincarnation of Assistly that Salesforce bought in 2011. We describe it as having arguably the best tricked_out booth of lifestyle vignettes in Moscone North. Oh, and a blowfish mascot.&amp;nbsp;Your Turn&amp;nbsp;Which ones did we miss? Which booth treated you to the best experience? Anything influence your buying decision? Did you snare some swag that youre still talking about? Clue us in by commenting below.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 21 Oct 2014 19:27:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_9_best_booths_at_dreamforce14</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-21T19:27:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Aragon Research: "Mobile Is More Than File, Sync and Share"</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/mobile_content_management_file_sync_share</link>
        <description>It&amp;rsquo;s no secret that mobile is changing the way people access content. Just last week, industry analyst firm Aragon Research underscored this issue in a report on Mobile Content Management, saying that the shift to mobile devices is causing a change in the way content is accessed, shared and managed. And while mobile must be about securing content, it also has to allow for efficient collaboration.</description>
        <content:encoded>Its no secret that mobile is changing the way people access content. Just last week, industry analyst firm Aragon Research underscored this issue in a report on Mobile Content Management, saying that the shift to mobile devices is causing a change in the way content is accessed, shared and managed. And while mobile must be about securing content, it also has to allow for efficient collaboration.There has been a lot of focus on sharing files, but Mobile Content Management goes further to look at the spectrum of content and how it can be managed in the cloud, on mobile devices and in some cases on_premise. This means that it goes beyond File Sync and Sharing. _ Aragon Research3 takeaways from the&amp;nbsp;Mobile Content Management Globe&amp;nbsp;There is so much insight in this latest research, that it's hard to pick just three takeaways to share. But below are the three findings&amp;nbsp;that stuck with me long after I'd finished reading the&amp;nbsp;report.&amp;nbsp;1. Content needs to be manageable both inside and outside a repositoryAs sales reps continue to adopt mobile technology, it's crucial that your content strategy include more than a repository. You need a solution that allows for collaboration, while also keeping your documents secure during the BYOD (bring your own device) movement. Consider what happens to your content when it's downloaded from your repository? Is it any different than a piece of collateral that you sent as an attachment. Content needs to do more than exist.2.&amp;nbsp;Security is key to successful MCMA huge part of MCM is the BYOD movement. While some companies are providing mobile devices like tablets and smart phone for their employees, many companies still rely on BYOD. Do you really want your corporate competitive collateral living in the same Dropbox folder as your sales rep's vacation photos? While Dropbox and Box are great personal storage solutions, they weren't built for businesses. Especially from a security perspective. Make sure you have an understanding of your company's base_line security needs before you start exploring MCM solutions.&amp;nbsp;3. Build your strategy around delivering&amp;nbsp;content in contextWhat would content be without context? Nothing! If you serve up great marketing collateral or other sales assets without context, you're sapping sales productivity and costing ROI on the development of that content. Good MCM solutions should be able to serve up content based on situational needs, not just responding to a &quot;download&quot; request.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;What are your next steps in mobile content management?&amp;nbsp;Well, first, grab your complementary copy of the&amp;nbsp;Aragon Research Globe for Mobile Content Management.Now, ask yourself, what do you need your content to do for you? If you just want it to live in some repository and gather digital dust, then keep doing what you're doing. But if you want your content to work for you, and to add value to your sales and marketing ecosystem, then consider finding ways to put your content in context that allow for collaboration from any device, wherever you are, while performing at a level necessary to drive big business outcomes.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/mobile_content_management_file_sync_share</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-24T15:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How the best companies give their sales reps more time to sell</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/give_your_sales_reps_more_time_to_sell</link>
        <description>This post originally appeared on the&amp;nbsp;SteelBrick Blog. To read more content like this,&amp;nbsp;view the SteelBrick blog.Time is a precious commodity, and we are all only given 24 hours each day. But if each member of your sales team uses their time effectively, it can be a competitive advantage.If&amp;nbsp;you can free up one hour a day for each sales rep, over one year that adds up to 260 hours, or six and a half full working weeks per rep. Think how much more your team could sell if you gave them an additional six and a half weeks per year.Can you really do this? Sure! Here are three ways to&amp;nbsp;give your sales reps more time to sell.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>This post originally appeared on the&amp;nbsp;SteelBrick Blog. To read more content like this,&amp;nbsp;view the SteelBrick blog.Time is a precious commodity, and we are all only given 24 hours each day. But if each member of your sales team uses their time effectively, it can be a competitive advantage.If&amp;nbsp;you can free up one hour a day for each sales rep, over one year that adds up to 260 hours, or six and a half full working weeks per rep. Think how much more your team could sell if you gave them an additional six and a half weeks per year.Can you really do this? Sure! Here are three ways to&amp;nbsp;give your sales reps more time to sell.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Set&amp;nbsp;up lead scoring&amp;nbsp;Sales reps are very busy closing new business, keeping up with current customers and prospecting. Sales reps always want new leads and are always looking to sell more, so they will rarely turn down good leads.Lead scoring can help ensure that your reps are spending time on the right leads and not wasting time on the wrong leads.Talk with your sales team to identify the demographics of a good versus bad lead, and filter the bad leads out of your sales funnel. You may filter based on company size, revenue, industry or any other factors that identify these leads as unlikely to ever become customers. &amp;nbsp;Automate the&amp;nbsp;sales processTechnology is helping us do things more effectively and efficiently every day. By relying on technology for some of your sales teams' daily tasks, such as creating sales quotes and sending email, you will free up hours of their day.If you haven't embraced&amp;nbsp;Configure Price Quote Software, you are missing the opportunity to save your sales reps time generating sales quotes (sometimes hours of time saved), giving them a lot more time to prospect and close deals.&amp;nbsp;Set expectations with their&amp;nbsp;customers and their teamsOften when customers need something after a sale, they reach out to the account executive since that's the person most familiar to them. While maintaining good relationships with customers is a fine thing for account executives to do, it can eat up a lot of the time they should spend selling to the next customer.The solution is to make sure that your company clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of Sales compared to Customer Success or Support, or any other teams that are appropriate. Help your customers by providing clear points of contact for their needs, so they can get their questions answered faster and your Account Executives can spend their time doing what they do best __ selling.&amp;nbsp;Sales reps want to do what they do best, sell. They don't need to waste time putting together quotes that take hours, when it can be done in minutes.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 29 Oct 2014 12:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/give_your_sales_reps_more_time_to_sell</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-29T12:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 contract management curses and how to break them</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_contract_management_curses_and_how_to_break_them</link>
        <description>85% of companies are using manual processes to manage sales contracts.With contracts taking an average of three weeks to create and approve, and organizations creating an average of 20,000_40,000 contracts per year, the thought of processing all of those manually is downright chilling.It&amp;rsquo;s no wonder the contract process is difficult, error_prone and (in most cases) scary.</description>
        <content:encoded>85% of companies are using manual processes to manage sales contracts.With contracts taking an average of three weeks to create and approve, and organizations creating an average of 20,000_40,000 contracts per year, the thought of processing all of those manually is downright chilling.Its no wonder the contract process is difficult, error_prone and (in most cases) scary.Here are 5 spooky contract curses. Fear not, weve also included quick tips for how to break them.  5 Contract Management Curses  from SpringCM1. You cant compare versions.Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) users reduce errors, like text edits, 81% more effectively than non_users.2. Its tough to identify bottlenecks.Contract approval time drops 82% with the use of CLM.3. You cant find your contracts.Manual CLM involves a lot of email attachments, and searching for these documents saps productivity.4. Contracts are stalling your sales.Best_in_class companies lead all others w/ 48% shorter internal approval cycles (9.6 vs. 18.6 hours) and even report that typical closed deals occur 9% more quickly (32.4 vs. 35.8 days).&quot;5. Legal teams are at the center of everything without access to anything.The contract process touches many teams, internal and external, all using their own preferred applications or methods.Shine a light on your contracts process! Request a demo with SpringCM so your contracts are a treat instead of a trick. &amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 31 Oct 2014 12:15:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_contract_management_curses_and_how_to_break_them</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-31T12:15:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>7 Hits from the SpringCM Halloween Playlist </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/7_hits_from_the_springcm_halloween_playlist</link>
        <description>Editor's Note: As resident music afficionado and&amp;nbsp;DJ, not to mention&amp;nbsp;lead vocalist for&amp;nbsp;Face Time Police, James Serra is the guy we turn to when it comes to soundtracking SpringCM's&amp;nbsp;parties. We thought we'd treat our readers this Halloween to some of James' monster_themed curatorial expertise. Enjoy!&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Editor's Note: As resident music afficionado and&amp;nbsp;DJ, not to mention&amp;nbsp;lead vocalist for&amp;nbsp;Face Time Police, James Serra is the guy we turn to when it comes to soundtracking SpringCM's&amp;nbsp;parties. We thought we'd treat our readers this Halloween to some of James' monster_themed curatorial expertise. Enjoy!&amp;nbsp;1.&amp;nbsp;Would You Love a Monsterman&quot; by LordiThis Finnish metal band makes Jason and Freddy look like the Teletubbies. However, dont let their demon exterior fool you. Would You Love a Monsterman is a catchy, metal anthem that you will be singing until next October.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;2.&amp;nbsp;Barton Hollow by The Civil WarsIts not easy to make an acoustic song sound aggressive and gritty, yet pleasant to listen to. Sadly, The Civil Wars are no longer a band, but Barton Hollow will haunt my playlist forever (in a good way).&amp;nbsp;3.&amp;nbsp;Rest in Peace by James MarstersRemember the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Cool. Remember that musical episode they did? Weird, right? To catch non_fans up to speed, a spell was put on the characters that forced them to sing their feelings. Before you laugh at the concept, listen to Rest in Peace. You dont have to know the show to like this song. Plus, whats more Halloween than a vampire singing about love?&amp;nbsp;4.&amp;nbsp;Crazy by MushroomheadClevelands masked metal heroes covered Seals Crazy back in 2003 for their album XIII, and its awesome. Cover songs are always hit or miss, but this one in particular is a grand slam.&amp;nbsp;5.&amp;nbsp;A Nightmare On My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff &amp;amp; The Fresh PrinceWill Smith rapping about his encounter with Freddy Krueger? Come on. Its too absurd not to be good.6.&amp;nbsp;This Is Halloween from Nightmare Before ChristmasThe movie is a cult classic and so is this song. You cannot, I repeat, CANNOT have a Halloween playlist without this sing_a_long.&amp;nbsp;7.&amp;nbsp;Thriller by Michael JacksonNo explanation needed. Have fun attempting to do the dance&amp;nbsp;tonight!&amp;nbsp;The SpringCM Halloween PlaylistNow that you've had a taste, throw on the SpringCM Halloween Playlist and count down the seconds until it's trick_or_treatin' time.&amp;nbsp;Happy Halloween from SpringCM!&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 31 Oct 2014 14:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/7_hits_from_the_springcm_halloween_playlist</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Oct-31T14:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract Lifecycle Management Best Practices</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_the_best_companies_manage_their_contracts</link>
        <description>Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) should be&amp;nbsp;included in any sales leader's&amp;nbsp;plan to drive crucial initiatives like increased revenue. While most companies invest in solutions supporting&amp;nbsp;the pre_contract portion&amp;nbsp;of the buyer's journey, Aberdeen found that contract creation, negotiation and approval&amp;nbsp;account for&amp;nbsp;18% of the enterprise sales cycle.</description>
        <content:encoded>Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) should be&amp;nbsp;included in any sales leader's&amp;nbsp;plan to drive crucial initiatives like increased revenue. While most companies invest in solutions supporting&amp;nbsp;the pre_contract portion&amp;nbsp;of the buyer's journey, Aberdeen found that contract creation, negotiation and approval&amp;nbsp;account for&amp;nbsp;18% of the enterprise sales cycle.Improving your contract processes will not only shrink your sales cycle&amp;nbsp;and increase revenue, but it will do so without adding sales staff. Intuitive, simple CLM&amp;nbsp;will&amp;nbsp;speed up the sales contract process, reconcile and track&amp;nbsp;the numerous&amp;nbsp;contract iterations and negotiations, secure signatures and book orders considerably faster _ all&amp;nbsp;while leveraging existing&amp;nbsp;resources.Where are the challenges in a&amp;nbsp;contract's lifecycle?Buyers are in control of the sales cycle. Our prospects tend to drive the conversations after initial contact, and highly_negotiated, business critical contracts often come together in crunch time. Meanwhile, legal and financial teams are taking on more and more compliance risks with inefficient processes that combine email, fax and shared network drives.&amp;nbsp;Do these challenges sound familiar?&amp;nbsp;&quot;Contract creation, negotiation and approval account for 18% of the enterprise sales cycle&quot; _ AberdeenWhat to look for in Contract Lifecycle Management solutionsWhile some companies implement traditional CLM&amp;nbsp;software, these solutions often only automate processes&amp;nbsp;while failing&amp;nbsp;to actually streamline the workflow underlying contract management. The result is a lot of money spent on poor process automation and a lot of staff resources spent on managing that technology. With effective CLM technology implemented across your&amp;nbsp;sales organization, your team will be&amp;nbsp;managing contracts, not just managing technology.3 best practices for Contract Lifecycle Management without a SaaS solutionThe good news is that there are some DIY&amp;nbsp;ways to realize&amp;nbsp;shorter sales cycles at your company. Here are CLM best practices you can start using immediately:You need a Contract Lifecycle Management process ownerThe contract process needs to be managed. So make sure your company designates a leader who keeps everyone on track. Though there are pros and cons with any single position owning the process (for example, a legal team member understands compliance issues, but is removed from customer needs), a firm decision must be made. Whoever owns the project will then ensure that there are the necessary checks and balances.It is the process owners responsibility to implement the contract management process effectively. A few ways to do this include: starting with a couple contracts that are in the earliest stages, starting with a specific division or a single product line. No matter how the process owner decides to implement, make sure that everyone (including team members and customers) know that a new contract management process is in the works.Focus on&amp;nbsp;areas where CLM can lead to quick winsWhen youre starting out, focus on areas likely to have quick wins. These aspects could include: automatic routing and looping, CRM and ERP integration, electronic signatures or building a searchable library of standard contracts. By concentrating on one (or all) of these aspects, contract lifecycles will be cut down significantly.Measure the effect of your Contract Lifecycle ManagementFocus on the following measurements to track improvements:Percent of deals closed on time vs. those that slip into the next period (identify and track the root cause of delay)Reduction in Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)Reduction in time taken to negotiate and close contractsNumber of contracts by status and by individualReduction in regulatory penalties, missed deadlines, and lost sales.And, of course, make sure to benchmark your companys measurements against the best_in_class to understand&amp;nbsp;your true progress.In our new eBook, 6 Contract Lifecycle Management Best Practices, we&amp;nbsp;delve into six practical contract lifecycle management best practices your organization can implement to close deals faster. Download your copy here. &amp;nbsp; </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 04 Nov 2014 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_the_best_companies_manage_their_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Nov-04T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Salesforce: A then and now perspective </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/salesforce_a_then_and_now_perspective</link>
        <description>Salesforce just completed its 12th Dreamforce&amp;nbsp;and while it&amp;rsquo;s easy to be distracted by the growing number of attendees (something like 130,000 this year), I was also struck by the increase in companies, and partners, exhibiting across the multiple show halls.SFDC gets credit for being a trailblazer in the cloud, but they should also get credit for the tailwind they&amp;rsquo;ve provided for so many companies following their SaaS model. I&amp;rsquo;ve lost track of how many ex_Salesforcers&amp;nbsp;are now CEO&amp;rsquo;s of successful cloud&amp;nbsp;companies, but I know I&amp;rsquo;d need more than one hand to count them all.</description>
        <content:encoded>Salesforce just completed its 12th Dreamforce&amp;nbsp;and while its easy to be distracted by the growing number of attendees (something like 130,000 this year), I was also struck by the increase in companies, and partners, exhibiting across the multiple show halls.SFDC gets credit for being a trailblazer in the cloud, but they should also get credit for the tailwind theyve provided for so many companies following their SaaS model. Ive lost track of how many ex_Salesforcers&amp;nbsp;are now CEOs of successful cloud&amp;nbsp;companies, but I know Id need more than one hand to count them all.Riding&amp;nbsp;the Salesforce&amp;nbsp;tailwind&amp;nbsp;I suspect many current Salesforce customers&amp;nbsp;first attempted&amp;nbsp;the cloud&amp;nbsp;through&amp;nbsp;simple technology built to meet needs in&amp;nbsp;teleconferencing and other phone services. It wasn't until they'd test_driven these less_than_business_critical solutions that they took the plunge with big investments&amp;nbsp;like ERP and CRM.The cloud is here, the cloud is great, but&amp;nbsp;there's room left to growRunning a&amp;nbsp;company that works&amp;nbsp;in the Salesforce ecosystem, my hypothesis is that you need to let the big implementations settle, i.e.,prove themselves, for about 6_18 months before the next wave of solutions, including yours, can hit the beachhead.That next solution could be marketing automation, business intelligence solutions, content and contract management, CPQ...the list goes on. If Salesforce&amp;nbsp;has entered&amp;nbsp;inning 8 on CRM, marketing automation is in inning 6&amp;nbsp;and the rest of us are only a couple innings into the game. Baseball metaphors aside, this is a huge opportunity for the ecosystem salesforce has built around itself.Salesforce&amp;nbsp;itself has recognized the potential in this next wave. They've drafted onto&amp;nbsp;their own tailwind through the recent&amp;nbsp;acquisitions of companies like&amp;nbsp;ExactTarget and RelateIQ, and also&amp;nbsp;by expanding resources to support programs like the&amp;nbsp;ISVforce&amp;nbsp;partners. In the end, all of this technology&amp;nbsp;momentum is&amp;nbsp;good for both Salesforce&amp;nbsp;customers and Salesforce&amp;nbsp;as&amp;nbsp;they continue to provide the critical binding technology at the middle of it all.&amp;nbsp;Making the transition to the cloud seem simpleIf, as I've noted in a previous blog, technology moves in long cycles, it's hard to imagine any other software company will&amp;nbsp;duplicate the ecosystem built by Marc Benioff and team in the next 10_20 years. Regardless, plenty of challenges remain, one of which being, how can a customer cut through what is now more than 2,000 vendors listed on the AppExchange?&amp;nbsp;Second, how can you streamline the buying decision, the contract&amp;nbsp;process, and the implementation of the many apps all trying to communicate and integrate with Salesforce? Which solution&amp;nbsp;goes first?While it might not result in an ecosystem as wide_reaching as Salesforce's, the great companies will be the ones capable of making transition to the cloud seem simple. Easy. And intuitive.Fortunately, here at SpringCM we have three (3) applications in the top ten categories of apps which existing Sales Cloud customers will be looking at in&amp;nbsp;2015.&amp;nbsp;We should have plenty of opportunities to help our new customers transition to the cloud and navigate the ever_growing ecosystem of SaaS solutions orbiting Salesforce.&amp;nbsp;Image via Flickr:&amp;nbsp;drmfrc3</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 06 Nov 2014 21:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/salesforce_a_then_and_now_perspective</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Nov-06T21:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Invest in Contract Lifecycle Management before CPQ</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_lifecycle_management_before_cpq_honest_review</link>
        <description>Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM)&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;Configure Price Quote (CPQ)? In my honest opinion, it can be a tough call. Many sales leaders&amp;nbsp;look to CPQ software to bring their sales process&amp;nbsp;to the next level. After all, that&amp;rsquo;s what it says on the box. CPQ software is designed to help companies create price quotes faster and deliver discounts&amp;nbsp;that are in line with current market conditions.We wouldn&amp;rsquo;t suggest&amp;nbsp;that pricing isn't important &amp;ndash; it absolutely is &amp;ndash; but if you have to choose between a good contract&amp;nbsp;lifecycle management (CLM) system and CPQ software, you may want to prioritize the former. Here&amp;rsquo;s why.</description>
        <content:encoded>Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM)&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;Configure Price Quote (CPQ)? In my honest opinion, it can be a tough call. Many sales leaders&amp;nbsp;look to CPQ software to bring their sales process&amp;nbsp;to the next level. After all, thats what it says on the box. CPQ software is designed to help companies create price quotes faster and deliver discounts&amp;nbsp;that are in line with current market conditions.We wouldnt suggest&amp;nbsp;that pricing isn't important  it absolutely is  but if you have to choose between a good contract&amp;nbsp;lifecycle management (CLM) system and CPQ software, you may want to prioritize the former. Heres why.Everyone in the company benefits from CLMWhen it comes to increasing efficiency across the sales cycle, CLM&amp;nbsp;wins hands_down.The C_Level will appreciate that contracts fly through the approval process with no mysterious&amp;nbsp;bottleneckingThe legal team will sleep better at night knowing that any changes made to business_critical documents come with automatic &quot;paper trails&quot;The sales team will love how easy contracts are to find, send, and approveAnd sales ops and leadership can kick back knowing exactly where all incoming revenue stands across the entire sales teamWhile there are many benefits to investing in&amp;nbsp;CPQ&amp;nbsp;software, improving overall sales workflow and productivity from the top down isnt one of them. But, with all of that increased efficiency boosting your bottom line, youll be able to invest in CPQ software in no time. After all, why not have both?Image Source:&amp;nbsp;Kool Cats Photography over 2 Million Views&amp;nbsp;on Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 11 Nov 2014 18:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_lifecycle_management_before_cpq_honest_review</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Nov-11T18:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 quick tips to save time with contract lifecycle management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/3_quick_tips_to_save_time_with_contract_lifecycle_management</link>
        <description>Most of us&amp;nbsp;look forward to the holidays. But nights spent sipping eggnog by the fire come at a cost: productivity. And rightfully so. You should be taking the holidays to spend time with your family and relax. So it becomes even more important to make the&amp;nbsp;days before and between Thanksgiving and the winter holidays maximally&amp;nbsp;productive. So,&amp;nbsp;here's a gift you can really use this holiday season: ways to improve productivity and save time with contract lifecycle management (CLM). And we're giving it to you before Black Friday.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Most of us&amp;nbsp;look forward to the holidays. But nights spent sipping eggnog by the fire come at a cost: productivity. And rightfully so. You should be taking the holidays to spend time with your family and relax. So it becomes even more important to make the&amp;nbsp;days before and between Thanksgiving and the winter holidays maximally&amp;nbsp;productive. So,&amp;nbsp;here's a gift you can really use this holiday season: ways to improve productivity and save time with contract lifecycle management (CLM). And we're giving it to you before Black Friday.&amp;nbsp;How much time&amp;nbsp;is bad contract management costing you?&amp;nbsp;According to Aberdeen,&amp;nbsp;85% of companies are using manual processes to manage sales contracts. Now consider how many contracts your company manages on weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis. That's a lot of documents being shuffled from inbox to inbox, and other personal data dumps. I'll let you do the math.&amp;nbsp;There are some common time_sucks that bog down any contract process:&amp;nbsp;Wrangling clients and management for multiple rounds of contract and document approvalHunting for the most current versions of contracts or marketing collateralWaiting for someone to send you a document in order to start workPiecing together text from several contributors working in several versions of your contractYour time is precious and you should be able to spend it&amp;nbsp;doing something more important than waiting for papers to arrive or digging through virtual and 3_D files.&amp;nbsp;3 quick tips to save time with contract managementUse a&amp;nbsp;CLM&amp;nbsp;automation tool to track the workflow and approval process of your contracts. Youll know exactly where the paperwork is and whose approval is still pending at all times.Take advantage of the Clouds mobility by using a tool that allows you to access and manage your contracts at any time from any device.The tool you use should allow you to keep track of changes made by multiple authors in one document. Youll then have a clear paper trail of changes and use, by user.What will you do with all that saved time?&amp;nbsp;Share in the comments below.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 14 Nov 2014 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/3_quick_tips_to_save_time_with_contract_lifecycle_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Nov-14T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Early Warning Signs of a Revenue_Losing Contract Process</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_early_warning_signs_of_a_revenue_losing_contract_process</link>
        <description>Congratulations! You&amp;rsquo;ve made the sale. Your&amp;nbsp;new client has agreed that your product is the answer to their corporate needs and now all you need to do is send them the contract to sign.But wait.Where is the most recent version of the contract? Has it come out of the legal department yet? While you&amp;rsquo;re hunting down that contract&amp;nbsp;and checking to ensure it&amp;rsquo;s the right one, your new client did a little more research and found a new solution to their problem with another company.</description>
        <content:encoded>Congratulations! Youve made the sale. Your&amp;nbsp;new client has agreed that your product is the answer to their corporate needs and now all you need to do is send them the contract to sign.But wait.Where is the most recent version of the contract? Has it come out of the legal department yet? While youre hunting down that contract&amp;nbsp;and checking to ensure its the right one, your new client did a little more research and found a new solution to their problem with another company.When you have a contract bottleneck, the clock starts ticking and every second is money lost. Your executive team&amp;nbsp;expects you&amp;nbsp;to increase revenue, but you cant do your&amp;nbsp;job if the contract process throws obstacles in your&amp;nbsp;path.Eventually, a faulty contract management system can actually inhibit the growth of your business by lacking the ability to scale.Many managers dont realize theres a problem until it's a big one. Here are the early warning signs of a contract process that could be costing you revenue.5 Early Warning Signs of a Revenue_Losing Contract ProcessYour sales teams problems accessing NDAs and contract templates cause delays in the sales process.You have customers sliding past renewal deadlines without contact from sales.Your sales force spends more time repairing customer relations after accidental expirations or renewals than selling new products or services.Your customers have time to reconsider their decision because sales reps cant respond quickly enough.Customers walk away due to the perception of poor service.Dont let your contract process get in the way of your sales team. When you stop losing money due to contract delays, you may be surprised at how much more revenue you earn.Image source:&amp;nbsp;Kirsty Hall&amp;nbsp;on Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 18 Nov 2014 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_early_warning_signs_of_a_revenue_losing_contract_process</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Nov-18T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 articles that will make you rethink contract management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/3_articles_that_will_make_you_rethink_contract_management</link>
        <description>We have a lot to say about contract management. And&amp;nbsp;we&amp;rsquo;re not the only ones talking about the evolving strategies driving this crucial&amp;nbsp;business process. We recently ran across three&amp;nbsp;articles that really got us thinking, and we wanted to share them with our loyal readers. These articles&amp;nbsp;cover everything from the user experience to the basic features of&amp;nbsp;contract management platforms;&amp;nbsp;what contract management can do for businesses&amp;nbsp;and even&amp;nbsp;why a company might be legally obligated to have one.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>We have a lot to say about contract management. And&amp;nbsp;were not the only ones talking about the evolving strategies driving this crucial&amp;nbsp;business process. We recently ran across three&amp;nbsp;articles that really got us thinking, and we wanted to share them with our loyal readers. These articles&amp;nbsp;cover everything from the user experience to the basic features of&amp;nbsp;contract management platforms;&amp;nbsp;what contract management can do for businesses&amp;nbsp;and even&amp;nbsp;why a company might be legally obligated to have one.&amp;nbsp;Contract management on our minds&amp;nbsp;1. &quot;What is Contract Management?&quot;Where its at: BusinessNewsDaily.comFor anyone who doesn't want to be caught&amp;nbsp;scratching her&amp;nbsp;head when contract management is mentioned at the&amp;nbsp;next&amp;nbsp;board meeting. This introductory article addresses the impact poor contract processes can have on revenue, and the positive outcomes of automating those processes.2.&amp;nbsp;&quot;Combating the perils and pitfalls of contract management&quot;Where its at: InContextMagazine.comIf youre just now realizing that your contract process is impeding your sales teams and losing revenue, this article explains where the problems start  and worst case scenarios if you don't take steps to remedy these&amp;nbsp;chronic contract&amp;nbsp;pains. If youre having doubts about the stakes involved with contract management, this is a must read.3. &quot;Contract_Management Duties as a&amp;nbsp;New Regulatory Device&quot;Where its at: Scholarship.Law.Duke.EduWhile this academic paper is a little dense for lay people, skip along to an&amp;nbsp;interesting question introduced on page 6: &quot;Is there a legal duty to establish a contract management system in your company?&quot; Right now, having a full_featured&amp;nbsp;CLM system is arguably a&amp;nbsp;best_practice, but it might&amp;nbsp;also be a legal necessity depending on your industry. Is your current contract management process compliant? Or are you opening yourself up to risk&amp;nbsp;with every new deal?&amp;nbsp;Your turn: What are some of your favorite&amp;nbsp;contract management articles?&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 20 Nov 2014 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/3_articles_that_will_make_you_rethink_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Nov-20T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 Signs it May Be Time to Invest in Contract Lifecycle Management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/3_signs_it_may_be_time_to_invest_in_contract_lifecycle_management</link>
        <description>It's probably not news to you: in most companies the contract process is&amp;nbsp;flawed. It's&amp;nbsp;tedious and error_prone.If your organization falls into this camp, you've likely noticed an issue here and there. But, those issues add up, and they can be catastrophic to your&amp;nbsp;bottom line.There are plenty of early warning signs that will let you know it&amp;rsquo;s time for a more sophisticated approach, if you know what to look for.</description>
        <content:encoded>It's probably not news to you: in most companies the contract process is&amp;nbsp;flawed. It's&amp;nbsp;tedious and error_prone.If your organization falls into this camp, you've likely noticed an issue here and there. But, those issues add up, and they can be catastrophic to your&amp;nbsp;bottom line.There are plenty of early warning signs that will let you know its time for a more sophisticated approach, if you know what to look for.Here are 3 signs it may be time to&amp;nbsp;invest in a contract lifecycle management solution:1. Missed Sales&amp;nbsp;OpportunitiesIn high_growth companies, the sales force has to generate rapid revenue increases, meaning they need immediate access to the necessary contracts for new acquisitions, subscription renewals, add_ons and product or service bundling. If your current contract lifecycle management (CLM) system creates bottlenecks like waiting for approval signatures, sales suffer.Are customers going past renewal without contact from sales?Are there delays in the sales process due to poor contract or NDA organization?Are leads dropping out of the sales funnel while waiting for timely responses?These indicators point to needing a CLM&amp;nbsp;solution that scales with company growth and increases sales.2. Pre_Audit PanicIf your company has an audit or inspection coming up and the sense of panic is palpable, its time to upgrade your contract management system. With many internally developed contract management systems, search and reporting capabilities are limited and contracts are scattered in multiple places. The result: You cant get the right information to the right people when they need it. A good CLM solution will include&amp;nbsp;simple search features and report generation capabilities so you&amp;nbsp;can get the right information to the right people when they need it.&amp;nbsp;3. The same problems are happening again and again&amp;nbsp;A&amp;nbsp;mistake&amp;nbsp;in the contract process can happen&amp;nbsp;when it&amp;nbsp;simply shouldn't. But, when that same&amp;nbsp;problem arises again and again, it's a clear sign that you&amp;nbsp;need a better contract management system. Here are some of the problems to look out for:&amp;nbsp;Auto_renewed contracts for services you no longer need or want.Clients lost because their contracts didnt renew as scheduled.Opportunities lost to upsell current clients thanks to auto_renewal.Subcontractors creating liabilities because they dont have insurance.Unenforceable contracts discovered only after a breach has occurred.Are you seeing warning signs yet? Share in the comments below.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 25 Nov 2014 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/3_signs_it_may_be_time_to_invest_in_contract_lifecycle_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Nov-25T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Brief History of Contract Lifecycle Management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_brief_history_of_contract_lifecycle_management</link>
        <description>From the Magna Carta to&amp;nbsp;the Geneva Convention, contracts are&amp;nbsp;an important part of society. But while society&amp;nbsp;has changed greatly over the past&amp;nbsp;several thousand years, the evolution of contract management has been noticeably slower. In fact, only in recent years&amp;nbsp;has contract management _the writing, requesting, approving, storing and using of them _ improved.</description>
        <content:encoded>From the Magna Carta to&amp;nbsp;the Geneva Convention, contracts are&amp;nbsp;an important part of society. But while society&amp;nbsp;has changed greatly over the past&amp;nbsp;several thousand years, the evolution of contract management has been noticeably slower. In fact, only in recent years&amp;nbsp;has contract management _the writing, requesting, approving, storing and using of them _ improved.Is contract management history your present problem?In the beginning, there was Word Processor. There were&amp;nbsp;also shared drives and spreadsheets. All contract activities happened&amp;nbsp;offline. And&amp;nbsp;these activities&amp;nbsp;were tracked, if they were tracked at all, in spreadsheets. When new contracts needed to be drafted, the creator&amp;nbsp;would have to find the most updated template on the shared drive&amp;nbsp;and follow&amp;nbsp;the approval process flow chart by&amp;nbsp;walking the document&amp;nbsp;to the appropriate offices.Most modern companies don't still use the same computers they used in the 1990s, but they still employ the same old contract management system. This can create problems when the number of contracts grows, or collaboration from multiple people is required.And then there was SaaSAs companies became more tech savvy&amp;nbsp;in the early 2000's, so did contract management techniques. The larger companies developed in_house management systems, and some used simple, and limited, databases developed by others. These systems improved the processes of requesting, authoring, negotiating and approving contracts. However, many internal systems eventually became cluttered&amp;nbsp;with outdated drafts, making it difficult for staff to find the most recent editions, keep track of changes, or react in a timely manner when contracts expired (or failed to expire). Liability concerns increased, as did the need for a better contract management solution.And finally, contract lifecycle management softwareContract Lifecycle Management Software, the latest incarnation of contract management, limits the potential for human error by&amp;nbsp;automating&amp;nbsp;time consuming, but error_prone, processes. Contracts can be created quickly from approved, secure templates; all changes are tracked; all approvals are recorded&amp;nbsp;in real_time; reminders of milestones and expirations are automatically sent; past contracts are available through an efficient search tool; and creating reports for auditors and executives is a simple, fast process.&amp;nbsp;Most importantly for today's growing companies, the software can scale _ relieving workflow and liability issues to allow for even greater&amp;nbsp;growth.Welcome to the future. We promise, contract management is easier than it's ever been. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 02 Dec 2014 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_brief_history_of_contract_lifecycle_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Dec-02T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Journey of Streamlining the Contracts Process [SlideShare]</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/journey_of_streamlining_the_contracts_process_slideshare</link>
        <description>NCR Corporation is a $6 billion global provider of consumer transaction&amp;nbsp;technologies. They work in 180 countries, and their channel operations team sends contracts to&amp;nbsp;364 unique partners on 6 continents.To say their contracts process can be complicated would be an understatement.In the SlideShare below, NCR Channel Operations Specialist&amp;nbsp;Steve Lorenzen, shares how NCR has&amp;nbsp;streamlined their contracts process __ ultimately saving time, money and a whole lot of headaches.</description>
        <content:encoded>NCR Corporation is a $6 billion global provider of consumer transaction&amp;nbsp;technologies. They work in 180 countries, and their channel operations team sends contracts to&amp;nbsp;364 unique partners on 6 continents.To say their contracts process can be complicated would be an understatement.In the SlideShare below, NCR Channel Operations Specialist&amp;nbsp;Steve Lorenzen, shares how NCR has&amp;nbsp;streamlined their contracts process __ ultimately saving time, money and a whole lot of headaches.Download the slides with audio.How did NCR streamline their contracts process? Here are five&amp;nbsp;ways:NCR took their contracts process length from two months to two minutes. (Tweet this)They took the contract burden off their sales team, and it impacted their business in a big way. (Tweet this)NCR went from &quot;It's way too complex to automate,&quot; to &quot;If you can do it the same way twice, you can automate it.&quot; (Tweet this)From streamlining a bad process to streamlining a better process. (Tweet this)NCR's contracts process involved way too many emails. Now, they receive the right email at the right time. (Tweet this)Lorenzen shared NCR's story (and went into great detail) in the on_demand webcast,&amp;nbsp;Journey of Streamlining Contracts: A Conversation with NCR's Steve Lorenzen.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 04 Dec 2014 13:15:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/journey_of_streamlining_the_contracts_process_slideshare</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Dec-04T13:15:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 steps to successfully introduce change at your company</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_steps_to_successfully_introduce_change_at_your_company</link>
        <description>Effective change management is a vital part&amp;nbsp;of any business. Change allows a company to&amp;nbsp;better meet&amp;nbsp;consumer trends and needs. &amp;nbsp;Often, change management is focused on recalibrating your&amp;nbsp;sales teams to meet changing&amp;nbsp;buying behavior. Implementing a new sales strategy should&amp;nbsp;boost profits by&amp;nbsp;attracting new customers and retaining current ones.&amp;nbsp; New sales initiatives are fairly easy to introduce, but difficult to reinforce. But with a good process for introducing and implementing changes, you can head off adoption issues. We've used the tips below to successfully&amp;nbsp;introduce change at SpringCM, and we believe they can be used by our readers to achieve similar results.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Effective change management is a vital part&amp;nbsp;of any business. Change allows a company to&amp;nbsp;better meet&amp;nbsp;consumer trends and needs. &amp;nbsp;Often, change management is focused on recalibrating your&amp;nbsp;sales teams to meet changing&amp;nbsp;buying behavior. Implementing a new sales strategy should&amp;nbsp;boost profits by&amp;nbsp;attracting new customers and retaining current ones.&amp;nbsp; New sales initiatives are fairly easy to introduce, but difficult to reinforce. But with a good process for introducing and implementing changes, you can head off adoption issues. We've used the tips below to successfully&amp;nbsp;introduce change at SpringCM, and we believe they can be used by our readers to achieve similar results.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Communicate how the change&amp;nbsp;positively impacts your teamCommunication is the key for the new sales strategy to succeed.&amp;nbsp; Sales managers must take the time to explain the reason for implementing changes.&amp;nbsp; The explanation does not have to be a drawn out detailed overview, simply explain the reasons for the new changes. The explanation should be clear to all employees. &amp;nbsp;Employees want to know why the new changes are occurring especially if the old sales strategy seems to be doing well.&amp;nbsp; Give employees a chance to ask questions or voice their concerns in a constructive manner; employees will feel more involved with the process which contributes to the success of the new sales strategy.Encouragement goes a long wayThe explanation may not be enough to implement the new sales strategy in the business.&amp;nbsp; You must encourage your employees throughout the process.&amp;nbsp; Be consistent while implementing the new sales strategy.&amp;nbsp; Consistency will show the employees&amp;nbsp;you want the change to succeed.&amp;nbsp; If needed, explain why the change will take a certain time span to show the end results. The employees must feel motivated to continue with the new sales strategy.&amp;nbsp; If employees are not encouraged throughout the implementation of a new sales strategy,&amp;nbsp;they will revert to the old system which will cost the business time and money.Provide new trainingA new sales strategy that involves different resource tools may require additional training.&amp;nbsp; Updating current technological systems is the perfect way to aid in the success of implementing a new sales strategy. &amp;nbsp;Utilizing the new Salesforce mobile application, for example, may require a comprehensive overview for employees who are not used to working on their phones.&amp;nbsp;Employees cannot succeed without the proper knowledge on how to run the new system. &amp;nbsp;Before the new strategy can be implemented, employees must be given a chance to learn new skills.&amp;nbsp; The new tasks or approach will have to be mastered before continuing with the new strategy. Employees who do not have the proper skills to run the new changes in the organization will not implement the new sales strategy in a successful manner. If needed, schedule training seminars or workshops to aid in the process.&amp;nbsp; Failure to train properly will result in failure of the new plan for the business.Keep your&amp;nbsp;eyes&amp;nbsp;on the dataCollecting data throughout the change process is the best way to find out if the new sales initiative is a success. The data will allow you a chance to view the new strategy against the old sales strategy. The data will allow you to keep track of the change during a specific sales cycle.&amp;nbsp; Depending on the type of sales strategy initiative, you can track the difference in sales and profits, the number of new customers, and the number of referrals your company receives during this time period.&amp;nbsp;Acknowledge the changeChange in a business can be unwelcome. When you take the time to train and implement a new sales strategy, some employees will rise to the occasion leading the way throughout the process. Recognizing successful and productive employees can help get others to embrace the change. By showing your appreciation for all the hard work, employees morale will increase which in turns increase productivity and sales.Have you successfully led a change management project at your company? Let us know what&amp;nbsp;steps you followed in the comments below!&amp;nbsp;Image via Flickr:&amp;nbsp;Sebastiaan ter Burg</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 09 Dec 2014 21:00:01 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_steps_to_successfully_introduce_change_at_your_company</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Dec-09T21:00:01Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>[Infographic] Contract Lifecycle Management: From Chaos to Cruise Control</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_lifecycle_management_chaos_to_control</link>
        <description>Anyone who has participated in a sales contract knows how quickly things can spin out of control. So many parties have a vested interest in the wording, not to mention the successful execution&amp;nbsp;of the contract that it's easy for careless hiccups to derail the entire arrangement. Your sales manager is concerned with making sure the contract crosses&amp;nbsp;the finish line. Your client wants what they're paying for. The legal teams on both sides are combing Word docs with fine_toothed digital combs to guarantee the language is airtight. And the rep is just trying to keep all of the above happy.&amp;nbsp;Everyone is doing the job they're paid to do, but unfortunately that doesn't make the contract's lifecycle any easier.&amp;nbsp;Hence, contract lifecycle management (CLM). A full_featured&amp;nbsp;CLM solution set provides automation for many of the tedious tasks that create friction during the sales contract process.</description>
        <content:encoded>Anyone who has participated in a sales contract knows how quickly things can spin out of control. So many parties have a vested interest in the wording, not to mention the successful execution&amp;nbsp;of the contract that it's easy for careless hiccups to derail the entire arrangement. Your sales manager is concerned with making sure the contract crosses&amp;nbsp;the finish line. Your client wants what they're paying for. The legal teams on both sides are combing Word docs with fine_toothed digital combs to guarantee the language is airtight. And the rep is just trying to keep all of the above happy.&amp;nbsp;Everyone is doing the job they're paid to do, but unfortunately that doesn't make the contract's lifecycle any easier.&amp;nbsp;Hence, contract lifecycle management (CLM). A full_featured&amp;nbsp;CLM solution set provides automation for many of the tedious tasks that create friction during the sales contract process.Below are some interesting statistics we've pulled together that reveal why forward_thinking companies are investing in CLM for 2015.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Tweet// Share this Image On Your Site&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Please include attribution to www.springcm.com with this graphic.&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href='http://go.springcm.com/hs_fs/hub/411038/file_2211875139_jpg/ContractsLifecycle_Infographic.jpg'&amp;gt;&amp;lt;img src='http://go.springcm.com/hs_fs/hub/411038/file_2211875139_jpg/ContractsLifecycle_Infographic.jpg' alt='From Chaos to Cruise Control' width='2011' border='0' /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 11 Dec 2014 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_lifecycle_management_chaos_to_control</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Dec-11T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Nucleus Research Releases Enterprise Content Management Value Matrix</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/nucleus_research_releases_enterprise_content_management_value_matrix</link>
        <description>Nucleus Research recently published its second Technology Value Matrix for Enterprise Content Management (ECM), and provided a status report on what they see as the &amp;ldquo;rapidly evolving&amp;rdquo; ECM space.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Nucleus Research recently published its second Technology Value Matrix for Enterprise Content Management (ECM), and provided a status report on what they see as the rapidly evolving ECM space.&amp;nbsp;Where's the&amp;nbsp;future of ECM?While some consider ECM deployments and technology to be&amp;nbsp;some of the most mature in the enterprise space, Nucleus pointed out some interesting facts to demonstrate a robust future for ECM:Enterprises are averaging $7.50 returned for every dollar spent in their ECM deployments.Despite the relative maturity of the ECM market, vendors continue to develop and enhance offerings for cloud and hybrid deployments as users increasingly turn to these environments to produce higher ROI. Recent Nucleus research showed&amp;nbsp;cloud solutions delivering 1.7 times more ROI&amp;nbsp;than on_premise systems.The four driving forces of ECM&amp;nbsp;Nucleus identified four driving forces that are being integrated into the product roadmap for ECM vendors moving into 2015 to deliver these new returns, including:ECM vendors have increased focus on refining their UI to make their platforms more intuitive to the end user.ECM vendors are looking to automate processes to improve data extractions and reduce the number of touches that content receives, thereby reducing human error.ECM solutions are moving to integrate into other enterprise management platforms and seek to provide alternative functionality when cross_platform integration isnt possible. These integrations provide a more streamlined and efficient experience for the user and reduce time spent switching between interfaces, increasing data integrity.Mobility and collaboration&amp;nbsp;functions continue to be strong focal points in the functionality road map for vendors to enable employees to securely access, create, and share content from mobile devices.How do you store your secure content? If youre still holding out moving to the cloud, are you ready to join the ranks of those enjoying high security, ease of use and an exceptional ROI?&amp;nbsp;The full report can be found here.Image source:&amp;nbsp;freeparking :_| via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 16 Dec 2014 23:48:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/nucleus_research_releases_enterprise_content_management_value_matrix</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Dec-16T23:48:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to implement change at your organization</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_implement_change_at_your_organization</link>
        <description>Change is a vital component in the successful operation of any business. Change allows a company to grow and expand all while keeping up with consumer or industry trends and your organizational needs. Change is often met with reluctance due to its impact on existing workflow and resources.&amp;nbsp;Here are some best practice tips to a successful implementation of changes in your organization:</description>
        <content:encoded>Change is a vital component in the successful operation of any business. Change allows a company to grow and expand all while keeping up with consumer or industry trends and your organizational needs. Change is often met with reluctance due to its impact on existing workflow and resources.&amp;nbsp;Here are some best practice tips to a successful implementation of changes in your organization:1. CommunicationCommunication is the key for a new strategy to succeed. Management must take the time to explain the reason for implementing changes. The explanation does not have to be a drawn out in a detailed overview; simply explain the reasons for the new changes and who its impacting. The explanation should be clear to what is changing and when. Depending on the scope of this change your communication plan might include different level of messaging based on your audience. &amp;nbsp;Provide your audience with a chance to ask questions or voice their concerns in a constructive manner. An engaged audience and a solid communication plan are instrumental in successfully implementing change.2. EngagementThe explanation of why may not be enough to implement new strategies in the business.&amp;nbsp;Engage your employees throughout the process. Be consistent while implementing new strategies by keeping the door open for feedback. Engagement with your audience will show that you want the change to succeed.&amp;nbsp;If needed, explain why the change will take a certain time span to show the end results. The people impacted by the change must feel motivated and engaged in a positive manner in order for them to adopt what is taking place.&amp;nbsp;If your audience feels like they have not been engaged or encouraged throughout the implementation,&amp;nbsp;they may ignore or revert back to business as usual.3. TrainingA new business strategy that involves different resource tools should require additional training. Updating current technological systems is the perfect way to aid in the success of implementing a new business strategy. For example, utilizing the Salesforce1 mobile application may require a comprehensive overview for employees who are not used to working on their phones.&amp;nbsp;Employees cannot succeed without the proper knowledge on how to run the new system. &amp;nbsp;Before the new strategy can be implemented, employees must be given an opportunity to learn new skills. Schedule training seminars or workshops to aid in the process.&amp;nbsp; Employees who do not have the proper training or skills to run the application will only hurt the implementation, lowering your adoption on the new business strategy. Failure to train properly will result in failure. Cover your bases with a training curriculum.4. Data CollectionHow are you defining if this new strategy was a success? Collecting data throughout the change process is the best way to find out. Have a baseline so that you have some place to start, then keep track of the change during a specific cycle.&amp;nbsp;For example, you can track the difference in sales and profits, the number of new customers and the number of referrals your company receives during this time period.5. AcknowledgementChange in a business can be unwelcome. When you take the time to train and implement a new strategy, some will rise to the occasion leading the way throughout the process. Recognizing those successful and productive employees can help get others to embrace the change making them the official Change Champions. Showing your appreciation for all the hard work can increase morale and your new strategies can get the adoption you need to be successful.Denise Carbone is the Chicago Salesforce User Group Leader and a Salesforce MVP. She focuses&amp;nbsp;on sales analytics with an emphasis on best practices, business process improvement and pipeline management. You can find her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter.&amp;nbsp;Image:&amp;nbsp;tracyshaun&amp;nbsp;on Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 23 Dec 2014 14:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_implement_change_at_your_organization</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Dec-23T14:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The 5 Most Popular Contract Management and Content Posts of 2014</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_5_most_popular_contract_management_and_content_posts_of_2014</link>
        <description>At this point in the year, you're probably&amp;nbsp;focused on all that you're going to accomplish in 2015. Before you finish that impressive list of next year's goals, take a few minutes to review all that you accomplished in 2014.</description>
        <content:encoded>At this point in the year, you're probably&amp;nbsp;focused on all that you're going to accomplish in 2015. Before you finish that impressive list of next year's goals, take a few minutes to review all that you accomplished in 2014.Whether you increased your close rate, closed more deals, got a meeting with a prospect you've been targeting for awhile or upsold&amp;nbsp;an existing customer; looking back and learning from&amp;nbsp;everything that took place in 2014&amp;nbsp;(good, bad or indifferent) will set you up for success in the new&amp;nbsp;year. &amp;nbsp;It's hard for us to pick just one highlight of our year. One that really stands out to us, though, is sharing contract management and content_related insight right here on the SpringCM blog. (We're planning on upping the ante in 2015.&amp;nbsp;Subscribe to get new posts delivered to your inbox.)Here are the 5 most_viewed SpringCM blog posts of 20145. Contract management and lawyers: 3 common misconceptionsIt's nearly impossible&amp;nbsp;to close&amp;nbsp;a solid deal&amp;nbsp;without a lawyer's involvement. In this post, we covered three common misconceptions about a lawyers role in contract management,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;how simple fixes can save your company both time and budget when closing deals.4. [Infographic] What is predictive content?Our friends at Aragon Research&amp;nbsp;put together this infographic highlighting what you NEED to know about predictive&amp;nbsp;content.&amp;nbsp;3. Three eSignature features necessary for contract managementAt the end of any contract process there is always a&amp;nbsp;signature. There are plenty of e_signature platforms out there that make it easy to sign on the dotted line from your computer or mobile device.&amp;nbsp;But when it comes to an enterprise_class contract management&amp;nbsp;solution, what are some of the e_signature features you should be looking for?2. How to run a cloud software company in your 50sOur CEO, Greg Buchholz, authored our&amp;nbsp;second most popular post of 2014. As a 50_something running a cloud software company,&amp;nbsp;many VC's would consider him&amp;nbsp;too old or &quot;past his&amp;nbsp;prime&quot;. How does he do it?&amp;nbsp;1. Contract Management: 5 pitfalls to avoid in SalesforceJessica VanOflen, our Director of Sales Operations,&amp;nbsp;has seen&amp;nbsp;sales reps work on a deal for months.&amp;nbsp;Her&amp;nbsp;experience has shown that everything that can happen will happen while creating, negotiating and managing a contract.&amp;nbsp;What&amp;nbsp;hinders the process and how can you avoid those obstacles?&amp;nbsp;What was your favorite contract or content&amp;nbsp;blog post of 2014? Please share in the comments.&amp;nbsp;Image source: Pixaby&amp;nbsp;Have an article that performed great on your blog about Contract or Content Management? Share it here.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 30 Dec 2014 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_5_most_popular_contract_management_and_content_posts_of_2014</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Dec-30T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 predictions for contract lifecycle management in 2015</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/predictions_for_contract_lifecycle_management_in_2015</link>
        <description>We're all seeing a lot of &quot;Best of 2014&quot; posts pop up in our feeds this week, and while it's well and good to take stock of 2014's wins, those in the SaaS space _ particularly the Salesforce ecosystem _ should be looking to, and preparing for 2015. There are a lot of areas open to disruption, and one of them is contract lifecycle management (CLM). According to Bluewolf, CLM is one of the top three focus areas for current Salesforce users.Here are some predictions for how CLM will evolve in 2015 and change the way your company does business.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>We're all seeing a lot of &quot;Best of 2014&quot; posts pop up in our feeds this week, and while it's well and good to take stock of 2014's wins, those in the SaaS space _ particularly the Salesforce ecosystem _ should be looking to, and preparing for 2015. There are a lot of areas open to disruption, and one of them is contract lifecycle management (CLM). According to Bluewolf, CLM is one of the top three focus areas for current Salesforce users.Here are some predictions for how CLM will evolve in 2015 and change the way your company does business.&amp;nbsp;1. Outdated and manual&amp;nbsp;contract management processes will lead to big dollar liabilityThere will be multiple seven&amp;nbsp;figure disagreements and settlements between service providers&amp;nbsp;and the customers, all because signed contracts couldn't be located, there were rogue terms and conditions in the final agreement, or unknown&amp;nbsp;special terms and conditions.2. Legal will have a more active role in contract managementWhile sales teams will continue looking to view CLM as a way to increase the velocity of the contract process, legal teams will assume a greater and more active role managing contract risk and compliance.&amp;nbsp;3. A demand for scalable, flexible and mobile CLMBuyers will realize CLM solutions&amp;nbsp;need to bescalable and flexible, with&amp;nbsp;the ability to&amp;nbsp;integrate with multiple CRM solutions.&amp;nbsp;2015 will bring even more complex contract work processes, withworkflow taking center stage. As with most other software solutions, people will expectCLM to go mobile, and it will. Everyone from the sales rep to the executive sponsor will be able to track and support contract processes from any device.&amp;nbsp;4.&amp;nbsp;The rise of customer experience in CLMThe customer (or buyer) experience has continued to gain traction as a deciding factor in the success of SaaS companies. CLM&amp;nbsp;will reach a maturity that allows companies to differentiate based on customer experience, whereas features and price will enter the domain of table stakes.&amp;nbsp;5. CLM late adopters will continue to underwhelm new customers&amp;nbsp;The businesses that haven't&amp;nbsp;streamlined their contract process will fall even further behind. Late adopters&amp;nbsp;will&amp;nbsp;have poor relationships with&amp;nbsp;new customers and partners. Those that have committed to automating contracts management will push CLM vendors even further to increase productivity, improve visibility and reduce risk for their business.How do you think contract lifecycle management will change in 2015?&amp;nbsp; Image source:&amp;nbsp;Steve Bowbrick&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/predictions_for_contract_lifecycle_management_in_2015</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2014-Dec-31T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Should you join a Salesforce user group? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/should_you_join_a_salesforce_user_group</link>
        <description>Salesforce is a great tool, but it can certainly be overwhelming. There are so many great features and functions that can help you grow your business, but you don't always know how to use those functions. You may work at a company that relies on Salesforce, but lacks experienced users with whom you could work on new ideas. You may even work at a small company where you are the only one who knows how to use Salesforce.&amp;nbsp; A Salesforce user group can help remedy these problems.&amp;nbsp; User groups are organized by Salesforce customers and meet locally or virtually to discuss Salesforce Best Practices. Belonging to one of these groups yields a host of benefits.</description>
        <content:encoded>Salesforce is a great tool, but it can certainly be overwhelming. There are so many great features and functions that can help you grow your business, but you don't always know how to use those functions. You may work at a company that relies on Salesforce, but lacks experienced users with whom you could work on new ideas. You may even work at a small company where you are the only one who knows how to use Salesforce.&amp;nbsp; A Salesforce user group can help remedy these problems.&amp;nbsp; User groups are organized by Salesforce customers and meet locally or virtually to discuss Salesforce Best Practices. Belonging to one of these groups yields a host of benefits.Collective Experience and Problem_SolvingSalesforce user group meetings provide a collaborative atmosphere where everyone wants to share ideas. The benefits of this type of collaboration cannot be overstated. You'll get to meet like_minded people who are excited about Salesforce and its possibilities. They may be facing the same challenges as you, and you can figure out how to resolve those challenges together. Most avid Salesforce users are happy to help others learn more about the products they love so much.&amp;nbsp; And it's exciting being able to brainstorm and come up with a solution for a tough problem.  Learning About New Product Releases  Another great reason to join a user group and attend meetings is to keep up with new product releases.&amp;nbsp; There are three Salesforce product releases per year, and it can be tough to stay on top&amp;nbsp;of all the changes. A Salesforce user group can choose to meet after every new release and go through the changes together. In many cases a Salesforce employee will be the guest speaker at the user group meeting presenting the highlights from the latest enhancement release.   Networking with Local Users  One of the best things about Salesforce user group meetings is the opportunity to network with local Salesforce users and partners.&amp;nbsp; These users and partners could become people who help you with your business. They could even become friends.&amp;nbsp; The collaborative nature of these meetings breeds quick and lasting relationships.&amp;nbsp; Some of the largest user group meetings have over 400 attendees!&amp;nbsp;  How to Join a Group  If you live in or near a major city, its likely you already have a Salesforce user group close to you. There are now 192 regional and 17 sector_specific Salesforce user groups across the world. Check out www.success.salesforce.com/userGroups to see the options. If there isn't one that suits your needs, why not go ahead and start one? It's likely there are others that will be happy to join!Denise Carbone is the Chicago Salesforce User Group Leader and a Salesforce MVP. She focuses&amp;nbsp;on sales analytics with an emphasis on best practices, business process improvement and pipeline management. You can find her on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 12 Jan 2015 21:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/should_you_join_a_salesforce_user_group</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-12T21:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The CRM problem you don't know you have</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_crm_problem_you_dont_know_you_have</link>
        <description>It would be ideal if each company had only one CRM system, but we all know that we don't live in an ideal world. Sometimes the way that companies evolve over time means&amp;nbsp;they have&amp;nbsp;more than one CRM system. Mergers, acquisitions and other company changes often lead to scenarios&amp;nbsp;where multiple CRMs are in use.&amp;nbsp;Of course, despite being different brands, these&amp;nbsp;CRMs&amp;nbsp;are&amp;nbsp;supporting some of the&amp;nbsp;most critical&amp;nbsp;functions of a business.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>It would be ideal if each company had only one CRM system, but we all know that we don't live in an ideal world. Sometimes the way that companies evolve over time means&amp;nbsp;they have&amp;nbsp;more than one CRM system. Mergers, acquisitions and other company changes often lead to scenarios&amp;nbsp;where multiple CRMs are in use.&amp;nbsp;Of course, despite being different brands, these&amp;nbsp;CRMs&amp;nbsp;are&amp;nbsp;supporting some of the&amp;nbsp;most critical&amp;nbsp;functions of a business.&amp;nbsp;CRM is a great solution, but businesses need more than customer relationship management to thrive and grow. However,&amp;nbsp;your customers should always remain at the center of your processes. This means you need to either expand your CRM's functionality through native applications or integrate&amp;nbsp;non_native applications.Integrating apps when you have more than one CRM system is challenging. Standardization assumes primary&amp;nbsp;importance, particularly in relation to&amp;nbsp;user productivity as your sales leaders&amp;nbsp;attempt to&amp;nbsp;compare data&amp;nbsp;to effectively&amp;nbsp;analyze the health of your business. Beyond the usual data you mine from CRM, youll also want the ability to manage your contracts in a way that is simple for your end_users to understand.&amp;nbsp;An effective solution to this need is to employ the use of what are called&amp;nbsp;non_native apps to&amp;nbsp;extend the&amp;nbsp;utility of the applications beyond just those who use&amp;nbsp;Salesforce.com.&amp;nbsp;What is a non_native app?&amp;nbsp;A Salesforce native app lives entirely within the Salesforce system. Conversely, a Salesforce non_native app is one that can natively integrate with Salesforce, but is fully functional on its own.&amp;nbsp;Companies often need to integrate multiple CRMs, and a native app won't allow that. Of course, you can always continue to operate multiple CRMs separately, but that can make training employees very difficult, mistakes happen more readily and productivity can suffer.&amp;nbsp;Keeping completely separate systems adds a layer of complexity that may require additional man_hours _ both in initial time and maintenance time. You could also consolidate down to one CRM or the other, but if you have years of data, that may prove next to impossible.How to integrate multiple CRM systems&amp;nbsp;A seemingly simple&amp;nbsp;approach might be to attempt data integration across the CRM platforms themselves, but doing so is a difficult, time_consuming process that can break with each new release of your respective&amp;nbsp;CRM systems. The better approach is to leave the CRM systems alone in their separate roles and integrate important data at the app level using non_native apps.&amp;nbsp;If you choose to integrate, here&amp;nbsp;are some steps you should take to make the process easier:1. Research&amp;nbsp;integration toolsThere are a variety of options that could suit your needs. Involve anybody in your company that you think has knowledge of Salesforce as well as your other CRM systems. This could include people from sales, marketing, customer service, IT and management.2.&amp;nbsp;Map the dataYou'll need a data architect at this point, unless you've chosen an integration tool that will do this step for you. The data architect will figure out how to match up different fields between systems, and how to best output the data. Theyll essentially need to figure out how the integration will function.3. Test the integrationAfter the integration is implemented, you'll need to test it to make sure it meets your companys needs. Once again, you should involve any end_users from your company that you think would be helpful in this testing process.Integrating multiple CRMs within an organization may seem like a hopeless task, but &amp;nbsp;non_native apps &amp;nbsp;offer a way to make this task manageable, and even advantageous, for your business.Image source:&amp;nbsp;http://www.flickr.com/photos/kinshasa2012/&amp;nbsp; </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 13 Jan 2015 20:34:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_crm_problem_you_dont_know_you_have</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-13T20:34:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How the best sales managers position their teams for quick wins</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_the_best_sales_managers_position_their_teams_for_quick_wins</link>
        <description>How do you think your sales team should spend the majority of their time: making sales or managing contracts? It isn&amp;rsquo;t a trick question but it is a tricky situation that most sales teams have to navigate on a daily basis. Regardless of your existing processes, a truly effective sales team has the time to win business.&amp;nbsp;By simplifying your sales contract process, you can spend more time focusing on landing quick wins and less time helping your team play email ping_pong with customers&amp;nbsp;and colleagues.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>How do you think your sales team should spend the majority of their time: making sales or managing contracts? It isnt a trick question but it is a tricky situation that most sales teams have to navigate on a daily basis. Regardless of your existing processes, a truly effective sales team has the time to win business.&amp;nbsp;By simplifying your sales contract process, you can spend more time focusing on landing quick wins and less time helping your team play email ping_pong with customers&amp;nbsp;and colleagues.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Get contracts&amp;nbsp;to prospects&amp;nbsp;quicklyYour team shouldn't lose any more time reproducing the same general contracts from scratch with each new sales cycle. Rather than start from square one, spend time developing a library of contract templates.Templates give your sales team a head start when drafting a new contract, ensuring they can spend more time nurturing the sales prospect and less time poring over clauses. All your team needs to do is customize the information to reflect the customer's and send the contract&amp;nbsp;out for approval. The faster you get a contract in the hands of a client, the faster you can count a prospect as new business.&amp;nbsp;Template tip #1Each time you encounter a new, unique contract type, create a template for it immediately. That way, if a similar contract arises, youre already prepared.Template tip #2&amp;nbsp;Keep those templates organized so everyone, even new sales reps, can find the contract they need easily.Collaborate to communicate quicklyWhen everyone on your team is kept in the loop and moving forward in lock_step, you'll find your sales cycles tend to resolve quicker (and with more positive results). Any number of collaboration tools enable your team to suggest changes or&amp;nbsp;address any potential issues without the chaos of multiple email threads and conference calls. In addition to encouraging an expedited sales cycle, you've created a detailed record of the negotiation process for anyone who may join the account in the future. Or perhaps most important, it provides you with a level of scrutiny&amp;nbsp;necessary to conduct an audit down the line.&amp;nbsp;Collaboration tip: Save and organize previous versions of a contract throughout the process, you never know when youre going to need to reference past negotiations.Make it easy to locate contractsEven the simplest tweaks to how you organize your sales contracts can yield huge results for your sales productivity. Consider the possibilities of the cloud when it comes to how you manage your sales contracts and the accompanying process. By keep all working and completed contracts organized in the cloud you empower everyone in the department to find the version they need as quickly as possible. There's no need for the finance department to email the sales rep for the latest copy.A perfect example and use_case for better organizing your sales contracts: a new sales rep is assigned to an existing client. Instead of spending the better part of the morning hunting down all the relevant information for his inherited deal, she can easily pull the necessary contract materials from your cloud. Nw she can spend more time managing the success of your customer and less time navigating email attachments.&amp;nbsp;It's common for sales cycles to slow down due to lack of information. By keeping all prospect and customer_related information organized and accesible, your sales team can get they need and get back in the field.&amp;nbsp;Sales teams should be hunting for deals, not documentsYour sales team should be selling, not reinventing the contract wheel or chasing down information every time a new deal is being drawn up. The suggestions above can do a lot towards improving your contract managment process in a way that improves the efficiency of your sales team and wins more deals.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 19 Jan 2015 21:04:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_the_best_sales_managers_position_their_teams_for_quick_wins</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-19T21:04:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Does your finance team need contract management software? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_for_your_finance_team</link>
        <description>Consider your finance team's role in your organization. They are the&amp;nbsp;math_heads, the accounting gurus, the goal_makers and your go_to department for all things numerical. Now, consider the same numerical side of contract management. It's more than saved time and increased sales productivity. If you show your finance team the data yielded by a air_tight&amp;nbsp;contract management process, they'll show you exactly where you can stand to improve on revenue growth.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Consider your finance team's role in your organization. They are the&amp;nbsp;math_heads, the accounting gurus, the goal_makers and your go_to department for all things numerical. Now, consider the same numerical side of contract management. It's more than saved time and increased sales productivity. If you show your finance team the data yielded by a air_tight&amp;nbsp;contract management process, they'll show you exactly where you can stand to improve on revenue growth.&amp;nbsp;Turn contract chaos into&amp;nbsp;control of&amp;nbsp;your revenue growthTake a look at your contract process as it operates today and ask yourself these questions:How many steps does your average contract take; from creation to close?&amp;nbsp;How long does a contract stay in negotiations?&amp;nbsp;Are you missing renewal deadlines?&amp;nbsp;Are you at risk of an audit?&amp;nbsp;How often do you make a mistake on an invoice?&amp;nbsp;Are you giving away unearned discounts?&amp;nbsp;How many deals closed on time?&amp;nbsp;How many deals slipped into the next quarter?&amp;nbsp;Are errors dictating your sales process?&amp;nbsp;Given the time and resources, your finance team should be able to spotlight countless instances where you might be letting revenue slip through your fingers. This lost revenue comes in the form of lapsed contracts, excessive contract negotiations, errors in special clauses and missed deadlines. Not only does this put your company at financial risk, but also creates an unpleasant contract process for your soon_to_be customers. An honest mistake at the contract level might end up losing you customer before they even get to use your services or product.&amp;nbsp;So you're having an audit...All of those new contracts you're bringing in means more revenue for your business. But the quantity counts as much as the quality of those contracts. Your finance team is exposed to a lot of headaches and potential heartaches during an audit, but a transparent and well documented contract process can enable them to spot risky clauses and conditions before it's too late.Tip: Consult with your finance team before including any automatic price increase clauses and conditions of renewal _ this will help increase customer longevity and prevent otherwise happy customers from slipping through the cracks.&amp;nbsp;Contract management software uses metrics to track even the smallest successes and failures of your business. These metrics give your sales, ops and finance teams direct visibility into opportunities for improvement and prevention.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 20 Jan 2015 15:29:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_for_your_finance_team</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-20T15:29:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How contract management software could have saved San Diego a lot of money</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_contract_management_software_could_have_saved_san_diego_a_lot_of_money</link>
        <description>Last&amp;nbsp;week, the City of San Diego discovered what happens when contract management&amp;nbsp;lacks process or reasonable&amp;nbsp;checks and balances. The Office of the Auditor for&amp;nbsp;San Diego&amp;nbsp;issued&amp;nbsp;a memo that revealed the preliminary results of an ongoing audit. The audit had uncovered a number&amp;nbsp;of problems with many of the city's engagements with third party services, including potential overpayment. The memo attributed the current issue to&amp;nbsp;a weak&amp;nbsp;internal process (i.e. a lack of checks and balances) behind city purchasing.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Last&amp;nbsp;week, the City of San Diego discovered what happens when contract management&amp;nbsp;lacks process or reasonable&amp;nbsp;checks and balances. The Office of the Auditor for&amp;nbsp;San Diego&amp;nbsp;issued&amp;nbsp;a memo that revealed the preliminary results of an ongoing audit. The audit had uncovered a number&amp;nbsp;of problems with many of the city's engagements with third party services, including potential overpayment. The memo attributed the current issue to&amp;nbsp;a weak&amp;nbsp;internal process (i.e. a lack of checks and balances) behind city purchasing.&amp;nbsp;A matter of transparency in the contract processAlexander Nguyen of the Times of San Diego did a great job covering the story here. Essentially, the city's purchasing process has gone unmonitored for an untold amount of time. This happened due to a classic case of miscommunication.&amp;nbsp;Each of the departments responsible for monitoring the city's purchasing process thought the other was handling oversight and review. Now San Diego is finding&amp;nbsp;inconsistencies&amp;nbsp;between contracts and invoices. Not only has&amp;nbsp;the city most likely&amp;nbsp;overpaid for services, but they also have exposed themselves to a high risk of fraud with almost half a million in disbursements without supporting documentation.&amp;nbsp;How could&amp;nbsp;contract management software save San Diego another&amp;nbsp;headache?We at SpringCM can't help but wonder&amp;nbsp;how this situation would look different with contract management software. We work with hundreds of customers to solve contract management problems, and we've seen our fair share of broken processes.&amp;nbsp;San Diego's current problem is largely due&amp;nbsp;to a lack of communication, transparency and oversight. The&amp;nbsp;city's audit team has already identified&amp;nbsp;existing discrepancies between contracts and invoices. And while&amp;nbsp;Luna's team has almost completed the&amp;nbsp;necessary first step to remedying this mess, what does the city plan to do to ensure the responsible&amp;nbsp;teams don't return to status quo?&amp;nbsp;On the other side of this problem is&amp;nbsp;city contracting director, Dennis Gakunga, who has outlined some initial steps to ensure this problem doesn't happen again. His preventative measures include:An electronic vendor systemA new contract management modelIncreased collaboration between city department heads.I'd argue that this isn't enough.&amp;nbsp;Regardless of the model they put in place, anyone in the cloud or B2B space knows that tangible documents  even electronic ones that live in emails and shared drives _ are easily misplaced. Without a system to support the new contract management process, San Diego runs the risk of repeating these same mistakes in the future.&amp;nbsp;Once the city&amp;nbsp;has a grip on what they are&amp;nbsp;approving or declining as far as contracts, then they can begin&amp;nbsp;making more&amp;nbsp;educated decisions about how to invest city money. This will make the current administration more effective, and ensure the taxpayer's money is going to the right place.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:26:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_contract_management_software_could_have_saved_san_diego_a_lot_of_money</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-20T21:26:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Is CRM the right place for your legal team to store their contracts?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/is_crm_the_right_contract_solution_for_your_legal_team</link>
        <description>You hired your legal team because they&amp;rsquo;re experts in law, not sales. And while it makes sense that they'd do some independent learning and&amp;nbsp;become familiar with your sales process, you shouldn't have to buy CRM user licenses for your&amp;nbsp;lawyers, let alone have them do the majority of their contract work within it.CRM Contract Management? &amp;nbsp;CRM isn't the solution for everyone</description>
        <content:encoded>You hired your legal team because theyre experts in law, not sales. And while it makes sense that they'd do some independent learning and&amp;nbsp;become familiar with your sales process, you shouldn't have to buy CRM user licenses for your&amp;nbsp;lawyers, let alone have them do the majority of their contract work within it.CRM Contract Management? &amp;nbsp;CRM isn't the solution for everyoneWhile CRM's are built to be the place where your sales teams live and thrive, they are not the ideal application for all your employees.&amp;nbsp; When it comes to moving your deals through the sales process, dont let your CRM application stop you at the most critical part of that process, the contract signing phase. Your legal team and your sales team should both be able to work simultaneously and in unison within platforms that are the most efficient for them to close deals quick.&amp;nbsp; If your team members are hitting speed bumps at the most critical phase of the sales process, the contract phase, then you've what you hoped to gain using CRM in the first place, maximumum deal velocity.&amp;nbsp;Empower your lawyers with full visibility into every aspect of the contract process, or at the very least keep them in the loop with a cloud system for file organization.&amp;nbsp;Your sales and legal teams both need visibility into your deal contractsWithout a specific system to store your contracts, files are saved over, lost, or sent via email, cluttering inboxes and making it difficult to track the most recent versions. Your lawyers work hard to keep you and your contracts out of trouble. But, if your legal team doesnt have a license to your CRM program, your sales team will not have seamless access to their contracts during this phase, when further negotiations typically happen.This whole problem begs the question whether or not CRM is the right place to store your contracts. It's certainly one method but it's an unbalanced&amp;nbsp;one. Consider the make_up of your sales and legal teams, and what the current process looks like. If you see more bottlenecks than breakthroughs you can&amp;nbsp;determine that&amp;nbsp;CRM is not where you should be managing&amp;nbsp;your contracts.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 21 Jan 2015 21:05:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/is_crm_the_right_contract_solution_for_your_legal_team</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-21T21:05:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to empower your distributors or resellers to execute agreements and improve sales</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_empower_your_distributors_or_resellers_to_execute_agreements_and_improve_sales</link>
        <description>I have worked with hundreds of customers over the years and no matter what the industry, how large or small the company, there is one theme I hear over and over when a company discusses resellers: they always feel a little out of touch with them. &amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>I have worked with hundreds of customers over the years and no matter what the industry, how large or small the company, there is one theme I hear over and over when a company discusses resellers: they always feel a little out of touch with them. &amp;nbsp;Companies are spending a lot of resources on improving internal processes around contracting, billing and customer service, but often struggle with how to invest in the success of&amp;nbsp;their independent reps. Understanding your business' partners is as important as understanding your customer.&amp;nbsp;There's obviously a disconnect &amp;nbsp;73% of distributors have serious doubts about their ability to&amp;nbsp;provide quality&amp;nbsp;products and services for their customers&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;grow their book of business.My customers ask me all the time, &quot;How do I make my distributors' or resellers'&amp;nbsp;lives easier?&quot; &amp;nbsp;Here are a few practices that&amp;nbsp;have been effective for my customers:Reduce the administrative tasks: Resellers often act as agents for hundreds of companies so remembering each companys protocol can be difficult. If protocols are not followed, it&amp;nbsp;can slow their sales cycle or make them look at other options (e.g. your competition). &amp;nbsp;Automating any administrative task will significantly help improve the process and the relationship with the 1099&amp;nbsp;Rep.Empower them through self_service: Many companies are leveraging portals or communities to publish standard contracts, pricing and marketing material. However, the portal needs to be&amp;nbsp;more than&amp;nbsp;a place for static documentation. Distributor Reps should be able to see important information like sales data or commissions. They should also be able to eSign and generate standard contracts or business agreements for them to truly adopt the self service model. It's no longer acceptable to have them leverage email and fax as a way to communicate with your organization.Make it easy to get what they need: &amp;nbsp;If 80% of their&amp;nbsp;process is repeatable or could be easily automated, start there. You don't need to solve every&amp;nbsp;problem that exists&amp;nbsp;in your sales cycle with the independent rep. Make the site simple, automated and easy to navigate. Engage some key participants in the beta program and take their suggestions seriously to improve the process.By enhancing exchange time between the distributor and your company, your distributors will better understand customers and can offer tailored products to different customer segments. They can also focus more on selling and less on administrative tasks. &amp;nbsp;Making it easier to do business with your organization helps both you and your partners become more successful.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 22 Jan 2015 19:15:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_empower_your_distributors_or_resellers_to_execute_agreements_and_improve_sales</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-22T19:15:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Should your sales team be storing contracts in your CRM? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/crm_contracts_management_software_storage</link>
        <description>As a salesforce certified advanced administrator, I have had the pleasure of working with hundreds of customers who made the decision to implement a CRM solution. &amp;nbsp;The goal of a CRM system should be to design an &amp;ldquo;interactive approach that achieves an optimum balance between corporate investments and the satisfaction of customer needs to generate maximum profit1&amp;rdquo;. &amp;nbsp;In order to achieve that goal, most seasoned advisors will tell customers to do three things.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a salesforce certified advanced administrator, I have had the pleasure of working with hundreds of customers who made the decision to implement a CRM solution. &amp;nbsp;The goal of a CRM system should be to design an interactive approach that achieves an optimum balance between corporate investments and the satisfaction of customer needs to generate maximum profit1. &amp;nbsp;In order to achieve that goal, most seasoned advisors will tell customers to do three things.1. Keep the scope clear and well communicated&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Clearly define roles, responsibilities and deadlines and hold team members accountable by communicating progress clearly and often.2. Make sure leadership is involved and active in CRM deployment&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;No project is successful without the support from leadership and champions throughout the organization3. Keep your CRM&amp;nbsp;simpleSelect the most important aspects of the CRM that you need to get up and going. &amp;nbsp;Dont bite off more than you can initially chew!In order to meet those goals normally a lot of features of the CRM are not included in the initial go live. &amp;nbsp;Things like&amp;nbsp;quoting, contract management and very often forecasting are left for phase two because of the complexity of the process. &amp;nbsp;However, they have some of the largest ROI portential for organization because they are such manual processes which can be easily optimized with the right tools.Should our contracts be in our CRM?Every business has agreements that are a part of the relationship with their customers. &amp;nbsp;However, most CRM tools have limitations on how they can generate documents like contracts, or&amp;nbsp;how they can automate the redlining and approval process. &amp;nbsp;Its important to understand all the stakeholders' needs when you are ready to add the value of&amp;nbsp;contract management&amp;nbsp;software to your customer sales and relationship cycles.Stay tuned in the next few weeks for a blog series on how to effectively implement contracts in your CRM. 1. Shaw, R., and Reed, D. Measuring and valuing customer relationships: How to develop the&amp;nbsp;measures that drive profitable CRM strategies.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 23 Jan 2015 17:50:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/crm_contracts_management_software_storage</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-23T17:50:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to develop workflow automation for the approval and signing of outbound contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_create_an_approval_and_signature_workflow_for_outbound_contracts</link>
        <description>The basic approve and sign modelThis kind of workflow is great for getting started&amp;nbsp;quickly. It&amp;nbsp;incorporates a lightweight approval process that gives managers visibility, keeps reps out of email_based approvals, and reduces the risk of bad terms and&amp;nbsp;pricing being sent out.</description>
        <content:encoded>The basic approve and sign modelThis kind of workflow is great for getting started&amp;nbsp;quickly. It&amp;nbsp;incorporates a lightweight approval process that gives managers visibility, keeps reps out of email_based approvals, and reduces the risk of bad terms and&amp;nbsp;pricing being sent out.Key functions:Increase managerial visibility into what Sales Reps are sending outIncrease productivity by getting reps out of the email gameReduce risk by having a second set of eyes on outbound contractsThe hub and spoke&amp;nbsp;modelMore complex&amp;nbsp;contract processes often&amp;nbsp;take the shape of a hub and&amp;nbsp;spoke. In this workflow, there is oftentimes a contract &quot;Quarterback&quot; that engages the necessary parties in the contract process when it is the appropriate time.&amp;nbsp;Key functions:Increase visibility for all users by tracking who_has_what and how long they've had itIncrease productivity by automating the inclusion of different parties internally and externally in the processReduce risk by keeping the contract out of email _ so all parties are looking at the latest and greatest versionThe linear escalation modelFor workflows that need to follow an escalation path, the path can be decided by some data that goes into the workflow (products covered, contract value, organizational structure, etc.) that decide who needs to review that contract. The linear escalation model&amp;nbsp;streamlines the&amp;nbsp;process in a repeatable workflow that can handle any number of conditional criteria.Key functions:Increase visibility into where the workflow is by taking it out of email and following a repeatable and predictable process.Increase productivity _ send reminder emails for stalled workflows, reassign workflows as needed, and escalate due to inactivityReduce risk by making sure the proper parties review contracts when they fit the right criteria to trigger certain flags</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:14:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_create_an_approval_and_signature_workflow_for_outbound_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-26T22:14:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What is Contract Management Software Total Cost of Ownership?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_is_contract_management_software_total_cost_of_ownership</link>
        <description>An attorney in a general counsel&amp;rsquo;s office recently mentioned to me that he had been tasked with getting the best price on a SaaS_based contract management solution. My first reaction was to suggest that he check out the price tab found on most SaaS software sites today. But before I answered, a thought crossed my mind &amp;mdash; was he asking about a price, or was he really looking for the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO)?</description>
        <content:encoded>An attorney in a general counsels office recently mentioned to me that he had been tasked with getting the best price on a SaaS_based contract management solution. My first reaction was to suggest that he check out the price tab found on most SaaS software sites today. But before I answered, a thought crossed my mind  was he asking about a price, or was he really looking for the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO)?Warren Buffet is attributed with saying, Price is what you pay. Value is what&amp;nbsp;you get. Looking for the lowest priced solution provider may seem like the best way to reduce overall TCO; however, this approach often leads to short_term wins but with diminished long_term value.Ill explain.TCO is a measurement of cost over time, while price represents a figure at a point in time.There are many factors that go into a TCO calculation. When considering the following, remember that labor cost is just part of the equation. Opportunity cost (i.e., the cost of doing something else with resources) can be significantly larger than the price of&amp;nbsp;user licenses.Here are costs you should consider when calculating contract management software&amp;nbsp;TCO:Software licenses &amp;nbsp;_&amp;nbsp;Licenses typically include users access to the solution, routine support, basic training and updates.Deployment  Consulting services to get the solution up and runningAdoption  How easy is it for administrators and end_users to get fully up to speed using the solutionReliability and Availability &amp;nbsp;_ Downtime or degradations resulting in lower productivity, decrease stakeholder satisfaction, missed SLAsInteroperability  Effort required to integrate with other applicationsExtensibility  Effort required to enhance the solution as needs evolveSecurity  Cost of a security breachScalability and capacity  The need to increase infrastructure as business grows to head off performance degradationsand finallyOops, I made a mistake  Consider that you selected the low priced option, and its failing to deliver expected value  this is the cost of ripping and replacing the solution, which includes all of the items above  hard costs as well as opportunity cost.Now, you may say, Hey, my contract management needs are really very basic. I have only standard contracts and only need to track renewal dates. My computer and Excel almost always are operable.&quot; In this case, an Excel spreadsheet may be sufficient and price may be the only factor.However, as your contract management needs grow in complexity, sophisticated solutions are required&amp;nbsp;as well as&amp;nbsp;expert services, support, and a secure, scalable infrastructure. All are necessary to ensure high service levels, and price becomes only one element of the overall cost equation. &amp;nbsp;Focus on TCO and overall value rather than simply price.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 27 Jan 2015 20:04:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_is_contract_management_software_total_cost_of_ownership</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-27T20:04:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title> How to determine the ROI of contract management software</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_track_contract_management_roi</link>
        <description>What are two considerations for purchasing a contract management solution?The contract process is an important part of any organization. Many companies are beginning to invest in contract management software to augment the process in a way that provides greater visibility and mitigates risk, while automating some of the more time_consuming&amp;nbsp;steps. Before making an investment in contract management software, you should consider two important questions:How much money are you investing in the solution?How much money is the solution putting back in your pocket?&amp;nbsp;Additionally, you'll want to consider the money saved on increased productivity from the relevant teams, and the additional revenue that comes as a result of improving your contracts process.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>What are two considerations for purchasing a contract management solution?The contract process is an important part of any organization. Many companies are beginning to invest in contract management software to augment the process in a way that provides greater visibility and mitigates risk, while automating some of the more time_consuming&amp;nbsp;steps. Before making an investment in contract management software, you should consider two important questions:How much money are you investing in the solution?How much money is the solution putting back in your pocket?&amp;nbsp;Additionally, you'll want to consider the money saved on increased productivity from the relevant teams, and the additional revenue that comes as a result of improving your contracts process.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Which two departments stand to benefit most from contract management?&amp;nbsp;The two groups&amp;nbsp;that will directly benefit from contract management software are your sales and legal teams. If you're working with an internal legal team, you'll see an increase in their output since they'll be spending less time on the aforementioned time_consuming tasks involved in the contracts process. If you're working with an external legal team, you'll see savings reflected in the number of billable hours. And while it won't immediately impact the ROI, contract management solutions mitigate the risk involved in complex contracts.&amp;nbsp;Everyone is talking about sales productivity nowadays. Sales leaders are always looking for ways to increase the amount of time sales teams actually spend selling. There's a lot of focus on the amount of time spent in the early days of a buying cycle, but not many sales experts talk about the most important part of any deal: the contract.&amp;nbsp;After implementing a contract management solution, your reps will spend less time overseeing the negotiation and signing process, and more time seeking new business.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;How quickly can companies see&amp;nbsp;ROI after implementing contract management software?Most companies are able to see ROI on contract management solutions within the first quarter. As I mentioned above, you're immediately able to track a benefit in the amount of hours your legal teams are spending on manual contract processes. The less time your reps spend on the contracts process, the more deals they'll be able to handle per quarter, and by extension, per year. One of the added benefits to contract management software is the repeatable process it creates. As your contract process becomes more predictable, you can better predict the amount of time spent on each deal. This will allow you to more accurately predict your sales forecast for the year.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 28 Jan 2015 22:11:02 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_track_contract_management_roi</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-28T22:11:02Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract and document management practices still fall short</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_and_document_management_practices_still_fall_short</link>
        <description>Don&amp;rsquo;t hold me to the exact timeline, but it was about 1,100 years ago when the Greek philosopher Heraclitus observed, &amp;ldquo;nothing is constant, but change.&quot; Now in my third decade of software sales, I&amp;rsquo;ve seen lots of change.</description>
        <content:encoded>Dont hold me to the exact timeline, but it was about 1,100 years ago when the Greek philosopher Heraclitus observed, nothing is constant, but change.&quot; Now in my third decade of software sales, Ive seen lots of change.I started selling mainframe systems software in the late 80s (not the 1880s but some days it does feel like that). Yes, there was a need for such systems software when computers took up entire rooms with raised floors. Banks of tapes and disks spun frenetically in these air_conditioned rooms, satisfying the growing information appetite of a relatively nascent group of knowledge workers. No, Im not kidding. We called workers knowledge workers. They gained this advanced knowledge without PCs, smartphones or Google Glass. I suspect it would have impressed even the wisest Greek philosophers.In the time of rolodexes and notepads &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Along the way, some technological change revolutionized industries.&amp;nbsp;For example, it used to be that organizations knew very little about the customers they sold to, because the detailed knowledge of their prospects was&amp;nbsp;kept on the sales reps notepads and later their very personal computers (or in their collectives heads). There were desktop apps like ACT for advanced customer tracking. Frankly, in those days, ACT was advanced.But vital customer information such as contacts, proposals, communication and contracts were often unknown to the enterprise at large. Today, with transactional data platforms in the cloud such as Salesforce.com,&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;advancements in mobile capabilities, this information is available, secure and known throughout the enterprise. Thats profound change!Yet, despite&amp;nbsp;all the advancements, I'm not entirely impressed by&amp;nbsp;the solutions developed&amp;nbsp;recently to alleviate&amp;nbsp;the difficulties most sales, legal, finance and marketing staff have when it comes to managing critical documents&amp;nbsp;relevant to&amp;nbsp;customers, products, employees and partners. &amp;nbsp;It's time to&amp;nbsp;change our approach to document managementFrom my decidedly sales_centric perspective, we have not affected the change necessary to proactively (and intelligently) serve up the most current marketing collateral at the appropriate stage of an opportunity. &amp;nbsp;In other words, companies still require salespeople to search for the important information necessary&amp;nbsp;to advance opportunities. One of the biggest time&amp;nbsp;drains for sales teams, usually accounting&amp;nbsp;for 30+ minutes of lost sales productivity per day, is searching for sales/marketing collateral.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;How many emails does marketing (or the entire company) have to receive, asking for the latest marketing collateral to assist in a sales opportunity?This week I was invited to speak at a Sales Kickoff Meeting for one of my customers. They are a $2.5 billion dollar services company. A VP of Sales told me that one of his reps was recently beaming over&amp;nbsp;the research she had done&amp;nbsp;on a hot prospect. Neither&amp;nbsp;was very happy to find that all the information it took her weeks to assemble was contained in a White Paper one of their consultants had written&amp;nbsp;a few months ago. Ugh! What a waste of time.By the same token, internal contract approvals are still done via email and Word. Really? This is the best weve got?Contracts are documents tooIn most companies, sales reps and managers never exactly know the status of a contract under review. We do know it takes way too long to get it approved, and we have no way of really knowing what the latest version is, where it is&amp;nbsp;or&amp;nbsp;when it will be executable for&amp;nbsp;our customers. &amp;nbsp;Now back to Heraclitus. If he were our consultant, what would he think? Hes a wise man who would have somehow survived millennia to consult with us about the changes we have made to compete in our respective industries. Listen, Im neither sage nor savant, but I do know this; if we are prolonging our own sales cycles, keeping our sales reps from optimal productivity and putting our companies at risk (through damaging&amp;nbsp;contract clauses that slip through the proverbial cracks), then we owe it to ourselves and our employers to improve the way we do business. &amp;nbsp;After all, nothing is more inevitable and constant. Its time for a change. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 29 Jan 2015 16:40:32 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_and_document_management_practices_still_fall_short</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-29T16:40:32Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to get ready for a contract management software implementation (Part 1 of 2)</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_get_ready_for_a_contract_management_software_implementation</link>
        <description>Ed. Note: This is part one of a two_part series to help guide you through a contract management software implementation. Part one addresses the key business problems solved by contract management software, while part two shares an easy preparation checklist.Snowflakes are pretty. Snowflakes are also unique. Why snowflakes? Well, contract management&amp;nbsp;implementations can be as varietal as snowflakes. &amp;nbsp;To ensure that your contract management&amp;nbsp;implementation respects your distinctive process and runs smoothly, both during the implementation phase and once it is deployed to your end_user community; there are a few things to keep in a mind and be prepared for, so that you and your business are ready for your implementation.</description>
        <content:encoded>Ed. Note: This is part one of a two_part series to help guide you through a contract management software implementation. Part one addresses the key business problems solved by contract management software, while part two shares an easy preparation checklist.Snowflakes are pretty. Snowflakes are also unique. Why snowflakes? Well, contract management&amp;nbsp;implementations can be as varietal as snowflakes. &amp;nbsp;To ensure that your contract management&amp;nbsp;implementation respects your distinctive process and runs smoothly, both during the implementation phase and once it is deployed to your end_user community; there are a few things to keep in a mind and be prepared for, so that you and your business are ready for your implementation.&amp;nbsp;Key business problems solved by contract management softwareWithout diving too deep&amp;nbsp;into why you are considering a contract management&amp;nbsp;implementation, you are probably looking to solve a few key business problems.Creating standard contracts by manually typing values into a word doc&amp;nbsp;A low value activity being done by high value resources and prone to human error, compounded by the fact that it may be difficult to even find the correct and most recent version of the template contract from the shared drive or from email folders.Routing for approval may not happen at allThis opens up the possibility of all sorts of contract risks. Or if you are lucky and there is an approval process, the contract is probably getting routed through email replies, reply alls and forwards; making it a guessing game as to where the contract is, where it still needs to go and who to follow_up with to get the contract out the door to the customer.Involving the customer in the redlining process and the signature process takes the document out of your organization&amp;nbsp;You may lose visibility to the contract as you rely on a single person (sales or legal) to follow up with your customer. Also, staring and comparing what you send vs.&amp;nbsp;what you received back is an arduous process if you customer was selective with their track changes.Managing signed contracts and tracking key contract terms, milestones, or actionable&amp;nbsp;dates may be difficult to do&amp;nbsp;And nearly impossible if signed contracts are scattered throughout the organization and are not housed in a single contract repository.Whatever contract management software&amp;nbsp;solution you end up picking, it should be addressing most, if not all of these problems. Read&amp;nbsp;part two of this series!&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 30 Jan 2015 16:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_get_ready_for_a_contract_management_software_implementation</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-30T16:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to get ready for a contract management software implementation (Part 2)</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_get_ready_for_a_contract_management_software_implementation_part_2</link>
        <description>Ed. Note: This is part two&amp;nbsp;of a two_part series to help guide you through a contract management software implementation. Part one addresses the key business problems solved by contract management software, while part two shares an easy preparation checklist.</description>
        <content:encoded>Ed. Note: This is part two&amp;nbsp;of a two_part series to help guide you through a contract management software implementation. Part one addresses the key business problems solved by contract management software, while part two shares an easy preparation checklist.In my previous blog, I discussed some of the key business values you can hope to&amp;nbsp;solve by implementing contract management software. This post will cover in some depth a few processes you can assess before implementation, and how to convey this information to the implementation team.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Checklist&amp;nbsp;to complete before&amp;nbsp;your contract management software implementationContract templates and automated contract creationTrack down all your contract templates (NDAs, MSAs, order forms, aaddendums, etc.) and have your legal team update and bless the versions of the documents you want your contract management&amp;nbsp;vendor to implement for you.Review your templates and highlight/comment the fields, paragraphs, and sections that are typically filled in or modified as part of your contract preparation process and determine if that data can come from 1) a CRM system like Salesforce.com 2) a user input or 3) a business rule.If you are planning on creating templates from within your CRM, make sure you engage the team that manages your CRM so they can help identify, map and potentially create the fields you need.Contract routing and workflow approvalsMap out your contract process for each contract type and determine which functional areas from within your organization need to review (e.g., Legal, Finance, Sales, Professional Services, Operations, etc.), and in what order their approval should take place to ensure you have the most efficient and repeatable process.For each functional area, keep in mind that you will be assigning a task for one of your users to complete, and you should think about how you want to notify that user they have something to do, what service level agreements&amp;nbsp;(SLA) that user should have for completing their task, how to remind them if they are near to reaching their SLA, how to escalate or reassign the task if they have exceeded their SLA, and  most importantly&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;what you want that functional area to do when they are assigned the contract (edit, approve, reject, cancel, choose the next reviewer, send externally for redlines, send for signature, etc.).Contract redlines and contract signatureIn the case of sending a document out for redlines, you should be thinking about who the document will be sent from and how the document will be sent to your customer for redlines in a way that allows for the returned contract to be easily inserted back into your contract process for additional reviews, approvals, and possibly, even more redlines.&amp;nbsp;To assist with the redline reviews, you should consider how to compare multiple versions of the document together to highlight changes made by your customer. This will&amp;nbsp;limit your exposure to overlooked edits, and reduce your reliance on your customers using track changes.Depending on your industry and where in the world you are conducting business, you should be thinking about how you want to execute your contracts and if sending duplicate paper copies via a courier is the right option for you. Evaluate whether or not you can achieve&amp;nbsp;process efficiency by using one of the major electronic signature vendors and how they can&amp;nbsp;be incorporated as a natural extension and culmination of your contract approval process.Contract repository and contract maintenanceWhen implementing a contract management&amp;nbsp;solution, you should be thinking about the best way to store your contracts so they can be easy found by those that need them, while at the same time hidden away from those that dont. This could involve the concept of folders and how to hierarchically organize your contracts, so they can be found by browsing. It&amp;nbsp;could also involve tagging with key information so they can be searched for on an ad&amp;nbsp;hoc basis.Contract documents contain key contract information or terms like Effective Date, Renewal/End Date, Contract Type, or other information that is key to your business and unique to your contracts. This information, while contained within the text of the document, should be made available for searching for specific contracts that have specific terms, or for reporting on contracts in aggregate to see a full or filtered listing of contracts and contract terms. The preparation needed to do this is to determine what those key terms are so they can be captured separately as tags or attributes associated to your contract documents. This process will allow you to better understand and manage your active contracts.Depending on your goals and how your contracts are currently stored, you may want to consider what a single repository means as it pertains to your contract management&amp;nbsp;solution. For some it may mean going forward all contracts will be in a single place where legacy contracts will remain wherever they are currently located or it could mean all contracts going forward as well as active contracts should be migrated into the new solution. If the latter of the two options is what you are targeting for your solution, you will need to prepare and consolidate all your legacy contracts into a format that your vendor can accept, load, and tag for you so that you will have the true single source of truth.Contract management implementation rollout, maintenance and adoptionAside from the preparation needed to standardize, automate, and organize your contracts, since your contract management&amp;nbsp;implementation will likely be approached as a project with a beginning, middle, and end, you will definitely need to be prepared for managing the project and all the accoutrements associated with that. Things to be prepared for are recruiting the right subject matter experts (SME) from the different functional areas to assist with requirements and testing, carving out enough time from your day_to_day responsibilities to interface with the implementation team, determining training needs and approaches so your end users are appropriately prepared for the new solution, outlining new policies and procedures to apply the correct contract governance in support of your contract management software, and other communication or business readiness best practices your organization has adopted.As you embark on your implementation, it may be early to think about steady state operations, but at a minimum, be ready to discuss who in the organization will own the solution (Business vs. IT), how it will be maintained, supported and enhanced post_implementation.Finally, as much preparation that you do will be for naught if none of your users adopt the solution and use it. At go_live and in perpetuity, you should be prepared with the right carrots and sticks to ensure that all stakeholders in your contract management&amp;nbsp;implementation are shaped in the direction of adoption.The best contract management implementations happen when both teams come preparedContract management&amp;nbsp;implementations can cover a lot of ground and help solve a number of your key business problems, however for them to be successful requires some forethought and preparation. There are many considerations due to the many options available for contract management&amp;nbsp;solutions and the particulars of any given organization, but hopefully this series&amp;nbsp;has been helpful in highlighting a few of the most important items to prepare as you embark on your&amp;nbsp;implementation.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Sat, 31 Jan 2015 19:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_get_ready_for_a_contract_management_software_implementation_part_2</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jan-31T19:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Review of the Best Salesforce Contract Management Software </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_salesforce_contract_management_software</link>
        <description>If you&amp;rsquo;re one of the many thousands of businesses that has successfully implemented Salesforce in the past 6_12 months, then you may be ready for the next big opportunity to modernize and automate your sales process. It is time to update how you manage Sales Contracts, and we recommend beginning your search in Salesforce&amp;rsquo;s own AppExchange.Perform a quick search there, and you will find a number of reputable vendors that have good stories to tell around contract management. For example, Conga and Drawloop are excellent choices for helping generate new contracts using your own templates and data from Salesforce. There are Configure_Price_Quote (CPQ) companies like SteelBrick and PROS Cameleon who are quite capable of getting from the initial quote to a proposal and through to a straightforward contract. And electronic signature vendors like EchoSign, DocuSign and Sertifi are setting the standard for getting contracts over that last mile to execution.But if your business requires a full Contract Management solution, we would strongly recommend that you narrow your search criteria. Listed here are the AppExchange offerings that our customers often compare with SpringCM when exploring their contract management&amp;nbsp;needs.ASC Contract ManagementASC is adept at creating, storing, tracking and reporting on your contracts, all from within Salesforce. They provide a contract management database as well as tools to search for contracts across that repository. ASC is focused on several key areas like delivering notifications around important contract dates, identifying bottlenecks in your contract process, and ensuring your contracts meet specific compliance regulations.</description>
        <content:encoded>If youre one of the many thousands of businesses that has successfully implemented Salesforce in the past 6_12 months, then you may be ready for the next big opportunity to modernize and automate your sales process. It is time to update how you manage Sales Contracts, and we recommend beginning your search in Salesforces own AppExchange.Perform a quick search there, and you will find a number of reputable vendors that have good stories to tell around contract management. For example, Conga and Drawloop are excellent choices for helping generate new contracts using your own templates and data from Salesforce. There are Configure_Price_Quote (CPQ) companies like SteelBrick and PROS Cameleon who are quite capable of getting from the initial quote to a proposal and through to a straightforward contract. And electronic signature vendors like EchoSign, DocuSign and Sertifi are setting the standard for getting contracts over that last mile to execution.But if your business requires a full Contract Management solution, we would strongly recommend that you narrow your search criteria. Listed here are the AppExchange offerings that our customers often compare with SpringCM when exploring their contract management&amp;nbsp;needs.ASC Contract ManagementASC is adept at creating, storing, tracking and reporting on your contracts, all from within Salesforce. They provide a contract management database as well as tools to search for contracts across that repository. ASC is focused on several key areas like delivering notifications around important contract dates, identifying bottlenecks in your contract process, and ensuring your contracts meet specific compliance regulations.Apttus Contract Lifecycle ManagementApttus has built its contract lifecycle management&amp;nbsp;offering entirely on Force.com and has also embraced Salesforce1 for mobile users. Businesses can turn to Apttus just to manage their contract process or look to this popular vendor for a much broader Quote_to_Cash deployment. Apttus takes full advantage of the Salesforce platform to automate contract requests and authoring, negotiation, and signature. They provide a number of out_of_the_box integrations including Seal, DocuSign and Xactly and can also help your company better manage contract_related risks.Contract Management by Financial ForceFinancial Force built its reputation on its enterprise resource planning (ERP) and Financial Management offerings for Salesforce, so it should be no surprise that the company takes a financial_oriented approach to contract management. Starting with proposals and pricing and moving through the completion of contracts, Financial Force is particularly proficient with recurring revenue and billing concerns over the entire contract lifecycle. Their customers will appreciate point_and_click interfaces and electronic approval workflows that look to both simplify and expedite the different contract_related processes.We hope that this short list will save you some time in your own search. Perhaps it will make it that much easier to fill in a few more columns in your vendor selection spreadsheet. Be thorough in your contract management software research and take care to separate your companys actual needs from the range of features and functions youll find in the AppExchange listings. It may also be informative to scan the customer reviews provided with each listing. And please reach out to us here at SpringCM if you need help with your contract management solution decision.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 02 Feb 2015 14:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_salesforce_contract_management_software</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-02T14:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Should I use the standard Contract Object in Salesforce? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/should_i_use_standard_contract_object_in_salesforce</link>
        <description>Working with Salesforce customers, I have been asked quite a bit about working with the Contract Object. Whether it was someone looking to begin&amp;nbsp;leveraging that process or a company in the process of evaluating contract management software, I'm often asked, &amp;ldquo;Should I use the Salesforce Contracts Object?&amp;rdquo; I consider the following when answering:What type of Salesforce licenses do your users have or will they have?The standard contract module in salesforce is one of the core Contract Objects. If&amp;nbsp;ALL of the users that will need to work with contracts have&amp;nbsp;FULL sales licenses then you are safe to leverage some of the functionality that comes standard with salesforce. However, if you will have some users that&amp;nbsp;just need to access Accounts, Contacts, Reports, and visibility into contracts, you can easily reproduce the fields on the Standard Object as a Custom Object and not lose any real functionality and save yourself some money on licensing cost. Unlike Campaigns, Leads, and Cases (all are CRM objects) there is not behind the scenes logic built in for the standard Contract Object. There would just be a little setup work to create the object and all the necessary fields</description>
        <content:encoded>Working with Salesforce customers, I have been asked quite a bit about working with the Contract Object. Whether it was someone looking to begin&amp;nbsp;leveraging that process or a company in the process of evaluating contract management software, I'm often asked, Should I use the Salesforce Contracts Object? I consider the following when answering:What type of Salesforce licenses do your users have or will they have?The standard contract module in salesforce is one of the core Contract Objects. If&amp;nbsp;ALL of the users that will need to work with contracts have&amp;nbsp;FULL sales licenses then you are safe to leverage some of the functionality that comes standard with salesforce. However, if you will have some users that&amp;nbsp;just need to access Accounts, Contacts, Reports, and visibility into contracts, you can easily reproduce the fields on the Standard Object as a Custom Object and not lose any real functionality and save yourself some money on licensing cost. Unlike Campaigns, Leads, and Cases (all are CRM objects) there is not behind the scenes logic built in for the standard Contract Object. There would just be a little setup work to create the object and all the necessary fieldsFocus on workflow &amp;amp;&amp;nbsp;documents, not data, when it comes to contractsRemember, in order to effectively drive adoption and create some efficiencies, you need to do more than enter core information about the contract into Salesforce. You should look at a the workflow, eSignature, and redlining that goes into the contracting process. Out of the box, Salesforce does not have this functionality native to the standard Contract Object. You need to evaluate your process and business requirements and see if some of the basic email and approvals in the salesforce platform can meet your needs. It's my experience that most organizations with a&amp;nbsp;redlining process or where contracts need approvals (on the clients paper or they offer variable terms) need to evaluate a more robust contract management solution that interacts with the salesforce platform.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 03 Feb 2015 15:04:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/should_i_use_standard_contract_object_in_salesforce</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-03T15:04:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to prepare for purchasing new contract management software</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_prepare_for_purchasing_new_contract_management_software</link>
        <description>I hear clients, both large and small, run through their laundry list of projects they need to do that would make their organization run more efficiently. However, just like that pile of laundry sitting in the closet, the list of projects can continue to to pile up. Contracts and business agreements are an essential part of every business no matter what industry you're in.Here are a few strategies to help you get organized and started.</description>
        <content:encoded>I hear clients, both large and small, run through their laundry list of projects they need to do that would make their organization run more efficiently. However, just like that pile of laundry sitting in the closet, the list of projects can continue to to pile up. Contracts and business agreements are an essential part of every business no matter what industry you're in.Here are a few strategies to help you get organized and started.1. Pick a starting pointAll organizations have a history, and it's important to keep those records. Deciding what is a value add to migrate, however, is key. Determine what is essential for your organization in order to migrate over the legacy documents and related contract terms. While the IRS may require to keep records for seven&amp;nbsp;years for archival and tax purposes, most day_to_day&amp;nbsp;activities rarely look back more than three&amp;nbsp;years at the documents of record.Keep the old documents if you need them, but pick a relevant cutoff date and work from that point. Often, if the process was extremely fragmented, some customers will start fresh without converting any legacy data and documents.2. Use a tool to migrate in bulkMost modern CRM and contract management software solutions&amp;nbsp;have bulk data loading tools. You can easily extract information in multiple formats and load them to be associated to documents in a few easy steps. If you are in the solution evaluation process, make sure that this capability exists if you have legacy data or documents. This can save a significant amount of time and reduce your dependency on legacy&amp;nbsp;or paper_based systems.3. Deploy the right resourcesYou know your business better than any outside consultant, but aligning a technical resource to this project could result in a more cost and time effective project. Find someone with expertise in contract management and your business model. They should understand the data points and document retention/migration strategy that would be most effective for your organization. They should also be able to do some of the heavy lifting around loading contract data (effective, expiration, terms, reminders, etc.), as well transferring image files from a legacy environment.With the right planning and resources, as well as a good foundation, you can be on your way to retiring&amp;nbsp;your legacy system and implementing a more&amp;nbsp;efficient process  all in a reasonable time that earns a positive ROI for your organization.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_prepare_for_purchasing_new_contract_management_software</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-04T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to evaluate a SaaS solution </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_evaluate_a_saas_solution</link>
        <description>There are a number of ways to go about evaluating software solutions. One of the most prevalent trends in&amp;nbsp;the SaaS movement is the idea that administration of the purchased solution should be simple and intuitive, and able to be owned by the line of business rather than IT. The easy administration theory applies for the entire lifecycle of ownership. It ends up nesting itself in a number of different ways as outlined below, and should be a key component of any buying cycle.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>There are a number of ways to go about evaluating software solutions. One of the most prevalent trends in&amp;nbsp;the SaaS movement is the idea that administration of the purchased solution should be simple and intuitive, and able to be owned by the line of business rather than IT. The easy administration theory applies for the entire lifecycle of ownership. It ends up nesting itself in a number of different ways as outlined below, and should be a key component of any buying cycle.&amp;nbsp;Configure versus codeWhat it comes down to is the consideration of &quot;Configure vs. Code&quot; _ do I want a solution that I can configure by leveraging an out of the box toolset? Or would I rather have a solution that I can write code for, to give a completely customized experience for my users? There are advantages to both a configurable solution and a coded solution, we've broken down a few of them below as they pertain to the different stages of the solution lifecycle.SaaS implementationShould be simple to&amp;nbsp;spin up so you're able to see a quick ROIShould be easy to learnShould be able to start using before fully fleshing out your processThe cost should be relatively low to the overall value of solutionMaintenanceA coded solution requires very specific knowledge of the process, and a certain skill setA configured solution means it should be easy for most people to quickly grasp the application and be able to step in to tweak processes as neededAn easy solution to learn means there should be a large footprint of people able to support the applicationSaaS expansionLower cost _ no new Professional Services or Consultant costs for new processNo new training _ internal skills were used to implement and maintain, so no new skills are needed to expand,Control of the new project _ kept internally, so not reliant on external resource schedulingSaaS should be simple and intuitiveWhen we look to invest in technology, we're looking for two characteristics: simplicity and intuitiveness. From those two aspects springs the effectiveness that lets us successfully apply SaaS technology to the problems we face in an increasingly complex business environment. From implementation to basic maintenance and potential expansion, you should be doing what you can to anticipate how these stages impact your decision to invest in&amp;nbsp;SaaS solutions.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 05 Feb 2015 21:52:21 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_evaluate_a_saas_solution</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-05T21:52:21Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract Management Software Feature Comparisons: An Extensive Review</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_software_feature_comparisons_an_extensive_review</link>
        <description>As a sales engineer here at SpringCM, I have a unique perspective on what companies of all shapes, sizes and industries are looking for in contract management software. It&amp;rsquo;s not an easy decision and, understandably, much research needs to be done before making a purchase.To help you in your research, I&amp;rsquo;ve pulled together nine contract management software features that should be foremost on your mind as you&amp;rsquo;re evaluating solutions.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a sales engineer here at SpringCM, I have a unique perspective on what companies of all shapes, sizes and industries are looking for in contract management software. Its not an easy decision and, understandably, much research needs to be done before making a purchase.To help you in your research, Ive pulled together nine contract management software features that should be foremost on your mind as youre evaluating solutions.Contract Management Software Feature ComparisonsBecause&amp;nbsp;the most important contract management feature depends on use case, you should first determine your companys priority.Once youve answered that question, heres what you should look for in each feature:Contract Repository: The repository must be easy to access from any kind of device. Youll also need indexing features that can keep track of data associated with contracts, and the text within the contracts (clause, specific piece of language, etc.). You should be able to find all of these things things easily. The contract repository should also naturally scale with the amount of contracts you have, and you shouldnt be limited by the number of contracts youre pushing through each day.Contract authoring: This feature needs to be simple. You should have the ability to author or work with a contract in as little clicks as possible. Versioning should also tie into this feature pretty seamlessly.Contract Templates: These templates should be easy to manage and:Have a central location that is easily accessible.Have the ability to run changes to contract templates through their own workflow.Have the ability to drive the language of the templates based on certain business parameters. The templates language should also automatically support regions, location, etc.Contract generation should be a few clicks.Contract process management (Workflow Management): Configuration and deployment of any sort of contract process should be accessible to anyone trying to administer. You shouldnt have to deploy custom code for everything youre creating and maintenance of this process should be minimal  you shouldnt have to fear adding to the process.Visibility: Your should look at visibility as a way to answer basic questions about the contract: Where is it?, Who is currently reviewing? and When is the contract coming up for renewal? A legal team member should be able to have a dashboard on their screen that shows contracts coming up for renewal, actions they need to take, etc. Alerts and notifications should be via email, the application itself or via mobile access. Your solution should be restricted by where youre working.Reporting and analytics (Ability to create Dashboards): Whatever solution youre using should be able to build its own reports, or export that info to another system (e.g., Salesforce) who can do it better.Mobile support: It goes without saying that the platform youre using should be supported on Android and iOS. Something thats often overlooks is that there shouldnt be any feature disparity. This is important, because if one team member has an iPhone, while everyone else has an android, you dont want what theyre seeing or experiencing to be any different. Mobile support should be more about visibility and tracking. It should be a tool for taking quick legal actions or contract actions like approvals, reviews and redlining.Integration with external systems (Salesforce/ERP): Whatever system youre using, you should be able to import and export from another system (e.g., Salesforce) via web services or an API. There should also be an additional access point for other users. E.g., support needs to see what type of contract you have with a customer.Security/Minimizing Risk: At the end of the day, you want whatever solution youre using to standardize your process as much as possible. This will help minimize frequent, manual changes so youre not at legal risk with a customer. With a standardized process, you can move more confidently and faster through a contracts process. You also want to make sure whatever system youre using can comply with your existing security standards like HIPAA, SOC1, SOC2 and PCI.Contract administration: Whatever product you end up using, you want to make sure there are varying degrees of how much you have to input and how much you want to own. If you need help, make sure the contract management software that you choose has a services team with the necessary expertise and bandwidth. Go with a vendor that can help train your team so youre empowered to take over the platform, but in a situation where there might be something like a staff change, theyll be able to keep providing continued support to your organization. At the end of the day, you want to make sure theres a team invested in your success.Hopefully this list of important features will help you as you evaluate contract management software. As I mentioned earlier in this post, every use case is unique. First determine your companys priority and then begin the evaluation process.Have questions for Ernesto? Leave them in the comments below, or ask him on Twitter  @ErnestoAtSpring.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 06 Feb 2015 15:17:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_software_feature_comparisons_an_extensive_review</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-06T15:17:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Cloud versus on_premise contract management software: Which is best?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/cloud_versus_on_premise_contract_management_software_which_is_best</link>
        <description>What factors have made the cloud more attractive to contract management professionals?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The cloud allows for faster&amp;nbsp;implementationsAnyone in business these days knows that speed is a crucial competitive differentiator. When your company makes the decision to invest in a new solution,&amp;nbsp;you want to be able to see results quickly. Back in the day of on_premise solutions, getting a software up and running was an ordeal. You couldn't count on seeing any benefit from your purchase sooner than a couple quarters out from a signed contract. Nowadays, though, cloud solutions allow for quick implementations and quicker ROI. A contract management software can be implemented and running in 2_4 weeks. You can start seeing ROI within the first quarter after your purchase.&amp;nbsp;The cloud allows your contract management software to scale with your business&amp;nbsp;Ideally, your investments in cloud technology will lead to more customers&amp;nbsp;(or acquisitions of complementary technology), and the resources to expand your business. Instead of having to invest in more hardware or data centers to handle all of this growth, you can place the impetus on a cloud vendor to scale with you. This frees you and your team up to focus on customer relationships and continuing to develop new business opportunities.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>What factors have made the cloud more attractive to contract management professionals?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;The cloud allows for faster&amp;nbsp;implementationsAnyone in business these days knows that speed is a crucial competitive differentiator. When your company makes the decision to invest in a new solution,&amp;nbsp;you want to be able to see results quickly. Back in the day of on_premise solutions, getting a software up and running was an ordeal. You couldn't count on seeing any benefit from your purchase sooner than a couple quarters out from a signed contract. Nowadays, though, cloud solutions allow for quick implementations and quicker ROI. A contract management software can be implemented and running in 2_4 weeks. You can start seeing ROI within the first quarter after your purchase.&amp;nbsp;The cloud allows your contract management software to scale with your business&amp;nbsp;Ideally, your investments in cloud technology will lead to more customers&amp;nbsp;(or acquisitions of complementary technology), and the resources to expand your business. Instead of having to invest in more hardware or data centers to handle all of this growth, you can place the impetus on a cloud vendor to scale with you. This frees you and your team up to focus on customer relationships and continuing to develop new business opportunities.&amp;nbsp;As more businesses move to the cloud, security is better than ever beforeOne of the most pressing concerns that continues to factor into cloud purchasing decisions is security. When Salesforce first made waves in the early 2000's by suggesting companies move customer data to the cloud, people hesitated to trust their most valuable data to another company's firewall. Thankfully, the success of Salesforce, and many others, has led to incredible advancements in cloud security. When it comes to contract management software, vendors and customers alike are taking great strides to build trust around the cloud's ability to store and protect sensitive documents.On_premise solutions might be suitable&amp;nbsp;for some companies, but for businesses looking to move quickly&amp;nbsp;and grow even faster cloud technology is definitely the better&amp;nbsp;option.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 09 Feb 2015 19:18:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/cloud_versus_on_premise_contract_management_software_which_is_best</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-09T19:18:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to manage contract renewals in Salesforce</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_manage_contract_renewals_in_salesforce</link>
        <description>Does your business rely&amp;nbsp;on a subscription model or recurring revenue? If that&amp;rsquo;s the case, odds are you need a place to store your agreements. Salesforce.com has a module that your organization can leverage to manage the data contained in the document. Normally there are important key terms that you need to track, the most important being contract renewal. &amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Does your business rely&amp;nbsp;on a subscription model or recurring revenue? If thats the case, odds are you need a place to store your agreements. Salesforce.com has a module that your organization can leverage to manage the data contained in the document. Normally there are important key terms that you need to track, the most important being contract renewal. &amp;nbsp;The contract approval processIts important to have a system in place to store key terms and track the approval process. Best practice is to have an automated trigger that will remind the user when agreements are up for expiration.Many times there is an approval process that is required before the contract is executed. Also, many individuals may need to be part of the workflow for the renewals. &amp;nbsp;Another&amp;nbsp;best practice is to make sure that all stakeholders are in the loop to avoid complications with billing or any legal obligations. Are there any new terms or standard clauses that should be added to the renewal? If so, you should look at incorporating those items if they are relevant to the contract.If your term expires, it can negatively affect the relationship with your customer or your vendors. Its important that when contracts are loaded into Salesforce all the terms in the paper agreement are tagged to a document and have the right approvals. By following this process you can develop a proactive action plan to stay ahead of expiring contracts.Alternatives to managing contract renewals in SalesforceHere are the contract management alternatives that I often see, when I'm talking with prospects or customers. While these methods may work for some, they're not recommended as they may expose your company to risk:Manual process (which usually includes email attachments)Leveraging your billing systemOutlook calendar remindersSharepoint or other intranet sitesDont wait for&amp;nbsp;your customers to remind you of contract expirations. Instead, leverage a system that pulls together all of the important aspects of contract renewals. &amp;nbsp;Be proactive and not reactive by keeping your sales, customer service, and finance teams working off one customer record and workflow. Leverage the contract module in Salesforce, along with a cloud document management platform to ensure a one_stop, best_of_breed solution.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 10 Feb 2015 17:44:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_manage_contract_renewals_in_salesforce</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-10T17:44:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Why it's important to track contract performance in Salesforce</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/why_its_important_to_track_contract_performance_in_salesforce</link>
        <description>You worked hard to earn your&amp;nbsp;customer's business so why not make sure you get credit for all that effort? &amp;nbsp;Building out a robust data model to store all of the discounts, terms and clauses in your contract module allows for your organization to better understand their terms and risks. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>You worked hard to earn your&amp;nbsp;customer's business so why not make sure you get credit for all that effort? &amp;nbsp;Building out a robust data model to store all of the discounts, terms and clauses in your contract module allows for your organization to better understand their terms and risks. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Contracts are more than another attachment in SalesforceToo often contracts take the back seat and are just treated as an attachment in Salesforce. Taking a look at all the information that gets lost in an attachment makes understanding your portfolio much more difficult. If you CEO asked about&amp;nbsp;the most common payment terms, would you be able to run a report and tell him it's Net 15? Understanding your risk is the key to staying on top of your business and ensuring a continuity of the revenue lifecycle.Even the federal government has issues with contract management&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;A 2010 survey of US forces in Afghanistan found (PDF) that the Army was spending $119 million annually to lease about 3,000 carsroughly $40,000 a year per car. If they had accurate reporting they may have caught this during the approval process. Most likely the pricing was buried in the terms of the agreement. If they had a system where all the approvals are tracked and the line items of the agreement were reportable it may have been a different outcome.Understand what metrics you need to measure to run you business and build out that data model to generate good reporting and you will be on your way to understanding your risk.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 11 Feb 2015 20:35:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/why_its_important_to_track_contract_performance_in_salesforce</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-11T20:35:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The top 3 risks to a successful partner onboarding process</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/channel_partner_onboarding_bad_process_3_risks</link>
        <description>Channel Operations Managers understand the value of working with channel partners to drive the success of your company&amp;rsquo;s product or service. But how can they&amp;nbsp;communicate appreciation to a new channel partner?&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Channel Operations Managers understand the value of working with channel partners to drive the success of your companys product or service. But how can they&amp;nbsp;communicate appreciation to a new channel partner?&amp;nbsp;Onboarding is the most important step in a channel partner relationship. This initial phase is all about first impressionsand first impressions are everything. A poor onboarding experience can quickly devalue your partner relationship before it even begins.A strategic onboarding process must be put in place before you begin building relationships, especially when youre managing multiple partner accounts. Theres a lot that can go wrong when youre onboarding process is not efficient.Poor onboarding can cause communication issues, lower credibility, and important documents may get lost along the way. Heres a breakdown:The value of the potential partnership isnt communicatedOnboarding is when you convince your potential channel partner that you mean business, and the value of working together is high. Of course you know that, but do they? During this process, a crystal clear high_value, overall value proposition statement is important.A value proposition statement can be shared with the potential channel partner and should include:Customer benefits, definedBenefits compared to the overall valueIdentification of the focused target market(s)It can lower credibilityfast!After the onboarding phase is the ongoing monitoring phase that must include full visibility of important legal documents and transparency in the partnership. The initial onboarding experience foreshadows what to expect in the monitoring phase. If theres a lack of organization, visibility, and communication, a potential channel partner may hesitate to move forward in the partnership.Important legal documents get lost in the processThe onboarding process includes an overwhelming distribution of important information and legal documents. A poor onboarding process may result in the loss or disorganization of these documents. As a result, communicating with the channel partner becomes more of a headache.Questions like, Who has the contract? only slows down the process. Not only are you unable to share important documents like proposals and contracts in a timely manner, but the potential channel partner becomes frustrated as a result.Theres two elements to consider during the onboarding stage and both include a strategic process:The business element: the process of quickly sharing important documents on a timely manner.The relationship element: the process of ongoing communication between you and the channel partner.A Channel Ops Manager needs to build strong relationships with multiple channel partners. A powerful platform with workflow and document management can help you stay organized, so you can focus on expanding the value of partner relationships.Image:&amp;nbsp;Ron McBride&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 12 Feb 2015 17:23:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/channel_partner_onboarding_bad_process_3_risks</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-12T17:23:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Salesforce Native App vs. Non_Native: Pros and Cons to Consider</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/salesforce_native_app_vs_non_native_pros_and_cons_to_consider</link>
        <description>Throughout my tenure as a Customer Success Professional at SpringCM, I&amp;rsquo;ve learned that no matter how similar two customers, products, or use cases may appear, they are almost always built upon different principles and processes. These differences are what make companies unique, and in a lot of cases &amp;ndash; successful. But having your own identity, especially when dealing with business process, can lead to what feels like insurmountable hurdles when you&amp;rsquo;re looking for the right piece of software to mesh with your current operations model.</description>
        <content:encoded>Throughout my tenure as a Customer Success Professional at SpringCM, Ive learned that no matter how similar two customers, products, or use cases may appear, they are almost always built upon different principles and processes. These differences are what make companies unique, and in a lot of cases  successful. But having your own identity, especially when dealing with business process, can lead to what feels like insurmountable hurdles when youre looking for the right piece of software to mesh with your current operations model.The Pros of a Non_Native AppThe beauty of a non_native Salesforce app is that it doesnt discriminate _ it accommodates.Youd be hard pressed to argue that Salesforce.com doesnt provide an incredibly powerful platform for business users and vendors alike, but with the emergence of competing CRM platforms in the last few years, the game is changing  and being non_native allows organizations&amp;nbsp;to keep playing. This means that hosting and supporting a solution creates an opportunity to not only reach customers integrated with Salesforce, but customers who are built on top of other environments as well.Often times, if a company is large enough, their operational processes can differ from location to location or even internally by department  creating a collaboration nightmare when it comes time to work together. Having non_native flexibility can work wonders for adhering to a company_wide standard, allowing the Salesforce heavy sales team in Chicago to work seamlessly with the finance department in New York. This level of collaboration can exist between vendors and partners as well. It isnt uncommon to see representatives from a handful of different companies share the same utility as a part of their contribution to a project.The Cons of a Non_Native AppAs adaptable and convenient as a non_native platform can be, its still software  and with all software comes an inevitable array of usability issues, missing features and bugs. Its the nature of the beast, and its also the perfect segue into my favorite aspect of the non_native integrated software platform: support!How Support works with a Non_Native AppOne huge benefit of a non_native app is that its reliability isnt fully dependent on the uptime of Salesforce. With that in mind, platform independence comes with a responsibility to establish this reliability on your own; something most successful integrated platforms do well.This lessens the likelihood of a customer taking on the role of hot potato as vendors pass the blame back and forth, only to wind up with an inconclusive answer. The only direction a non_native integrated software can point its proverbial finger is towards itself. A tight_knit native support team eats, sleeps, and breathes their own platform and can handle just about anything thrown their way. This means quicker response times, more frequent updates and timely resolutions.The Pros of a Native AppSalesforce.com has built an industry leading platform which allows its customers to leverage some of the infrastructure that supports their&amp;nbsp;CRM application. Developers tend to like using the force.com platform because it allows them to get their applications&amp;nbsp;to market faster. The platform reduces coding time and infrastructure overhead, and allows the development team to focus on true feature development.Native applications can leverage the security and familiarity that Salesforce has built and continues to support for their large customer base. &amp;nbsp;Additionally, with their market share most IT organizations are familiar with the platform and the security model.The Cons of a Native AppLicensing can be an obstacle for non_CRM type users (e.g. Legal). While they offer reduced licenses for force.com only users, there is a significant cost to leverage a very specific use case. Additionally, you are tied to this platform for the life of your use. If cost starts to outweigh the benefits, its very difficult to migrate off the platform.Native applications are subject to the release schedule and priorities of Salesforce. They are constantly innovating the SFDC platform, but that may or may not align with what your apps priorities might be. Do you want to wait two years for a necessary feature to make it to their product roadmap?Many successful applications have built&amp;nbsp;on their own platform and leveraged the strong integration capabilities of the Salesforce Platform to create a seamless interface for the Salesforce.com user community.If you are a company that lives in Salesforce, you will undoubtedly find a solution that fits your needs. Whether its a solution that was primarily built as a Salesforce application or a non_native solution that has been integrated into the Salesforce ecosystem, youre going to come across a plethora of great utilities that will fit your business model. But if youre looking for a cohesive, scalable solution that reaches beyond the scope of Salesforce, a well_rounded, non_native app should provide a nice fit.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 13 Feb 2015 16:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/salesforce_native_app_vs_non_native_pros_and_cons_to_consider</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-13T16:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to make sales contracts efficient with common terms</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_make_sales_contracts_more_efficient</link>
        <description>No one likes repetitive&amp;nbsp;tasks.&amp;nbsp;Especially when its just copying and pasting text&amp;nbsp;from one document to the next. This is especially relevant to business professionals who spend a lot of time working with contracts. Contracts are complex documents, and&amp;nbsp;businesses spend a lot of money&amp;nbsp;on legal services to try to alleviate the burden on sales to manage contracts. But regardless of how many personnel&amp;nbsp;you throw at the problem, you're still left with these questions:</description>
        <content:encoded>No one likes repetitive&amp;nbsp;tasks.&amp;nbsp;Especially when its just copying and pasting text&amp;nbsp;from one document to the next. This is especially relevant to business professionals who spend a lot of time working with contracts. Contracts are complex documents, and&amp;nbsp;businesses spend a lot of money&amp;nbsp;on legal services to try to alleviate the burden on sales to manage contracts. But regardless of how many personnel&amp;nbsp;you throw at the problem, you're still left with these questions:Why recreate the wheel every time your legal team needs to generate a contract right?&amp;nbsp;How many times do you look at contracts and see the same terms over and over again?&amp;nbsp;Are you pasting the same section from old contracts into new ones?How to turn contract management into a process&amp;nbsp;Common clauses can be inserted into contracts authored by your team based off of data coming from a CRM system or any external data source that would eliminate re_keying.&amp;nbsp;Its important to track and report off of clauses that are contained in the documents. &amp;nbsp;There is significant risk for any organization in their portfolio based on the terms negotiated in their agreements. &amp;nbsp;Having a tool to capture the special terms included in the documents &amp;nbsp;is an important feature to your contract management system. &amp;nbsp;Leveraging automation to attribute the document based off of data in the contract should be considered to reduce the manual burden on end users and improve accuracy.Think about common terms as &quot;objects&quot; to increase efficiencyThinking about common terms as &quot;objects&quot; can be an efficient way to view your overall enterprise contract management strategy. &amp;nbsp;Contract clause objects can make contract drafting more efficient in cases where a single clause is used in more than one contract template (like a Termination clause, or Payment Terms for instance) or where you need to ensure that the latest version of the common term is used in drafting a particular contract or agreement.When formulating your strategy around contract authoring, ensure that this is done in the wider context of the contract lifecycle. &amp;nbsp;Your team can become more efficient and allow you to capture the risk and better understand your portfolio.Image:&amp;nbsp;BiblioArchives / LibraryArchives&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 16 Feb 2015 20:17:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_make_sales_contracts_more_efficient</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-16T20:17:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to use cloud document management to earn your channel partners trust </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/win_your_channel_partners_trust_through_cloud_document_management</link>
        <description>Proper document management not only strengthens internal workflow, but it can help build trust with your channel partners. Channel partners want to work with vendors who take pride in their business relationships. Using the most up_to_date document management technology on the market is an investment worth the cost.</description>
        <content:encoded>Proper document management not only strengthens internal workflow, but it can help build trust with your channel partners. Channel partners want to work with vendors who take pride in their business relationships. Using the most up_to_date document management technology on the market is an investment worth the cost.But theres a catch 22. Even though investing in an effective document management platform is important, theres a big risk involved. Sharing legal documents that are visible to your channel partners, and making it easier to view and share them causes a degree of security concerns.A document management platform should be functional and secure. Here&amp;nbsp;are three&amp;nbsp;document management essentials to consider when choosing a platform thats right for you.Make documentation collaborativeChoosing a document management platform with a secure collaboration portal is a great way to improve communication in a secure space. Look for features like version control, secure link generator and alerts.When youre building trust with your channel partner, its crucial to increase accountability by being as transparent as possible. Documentation collaboration functionality allows you to share, view, and edit important documents including proposals and contracts all in one central hub.Keep up with the latest trendsKeeping up with the latest trends shows youre willing to invest in channel partnerships. New technology trends make document management processes more efficient for both parties. The following functionality trends are worth considering:Mobile access  Mobile allows flexibility and efficiency on_the_go. Making processes easier by choosing a document management platform with mobile integration can help &amp;nbsp;speed up processes.Cloud technology  Cloud technology is now a trustworthy and secure way to protect your document database. Many cloud solutions are designed with an open architecture that allows applications to easily integrate with third_party solutions.Workflow integration  A&amp;nbsp;document management platform should make workflow integration easy. Creating a proper workflow creates an efficient communication process between you and your channel partner starting at the onboarding phase and throughout the partnership journey.Choose the most secure platformAny time you can minimize risk to build trust with your channel partner is a win. Choosing a secure document management platform shows you care about their privacy.Be careful. Many document management systems on the market claim theyre secure, but havent gone through vital security tests. Some document management systems take security more seriously than others and have passed some of the most demanding security tests. &amp;nbsp;Choosing a document management platform that adapts to new technology without compromising security is one of the best things you can do to build trust between you and your channel partner.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:58:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/win_your_channel_partners_trust_through_cloud_document_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-17T14:58:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to build a channel onboarding process in the healthcare industry</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/build_an_onboarding_process_channel_partner_perspective</link>
        <description>It&amp;rsquo;s easy to create a channel onboarding process that works for your internal team, but what value does your onboarding process bring to your channel partner? In a highly regulated industry like healthcare, putting yourself in their shoes will strongly benefit your partner relationships and keep them&amp;nbsp;happy.If you&amp;rsquo;re looking to reconstruct your onboarding process, you must keep your channel partners in mind. Consider these questions, &quot;What are their pain points and objectives?&quot; and most importantly, &quot;What makes them tick?&quot;Below are tips for adopting&amp;nbsp;a channel partner&amp;rsquo;s perspective during the onboarding process.</description>
        <content:encoded>Its easy to create a channel onboarding process that works for your internal team, but what value does your onboarding process bring to your channel partner? In a highly regulated industry like healthcare, putting yourself in their shoes will strongly benefit your partner relationships and keep them&amp;nbsp;happy.If youre looking to reconstruct your onboarding process, you must keep your channel partners in mind. Consider these questions, &quot;What are their pain points and objectives?&quot; and most importantly, &quot;What makes them tick?&quot;Below are tips for adopting&amp;nbsp;a channel partners perspective during the onboarding process.Understand your channel partners pain pointsThe three common pain points of channel partners include a lack of security, efficiency&amp;nbsp;and trust. But not all channel partners have the same pain points. Understand what pain points your channel partner has, and from there you can make significant improvements and ensure their pain points are resolved during the onboarding process. &amp;nbsp;The good thing ismost of the time your teams pain points overlaps with those of potential channel partners. For instanceefficiency. They want to be able to view and edit important documents fast and in an easy manner. For you, youre busy managing multiple accounts, so its important to keep the onboarding process as efficient as possible.Lean in on your channel partners objectivesNot all channel partnerships are created equal. Their needs may be different from other partnerships. When you understand their objectives, you can build a more personable workflow that fits their needs. An easy way to do this is to break down your partners objectives in three different terms:Short_term  This includes immediate benefits. They need them now at the right cost. Create a workflow that focuses on these needs to shorten time and provide value more efficiently.Mid_term  Including performance support which may include a marketing strategy and sales techniques. Their objective of the partnership is for you to provide them support for achieving these goals.Long_term  Long_term objectives includes interest in expanding locations and the markets they serve. &amp;nbsp;Get to know them prior to and&amp;nbsp;during the onboarding processThe best way to adopt a channel partners perspective is to take the time to get to know them. Its similar to creating new relationships in your personal life. Listen closely to your channel partner and take note of what makes them tick.A few questions to consider when getting to know your channel partner are:How does the channel partner manage their own business?How do they react to changes in the marketplace?How successful are they at creating winning outcomes?A good approach to better understanding one another is for both companies to develop an internal strategic framework. This strategic framework may include a vision statement, mission statement, and internal objectives for the potential partnership. Then get together and compare to see if the interest is mutual.And rememberalways communicate the value of the partnership. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 18 Feb 2015 18:14:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/build_an_onboarding_process_channel_partner_perspective</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-18T18:14:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 big problems with partner onboarding in the consumer transaction technology industry and how to fix them</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/3_signs_your_partner_onboarding_process_is_due_for_an_upgrade</link>
        <description>A direct sales force is often an organization&amp;rsquo;s &amp;lsquo;A Team&amp;rsquo; when it comes to selling. They appear all_knowing, ready for whatever is thrown their way, conquering their quotas in a single bound. But, the truth is they may have it slightly easier than their channel selling counterparts. A direct seller &amp;mdash; especially in the consumer transation industry &amp;mdash; may know their product line inside and out, but they are only responsible for a single product line, whereas a channel seller is juggling multiple product lines and vendors when presenting to a client.If you want your channel partners to be able to sell with the power and precision of a direct sales force, you&amp;rsquo;ve got to empower them with the necessary access and information. Your channel partners&amp;rsquo; success starts with you. More specifically, it starts with your onboarding process.</description>
        <content:encoded>A direct sales force is often an organizations A Team when it comes to selling. They appear all_knowing, ready for whatever is thrown their way, conquering their quotas in a single bound. But, the truth is they may have it slightly easier than their channel selling counterparts. A direct seller  especially in the consumer transation industry  may know their product line inside and out, but they are only responsible for a single product line, whereas a channel seller is juggling multiple product lines and vendors when presenting to a client.If you want your channel partners to be able to sell with the power and precision of a direct sales force, youve got to empower them with the necessary access and information. Your channel partners success starts with you. More specifically, it starts with your onboarding process.Here are a few signs that your partner onboarding process may not be positioning your partners to reach their potential:1. New channel partners are frustrated before theyve even gotten started.A strong vendor_channel partner relationship is crucial to success. The onboarding process is a channel partners first look into how your organization functions, or doesnt. First impressions are lasting impressions and if you want to secure your new partners trust and loyalty, you need to start with the first touch point: an effective and efficient onboarding process. How effective and efficient your process is depends largely on the next two points2. You put protocol and process before reseller participation and productivity.Your channel partners can only be as productive as your process allows them to be. Automate as much of the contract and management process as you can and enable your resellers to spend more time selling and less time tracking down recent documents or trying to remember your organizations preferred memo formatting.3. Your channel operations manager is constantly sending resellers the same documents.The onboarding process requires the transmission of a lot of documents, your new channel partners should easily be able to access the most recent copies of proposals, contracts, marketing collateral and templates to streamline both the onboarding process and future workflow. Access and visibility is crucial for both productivity and accountability purposes.Strong software and a little automation can go a long way, but the important thing is to recognize the need for improvement. Cloud supported libraries of recent documents, automated administrative tasks and reminders, and open communication between vendor and reseller are all steps in the direction of a more modern, efficient and partner_friendly onboarding process. And, the sooner your resellers are fully onboard with the information, access and tools they need, the sooner they can sell for you.Looking for more insight on how to improve your onboarding process? Ask an expert. Give your channel partners a place at the table and invite them to collaborate and help improve your process; they are your partners, after all.Image source:&amp;nbsp;Ged Carroll&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 19 Feb 2015 15:25:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/3_signs_your_partner_onboarding_process_is_due_for_an_upgrade</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-19T15:25:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to manage channel partner risks with transparency</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/why_channel_partners_are_obsessed_with_transparency</link>
        <description>Channel partners are more than pinch hitters, they are truly part of your organization&amp;rsquo;s team and, therefore, deserve access to the team playbook just as much as your internal sales force. It can be hard to blend channel partners into your organization, but the better the blend, the better your channel partners can do their job and sell your products or services.A great place to start in channel partner integration: transparency.</description>
        <content:encoded>Channel partners are more than pinch hitters, they are truly part of your organizations team and, therefore, deserve access to the team playbook just as much as your internal sales force. It can be hard to blend channel partners into your organization, but the better the blend, the better your channel partners can do their job and sell your products or services.A great place to start in channel partner integration: transparency.For channel partners, transparency is more than an obsession, its a necessity.Help your channel partners manage risksYour sales data is largely dependent on sales reps, both internal and channel, inputting accurate data. The integrity of your contracts is largely dependent on everyone having access to the most current templates and versions of files. Even the most advanced contract management and/or analytics systems are not impervious to human error.Without direct access to your portals or software, channel partners dont have the most current information to share with prospects and you dont have the most accurate numbers to build strategy or measure progress. No one likes when the numbers dont add up right or when a contract is misaligned or, god forbid, misplaced. Risk management starts with complete transparency.Help channel partners speak the same language as your direct sales representativesYour resellers want to help your business grow, but they cant do it if they dont have the right tools and insight. Channel partners are not mind readers; communication, transparency and visibility are the key to keeping your whole sales team on brand, on target and on track to meeting your goals.Keep your channel sellers abreast of any strategy changes or research regarding your organizations target market. Provide them with the most relevant marketing collateral and loop them in on campaigns or special offers. Cloud_based document management ensures that your channel partners have consistent access to the most up_to_date numbers, information and brand standards.Help channel partners know where they standYour channel partners have a fairly good idea of how they are doing. They know what leads they have pursued, they probably have a good idea of how their pitch was received, they recognize who they should follow up with and have an eye on a few new prospects worth pursuing. They are doing their job, but they have no way of knowing how well they are doing it without a little help from your organization.Give your channel partners a clear line of sight to campaign and personal success rates, lead_inflows and empower them to measure and enhance the results of their marketing efforts.Prioritizing transparency in your channel partner relationships doesnt just empower them with the insight and information they need to sell, it positions your entire organization for a strong, secure success story. To win as a team, you must play as a team.Image source:&amp;nbsp;opensource.com&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 20 Feb 2015 19:09:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/why_channel_partners_are_obsessed_with_transparency</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-20T19:09:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>8 essential steps to help you prepare for contract automation </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/8_essential_steps_to_help_you_prepare_for_contract_automation</link>
        <description>As an Implementation Manager at SpringCM, part of my job includes helping prepare customers for what it will take to successfully use our product. Whether you&amp;rsquo;re at the point where you&amp;rsquo;re about to implement a contract automation solution, or if you&amp;rsquo;re still in the initial research stages, I hope this post helps shed some light on what you&amp;rsquo;ll need to have prepared.</description>
        <content:encoded>As an Implementation Manager at SpringCM, part of my job includes helping prepare customers for what it will take to successfully use our product. Whether youre at the point where youre about to implement a contract automation solution, or if youre still in the initial research stages, I hope this post helps shed some light on what youll need to have prepared.When is an organization ready to automate their contract process?Before I dig into how to prepare for contract automation, I think itd be helpful to share when most organizations are ready to automate their contract creation.It will vary depending on circumstances, situations, size of organization, types of contracts, whether they are from within the organization or from a vendor/client, whether or not you have a solid contract approval business process in place, and the overall processing time. Most of our customers come to us looking to gain time, and cut down on inefficiencies and human error.How to prepare for contract automationFirst, its important to document your current workflow process. Itll help your contract management solution create a solid baseline to understand two things:Determine if the process is efficientAre there any steps that can be eliminated or changed?Your existing process is obviously not working and your contract management implementation team is there to help you create what we call a To Be process.In addition to your current workflow process youll need to establish:Process name: Identify and name the process along with a descriptionProcess boundaries: Identify the start and end points of the process. What triggers the process to start? How do you know when its done?Process Outputs: Identify whats produced by the processProcess Inputs: &amp;nbsp;Identify whats needed to perform the process and where it comes from (e.g. paper, web, fax, etc.)A definition of the business process/activities: Brainstorm the activities (what) that need to be done to get the process from start to finish. State these in a verb/object format (e.g., approve request, sign paperwork, distribute form, etc). Dont worry about sequencing the activities at this time&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;just brainstorm freely. Sticky notes can be very effective for this step. Just write one activity on each note.Process Organization: Take all the brainstorm items you identified and sequence them into the process flow. Make sure you identify key decision points as you build the visual of your process.Identify the actors and roles: Identify the actors (who) that will be completing the activities for the process. Assign a role to each activity step.Process Final Review: Get the participants together and review the process flow. Secure approval by all team members.Its important to note that when preparing to implement a contract automation solution, youll need to allocate resources to get the project up and running. One of the biggest obstacles I see customers run in to is competing projects. Ideally, your implementation team will want to keep your project moving.As you commit to the success of your contract automation project, a good implementation team will help walk you through this process to ensure your success. Good luck!</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 23 Feb 2015 19:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/8_essential_steps_to_help_you_prepare_for_contract_automation</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-23T19:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>CPQ vs. contract management: 4 factors to consider</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/cpq_vs_contract_management_4_things_to_consider</link>
        <description>When discussing a contract management software project, there is no shortage of factors to account for when scoping your project and evaluating requirements. Among these, typically, is the interaction of such a system with your sales process. This is absolutely correct, as one of the key value_adds to any contract management solution should be the ability to help streamline the sales process and facilitate a productive collaboration between sales and legal in the pursuit of new business.</description>
        <content:encoded>When discussing a contract management software project, there is no shortage of factors to account for when scoping your project and evaluating requirements. Among these, typically, is the interaction of such a system with your sales process. This is absolutely correct, as one of the key value_adds to any contract management solution should be the ability to help streamline the sales process and facilitate a productive collaboration between sales and legal in the pursuit of new business.While integration with your sales process is a key value_add, oftentimes I see customers have a hard time framing how a contracts management application co_exists with other solutions that are also focused on the sales process, and most consistently that solution is Configure_Price_Quote (CPQ).CPQ vs. Contract Management&amp;nbsp;How you frame and prioritize your evaluation of contract management and CPQ depends on what you are using as your key drivers for selecting a project, and what issues you are trying to solve. While contracts are going to be a part of nearly every sales cycle (EULA_based self_service online purchases the most common exception), robust contracts management applications might be overkill for some companies.Likewise, CPQ might not be the right solution if youre more focused on existing contracts, or better managing your risk.Here are some common problems that people are trying to solve&amp;nbsp;by evaluating &amp;nbsp;a CPQ or contract management solution:My reps are struggling to price, discount, and build quotesThis is the foundation for CPQ solutions _ if youre looking to help sales reps be more effective when pricing, discounting, and quoting in general, they will greatly benefit from a CPQ solution. It would make more sense to evaluate a Contract Management solution down the road.My reps are sending out incomplete or inaccurate quotesThis is a very common problem that a CPQ solution can solve, although in certain scenarios the line between a quote and a contract can become blurred. Contractual language can sometimes get mixed into a quote document, for those trying to simplify things to only have one all_encompassing document. In almost every scenario it is recommended to keep contractual (and negotiable) terms in a separate document from commercial (such as pricing) terms. This greatly simplifies things for reps. They worry about generating their order forms, and let legal worry about negotiating terms and conditions.My reps are struggling to track the status of the approvals in their dealsImproving your sales process oftentimes means inserting some checks for your sales reps to ensure theyre following the proper guidelines. In some cases, that might involve approvals for discounting or product mixes, which is typically handled by CPQ. In a lot of cases legal needs to have visibility as well, or may even be critical to the final stages of negotiation. Contract Management Software is regularly responsible for facilitating the final stages of those negotiations, so that your deals dont get stalled at the goal line.My legal or sales team has no visibility into the risk in our existing contractsOne caveat that is often overlooked is that delaying bringing on a contract management solution in favor of CPQ means that youll have contracts getting created, with no system to manage them. This is a critical oversight when it comes to better managing your risk portfolio and customer lifecycle. Contract Management Software will always be the right solution when youre concerned with having a better view of your risk. With Contract Management, you get a repository that enables search, a set of robust reporting tools for finding potential exposures, and automation tools for triggering reminders for expiring contracts.There are plenty more general themes that come into play with both of these solutions, but hopefully these four bullets can help you get started!</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 24 Feb 2015 14:39:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/cpq_vs_contract_management_4_things_to_consider</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-24T14:39:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Review of the Best Contract Management Software for Financial Services</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_contract_management_software_for_financial_services</link>
        <description>As I say to my team, &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m a finance guy.&amp;rdquo; From working at financial firms early in my career to where I&amp;rsquo;m at today &amp;mdash; CEO here at SpringCM, and board member and consultant for technology companies looking to grow.Because of my experience, I&amp;rsquo;m often asked about the best contract management software for financial services. I&amp;rsquo;m never one to shy away from being honest with respect to competition.With that in mind, here is a list of some of the contract management software solutions available for the financial services industry.</description>
        <content:encoded>As I say to my team, Im a finance guy. From working at financial firms early in my career to where Im at today  CEO here at SpringCM, and board member and consultant for technology companies looking to grow.Because of my experience, Im often asked about the best contract management software for financial services. Im never one to shy away from being honest with respect to competition.With that in mind, here is a list of some of the contract management software solutions available for the financial services industry.LaserFicheLaserFiche has been around since 1987. With a rich history in enterprise content management solutions for financial services, they also offer a contract management solution that automates the creation, review and approval of contracts. LaserFinches process ensures that organizations arent at risk for compliance infractions.SelecticaSelecticas customers come from a variety of industries, including financial services. Their contract management solution helps automate the processes around broker_dealer arrangements, custodial agreements, trusts and RIA vendor relationships. They also have a product that provides an industry_specific contract creation process that abides by strict legal and compliance mandates.ASC Contract ManagementASC is adept at creating, storing, tracking and reporting on contracts, all from within Salesforce. They provide a contract management database as well as tools to search for contracts across that repository. ASC is focused on several key areas like delivering notifications around important contract dates, identifying bottlenecks in your contract process, and ensuring your contracts meet specific compliance regulations.So there are three companies to consider if you're evaluating contract management software for your financial services company. Of course, there are many other things to consider, as you decide which solution will work best with your current process (including product implementation).Whatever software you choose, I hope the experience proves to be relatively painless.Image source:&amp;nbsp;reynermedia&amp;nbsp;on Flickr.&amp;nbsp;Some rights reserved.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 25 Feb 2015 16:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_contract_management_software_for_financial_services</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-25T16:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 questions to consider before going mobile with contract management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_best_reasons_to_go_mobile_with_sales_contract_management</link>
        <description>In today's world the speed and location of business has changed dramatically. It happens wherever and whenever. As a sales rep, I can't&amp;nbsp;afford to wait days for a contract to be reviewed or created. That might mean the difference between a won or a lost deal. Mobile devices, specifically smartphones and tablets open up a whole new world of productivity for sales professionals and those that support them.&amp;nbsp; It's critical to match the right functionality to the form factor. While I have a smartphone that doesn't&amp;nbsp;mean I want to write a contract in a taxi using just my thumbs.</description>
        <content:encoded>In today's world the speed and location of business has changed dramatically. It happens wherever and whenever. As a sales rep, I can't&amp;nbsp;afford to wait days for a contract to be reviewed or created. That might mean the difference between a won or a lost deal. Mobile devices, specifically smartphones and tablets open up a whole new world of productivity for sales professionals and those that support them.&amp;nbsp; It's critical to match the right functionality to the form factor. While I have a smartphone that doesn't&amp;nbsp;mean I want to write a contract in a taxi using just my thumbs.What are some benefits to mobile contract management?&amp;nbsp;Close deals fasterMore positive customer experienceSubmit third party agreements for review and kick off the workflow while out of the officeMaintain process visibility&amp;nbsp;What sort of functionality is crucial to having a mobile contract management (CM) process?The answer to this question largely depends on the individual stakeholder's role. &amp;nbsp;Sales ManagementContract status tracking: Where is this contract in the process?Potential visibility into all contracts in processSalesEasily route new agreements into a workflow. Example: A client emailed me an NDA while on the road.&amp;nbsp; How do&amp;nbsp;I submit it&amp;nbsp;so it is stored in SFDC under the opportunity,&amp;nbsp;and route it to through the appropriate workflow to get it signed and back to the customer?Contract status tracking: Who has it currently?&amp;nbsp; How long has it been there?&amp;nbsp;Automated email notifications:&amp;nbsp;When is a&amp;nbsp;new revision is sent or received? &amp;nbsp;When it is finally signed?LegalEasily review and approve changesMake edits to the document and send out for customer review (tablet)Participate in an approval workflowAutomated email notifications letting me know that I have a new document or version to review or that I'm approaching a deadline on a document.Executives/Approvers&amp;nbsp;Easily approve or reject&amp;nbsp;Automated notifications for signed agreementsIs mobile just integration with CRM?It depends. Mobile access comes in different forms such as mobile_friendly webpages, native applications (iOS, Android etc.), or as a component of other mobile applications such as Salesforce1. Some users will see significant benefits from accessing contract management in the context of their CRM such as with Salesforce1, while other may prefer standalone applications. It's largely determined by the user's role in the process.&amp;nbsp; It is natural for Sales Reps to prefer accessing contracts in the context of their CRM, because it also gives them access to other relevant functionality. On the other hand, Legal may never log in to the CRM and so they need access to contracts functionality in a standalone mobile app. It's also important to consider the frequency of a stakeholder's participation in the contract process. It's unrealistic to expect an infrequent participant to download an app on the chance they need to approve. &amp;nbsp;What are some instances where having a mobile CLM is crucial?&amp;nbsp;For many, it's not hard to imagine a scenario where mobile access to contract management might helpful. If you are a sales professional, you probably don't need to use your imagination.&amp;nbsp; Earlier in my career, I was working to close a deal with a quarterly deadline rapidly approaching. With mere days to go, the customer committed to signing, but unfortunately the agreement got stuck requiring one final internal approval before it could go out for signature. It just happened that the required approver was out of the country. Eventually I got the approval, but unfortunately not in time for my client to sign. I missed my number and the process left me feeling like I lost years off my life. Now imagine how the story would have been had my executive been able to review and approve the contract from his smartphone. &amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Is contract management on a mobile device a secure option?&amp;nbsp;It depends on what you use. This is the debate over mobile device use in general. Considering that most companies today do contract management through email and save a&amp;nbsp;version of the contract on local drives, it's hard to imagine that mobile contract management is inherently any riskier than that&amp;nbsp;status quo. On the contrary, many mobile contract management tools offer increased security because accessing them requires an additional authentication step and whether files are stored in the cloud or locally they are encrypted. Contrast that with contracts and documents that are stored in email on the device.Should I be concerned about bring your own device (BYOD)&amp;nbsp;and contract management?&amp;nbsp;Yes you should. As with everything there are pros and cons to BYOD. In fact there are too many for me to address here, but it's easy to see how such a policy can pose challenges for organizations large and small. For companies who have embraced BYOD, you'll want to make sure your contract management solution is available on as wide a range of mobile operating systems as possible so it is available to a broad set of your stakeholders. &amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 26 Feb 2015 22:52:43 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_best_reasons_to_go_mobile_with_sales_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-26T22:52:43Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to track a sales contract's status</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_track_a_sales_contracts_status</link>
        <description>I need to know where something is.This is a phrase I hear a lot during my demos. Usually the prospect I am speaking with has a current pain point that boils down to not knowing what stage a contract is currently at. The lack of status tracking also rears its head when trying to construct reports that create visibility into the current process. Simply having the ability to pull a report on the status of all contracts would be a huge win, and is what the prospect is ultimately driving towards.I think we&amp;rsquo;ve all been to a package tracking website, or feverishly tracked the status of some sort of application. Being able to track these things can drive the way we plan things or revise our actions and methods.Contract management is no different. Without any sort of tracking, you lose the ability to optimize business processes and forecasting becomes more difficult. Many times I can feel the frustration of our prospects as they continue to hit this common theme.</description>
        <content:encoded>I need to know where something is.This is a phrase I hear a lot during my demos. Usually the prospect I am speaking with has a current pain point that boils down to not knowing what stage a contract is currently at. The lack of status tracking also rears its head when trying to construct reports that create visibility into the current process. Simply having the ability to pull a report on the status of all contracts would be a huge win, and is what the prospect is ultimately driving towards.I think weve all been to a package tracking website, or feverishly tracked the status of some sort of application. Being able to track these things can drive the way we plan things or revise our actions and methods.Contract management is no different. Without any sort of tracking, you lose the ability to optimize business processes and forecasting becomes more difficult. Many times I can feel the frustration of our prospects as they continue to hit this common theme.At SpringCM, we are constantly looking at tackling this problem. It is part of our ongoing push for Visibility in the contract process.When evaluating tracking a sales contract's status, we tend to ask the following questions:Who needs to see this status?What would the preferred method be for the delivery of this status?Heres an example of how to track a sales contracts statusOne of our clients had a need for both salespeople and his legal team to track the status of any given contract going through review/negotiation. This client also had a requirement that dictated that salespeople needed to see this status from their CRM (in this case, Salesforce), and Legal needed to see it some other way (they didnt have a Salesforce License).In the end, we settled on a solution where SpringCM synced a status field up to Salesforce that was also kept up_to_date for our Legal non_Salesforce users. This was done automatically via our own Workflow Engine as every contract went down its path.The idea of using Metadata isnt necessarily new, but using a workflow to keep a certain field updated automatically and creating a single source of truth can be of huge value.With a simple status field, you can start to see how visibility can be improved across the organization. Workflows can continue to keep things in sync across both all users as the contract continues to move downstream.Image source:&amp;nbsp;Jenni C&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 27 Feb 2015 16:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_track_a_sales_contracts_status</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Feb-27T16:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Using cloud document management to increase your business productivity</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/using_cloud_document_management_to_increase_your_business_productivity</link>
        <description>Business productivity is on the decline at alarming rates! Just look at how productivity has slowed according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:</description>
        <content:encoded>Business productivity is on the decline at alarming rates! Just look at how productivity has slowed according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:2009&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 3.2%2010&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 3.3%2011&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 0.1%2012&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 1.0%2013&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 0.9%2014&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; 0.8%Its a major problem, says Robert Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. So whats happening here and what should business leaders do about it?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Well, Ill tell you whats NOT happening first. U.S. companies have largely stopped investing in productivity enhancing equipment and software. Our business leaders are taking an even shorter view of their respective businesses than they have in the past, and in doing so, constraining future economic growth.Being more productive with less producersAfter the crush of the recession in 2007_2008, companies realized that they had to right_size their companies for profitability because revenues were down sharply for most. So out came the hatchet, which has always been handy for reducing headcount. CHOP! OK, now what about the lucky people left standing? Well give them productivity tools so we/they can do more with less. Guess what? It worked!Ok enough of that, business is starting to rebound with output and job growth accelerating so lets stop innovating. After all, it costs money to innovate. But wait! Didnt we move the needle in the right direction with those investments? The short answer, yes. &amp;nbsp;But were American business leaders and this quarter is the only one that really counts. Really?Look for outside_of_the_box productivity boostersOur pre_recession spending on equipment and software averaged 6.1% of gross domestic product in 2007, according to IHS Global Insight. Compare that to roughly 5.5% since 2010. Part of the problem is that the low hanging technology fruit is picked clean. U.S. business leadership now has&amp;nbsp;to get creative by evaluating ways to accelerate productivity beyond the obvious. Cloud technology  represented by companies like Salesforce.com _ has greatly reduced the need for huge IT infrastructure while delivering great productivity gains. But like other large data platforms of the past, thats just the beginning of the productivity improvement potential.Now is the time to look at critical business processes, and the time_consuming manual steps that still exist. The revenue side of the business is in dire need of productivity improvements. This may be an indictment of my peers (and myself), but sales management needs to take the lead on presenting ideas for sales efficiency, productivity and controls. Salesforce.com was a key paradigm shift for most, offering productivity and visibility beyond what was ever available. Now business and sales leaders have to delve deeper into areas where greater visibility and control will drive even greater productivity and profitability.&amp;nbsp;Just because the low hanging fruit is gone, doesnt mean the tree is bare. It just means we have to work a litter harder and climb a little higher, identifying and deploying solutions to accelerate productivity, reversing the trend and fueling the growth engine for years to come.Image:&amp;nbsp;http://www.stockmonkeys.com/&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 02 Mar 2015 21:08:56 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/using_cloud_document_management_to_increase_your_business_productivity</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-02T21:08:56Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>CPQ vs. CLM: Which solution should I implement first? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/cpq_vs_clm_which_solution_should_i_implement_first</link>
        <description>When discussing pursuing a contracts management software project, there is no shortage of factors to take into account when scoping your project and evaluating requirements. Among these, typically, is the interaction of such a system with your sales process. This is absolutely correct, as one of the key value_adds to any contract management solution should be the ability to help streamline the sales process and facilitate a productive collaboration between sales and legal in the pursuit of new business.</description>
        <content:encoded>When discussing pursuing a contracts management software project, there is no shortage of factors to take into account when scoping your project and evaluating requirements. Among these, typically, is the interaction of such a system with your sales process. This is absolutely correct, as one of the key value_adds to any contract management solution should be the ability to help streamline the sales process and facilitate a productive collaboration between sales and legal in the pursuit of new business.While integration with your sales process is a key value_add, oftentimes we see customers have a hard time framing how a contracts management application co_exists with other solutions that are also focused on the sales process, and most consistently that is a Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solution.How you frame and prioritize your evaluation of Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) and CPQ depends on what you are using as your key drivers for selecting a project, and what issues you are trying to solve for. While contracts are going to be a part of nearly every sales cycle (EULA_based self_service online purchases the most common exception), robust contracts management applications might be overkill for some companies. Likewise, CPQ might not be the right solution if youre more focused on existing contracts, or better managing your risk. Here are some common problems that people try to solve for when evaluating a CPQ or CLM solution:&amp;nbsp;My reps are struggling to price, discount, and build quotes. This is the foundation for CPQ solutions. If youre looking to help sales reps be more effective when pricing, discounting, and quoting in general, they will greatly benefit from a CPQ solution. It would make more sense to evaluate a CLM solution down the road.My reps are sending out incomplete or inaccurate quotes. This is a very common problem that a CPQ solution can solve, although in certain scenarios the line between a quote and a contract can become blurred. Contractual language can sometimes get mixed into a quote document, for those trying to simplify things to only have one all_encompassing document. In almost every scenario it is recommended to keep contractual (and negotiable) terms in a separate document from commercial (such as pricing) terms. This greatly simplifies things for reps. They worry about generating their order forms and let legal worry about negotiating terms and conditions.My reps are struggling to track the status of the approvals in their deals. Improving your sales process oftentimes means inserting some checks for your sales reps to ensure theyre following the proper guidelines. In some cases, that might involve approvals for discounting or product mixes, which is typically handled by CPQ. In a lot of cases, legal needs to have visibility as well, or may even be critical to the final stages of negotiation. CLM is regularly responsible for facilitating the final stages of those negotiations, so that your deals dont get stalled at the goal line.My legal/sales team has no visibility into the risk in our existing contracts. One caveat that is often overlooked is that delaying bringing on a CLM in favor of CPQ means that youll have contracts getting created, with no system to manage them. This is a critical oversight when it comes to better managing your risk portfolio and customer lifecycle. CLM will always be the right solution when youre concerned with having a better view of your risk _ you get a repository that enables search, a set of robust reporting tools for finding potential exposures, and automation tools for triggering reminders for expiring contracts.There are plenty more general themes that come into play with both of these solutions,&amp;nbsp;but hopefully these four points&amp;nbsp;can help you get started! </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 03 Mar 2015 16:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/cpq_vs_clm_which_solution_should_i_implement_first</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-03T16:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Review of the Best Contract Management Software</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_contract_management_software</link>
        <description>As a Business Development Representative here at SpringCM, each week I speak to hundreds business professionals that are looking for Contract Management solutions. Every conversation is different based on the diverse range of business models and processes. However, I find myself being asked what is the best contract management software available today on a frequent basis. Besides the SpringCM Contract Management Software solutions, the below solutions are available to organizations of all sizes.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a Business Development Representative here at SpringCM, each week I speak to hundreds business professionals that are looking for Contract Management solutions. Every conversation is different based on the diverse range of business models and processes. However, I find myself being asked what is the best contract management software available today on a frequent basis. Besides the SpringCM Contract Management Software solutions, the below solutions are available to organizations of all sizes.The Best Contract Management SoftwareApttus Contract Lifecycle Management SoftwareConfigure Price Quote (CPQ) and Contract Lifecycle Management platform native to the Salesforce.com ecosystem. It runs 100% within the walls of Salesforce. Workflows are put into effect when data within Salesforce changes.SharePoint OnlineCentral repository solution with limited workflow and search capabilities. Many companies first enter the Cloud generation through SharePoint, which is a stand_alone platform for Microsoft users.Selectica Contract Management SoftareContracts Management and CPQ solution. Previously on premise and now moving to cloud base.DocuSignAbility to sign and send documents/contracts anywhere on any device. DocuSign eliminates the time costing steps (printing and scanning), giving businesses the ability to close deals right on the spot. Workflows automatically route the contract to the next person who has to sign the document until all signatures are captured.No Solution for Contract ManagementThis is the old school way to manage a contract through its lifecycle. Contract Stakeholders use applications like Microsoft Word to template contracts, send using email and track using Microsoft Excel. Its a very time_consuming and manual process, however it is the most inexpensive process if funding is not provided. When a group has to collaborate on a document, the main application is typically Google Docs.When talking to prospects, I like to dig into their current process first to find out what their pain points are in their current solutions. Most of the pain points are manual steps, accessibility, limitations, version control and tracking ability. A full contract management solution should give the user the ability to create a contract by pulling fields into a template and automatically routing the contract for approval/signature with just two clicks within a platform. Once the contract goes out for approval, a solution should be able to track changes, keep an audit history of the versions and give insight to who has to approve/sign the contract next to help locate the bottlenecks. In todays competitive business environment, time is money. Cloud base solutions give users the ability to close deals anywhere from any device. &amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 04 Mar 2015 16:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_contract_management_software</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-04T16:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to prepare sales contract templates for Contract Lifecycle Management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_prepare_sales_contract_templates_for_clm</link>
        <description>Before automating the creation or generation of the contract, the first question that one should answer is, &quot;On whose paper are most of the company&amp;rsquo;s signed contracts?&quot;If the answer is your company&amp;rsquo;s own paper, then automating the contract creation can be streamlined and controlled to the needs of the contract management&amp;nbsp;and legal team. If the answer is third_party paper, then automating the contract creation might not make sense because of the unknowns about that third_party paper. So instead of focusing on automating the contract creation of this kind, building a robust contract approval process would be a better approach.</description>
        <content:encoded>Before automating the creation or generation of the contract, the first question that one should answer is, &quot;On whose paper are most of the companys signed contracts?&quot;If the answer is your companys own paper, then automating the contract creation can be streamlined and controlled to the needs of the contract management&amp;nbsp;and legal team. If the answer is third_party paper, then automating the contract creation might not make sense because of the unknowns about that third_party paper. So instead of focusing on automating the contract creation of this kind, building a robust contract approval process would be a better approach.Identifying and creating a contract template libraryThe next step in the preparation should be focused on identifying and building the contract template library. A defined contract template library would help with the standardization of contract templates as well as the rest of CLM process.List the approved contract templatesIdentify who requests for these templates and who creates these templatesIdentify when in the CLM process these contracts gets createdA good contract creation automation tool should serve these purposes:Provide for merge capability (ability to get information from external systems and merge that information on the contract template)Allow for creating contracts that are within the parameters defined by the contract management or legal team and at the same time allow of requests for contracts outside the parameters that require contract management or legal teams inputProvide ability for creating contracts in the format based on the need of the hour  PDFs for contract execution and Word for redlining and negotiationAbility to bundle multiple contract documents into a contract package for executionHow to prepare contract templates for CLMFor each of the templates in the contract template library, below are some of the basic questions one should prepare in advance.Merge Data &amp;nbsp;This is the information that can be automatically merged on to the contract templates. Customer information, Product Line Items, etc. are good examples.&amp;nbsp;Where does the merge data come from?&amp;nbsp;If the data comes from external systems, is the data clean or accurate or complete?If the data is clean and accurate (or if the external system is the system of record of data), should the requestor be allow to modify it at the time of creation?If the data is not complete, should the requestor be allowed to create the template by completing or modifying the incomplete informationWhen the data is input by the user, what is the definition of data being complete and accurate so that contract can be created?How should the merge data be presented in the contract?Regardless&amp;nbsp;where the data comes from, how should the data be merge into the template? For example, if the contract expiration date is 12/31/2020 from the external system, should it be merge as_is or merge as December 31st, 2020.What are the types of merge data that the templates require?Images (logos based on the business unit or product)Text (customer information, billing address etc.)Conditional merge (If the governing law is Texas for certain product lines, show that clause or paragraph; if not, show the governing law as Delaware). These kind of merges help in consolidating multiple templates into one standard template.Access PermissionsBased on the organizations playbook, who should be allowed to create sales contract&amp;nbsp;templates?Data for contract approval processThere will always be a unique situation that would require contract managers or legal team to create an ad hoc contract. To facilitate for that, the contract creation tool can always be used to get all the right information (what would that be?) from the requester during creation to prevent the back and forth between legal and requester after an ad hoc request has been made.Electronic signatureWithout a contract creation automation tool or CLM system in place, your organization could be using e_signature to speed up the execution cycle. When preparing for contract creation, it is necessary to prepare the contract template to support the electronic signature vendors so that there is very few human steps involved to automate the contract creation (and also the execution). A good example is to pre determine a signature area in the template so that the signed contract e_signature shows up in the right place in the contract.Investing time and money to prepare for the automation and to automate contract creation will pay for itself for two main reasons, you understand your contract templates better and&amp;nbsp;with all the qualified information captured upfront during contract creation, the approval process gets as simple as making the right personnel review or approve at the right time.Image Source:&amp;nbsp;Chris Isherwood&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 04 Mar 2015 17:50:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_prepare_sales_contract_templates_for_clm</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-04T17:50:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Sales rep turnover: How to keep your employees and customers happy </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/sales_rep_turnover_how_to_keep_your_employees_and_customers_happy</link>
        <description>Whether it's a&amp;nbsp;junior rep who decides that sales isn't&amp;nbsp;for them,&amp;nbsp;or a senior sales rep looking for a new challenge, sales turnover is inevitable.&amp;nbsp;Over&amp;nbsp;the years, I've observed this with&amp;nbsp;many sales teams.&amp;nbsp;I&amp;rsquo;ve heard it all, can usually see &quot;it&quot; coming, and I understand why a sales rep ends up&amp;nbsp;leaving the company.&amp;nbsp;I've learned&amp;nbsp;to accept&amp;nbsp;that sometimes it just doesn't work out with a particular employee. Inevitably, we're all just looking to receive&amp;nbsp;the best value for our time and effort. But what happens with that&amp;nbsp;reps' customers after she leaves? And what about the rep who inherits the departing employee's prospects?&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Whether it's a&amp;nbsp;junior rep who decides that sales isn't&amp;nbsp;for them,&amp;nbsp;or a senior sales rep looking for a new challenge, sales turnover is inevitable.&amp;nbsp;Over&amp;nbsp;the years, I've observed this with&amp;nbsp;many sales teams.&amp;nbsp;Ive heard it all, can usually see &quot;it&quot; coming, and I understand why a sales rep ends up&amp;nbsp;leaving the company.&amp;nbsp;I've learned&amp;nbsp;to accept&amp;nbsp;that sometimes it just doesn't work out with a particular employee. Inevitably, we're all just looking to receive&amp;nbsp;the best value for our time and effort. But what happens with that&amp;nbsp;reps' customers after she leaves? And what about the rep who inherits the departing employee's prospects?&amp;nbsp;What happens when sales reps leave?They turn in their laptop, their key card, they're removed from the&amp;nbsp;company email and other technologies. Quick, easy, and totally routine.But what about their pipeline, their leads, their customers? They're&amp;nbsp;transferred over to someone else,&amp;nbsp;whose&amp;nbsp;goal is to&amp;nbsp;close them or upsell them, respectively. Is it fair to transfer the prospects and&amp;nbsp;accounts to another sales rep, placing high expectations on them without the right tools, information, background and understanding of what transpired prior to handoff?&amp;nbsp;Is it fair for the prospect or&amp;nbsp;customer to be passed along to someone they have never talked to, forcing them to essentially repeat the onboarding process?Capturing data doesn't add dollars to a commission checkThere's a reason it's &quot;dialing for dollars&quot; and not &quot;documenting for dollars&quot;. We pay sales reps to sell, not track data.&amp;nbsp;How much time do you think a busy sales rep puts into documenting relevant customer or prospect information? Especially when it's for the benefit of&amp;nbsp;someone who&amp;nbsp;will leverage&amp;nbsp;this information after they have left? ZERO. How much relevant sales information is stored&amp;nbsp;in a system apart from your&amp;nbsp;CRM? A TON.&amp;nbsp;And this is a problem.Sales rep turnover leads to&amp;nbsp;customer turnoverWho suffers? For one, the new rep, but also, and perhaps most importantly,&amp;nbsp;the customer and prospects.&amp;nbsp;Why do they have to start the sales process over again and repeat all those introductory calls with a new rep? Its not the prospect or customer's&amp;nbsp;fault the sales rep decided to move on. The buying experience&amp;nbsp;includes the personal bonds&amp;nbsp;that are made between people on the both sides of the&amp;nbsp;process. These bonds are forged&amp;nbsp;through conversation and shared revelations&amp;nbsp;that are easily forgotten,&amp;nbsp;and harder to revisit, the second time around. This is where momentum slows, prospects get frustrated and deals are lost.In any position there is turnover, especially in sales. There are a lot of people affected by the&amp;nbsp;change. During times of transition, we often tend to&amp;nbsp;focus on the wrong people. We focus on the individual who is leaving and ensuring&amp;nbsp;they transition&amp;nbsp;properly. But I'd argue an equal, or greater, amount of time should be spent immediately&amp;nbsp;connecting the customer with resources to enable them to transition to a new rep smoothly. And that begins with making sure all relevant data, documents and contracts&amp;nbsp;are in one spot, easily accessible and digestible for the new rep.  Your customers and prospects will thank you.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 06 Mar 2015 21:33:09 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/sales_rep_turnover_how_to_keep_your_employees_and_customers_happy</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-06T21:33:09Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>[Video] Pros and Cons of Being on the Force Platform for Contract Management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/pros_and_cons_of_being_on_the_force_platform_for_contract_management</link>
        <description>One of the questions that we're asked quite frequently is, &quot;What is the difference between Force Native and integrated apps?&quot; Because SpringCM is a non_native, integrated app, we usually go into the details of what you get with a non_native app.</description>
        <content:encoded>One of the questions that we're asked quite frequently is, &quot;What is the difference between Force Native and integrated apps?&quot; Because SpringCM is a non_native, integrated app, we usually go into the details of what you get with a non_native app. In this video, I discuss&amp;nbsp;the pros and cons of being on the Force Platform for contract management. I also cover&amp;nbsp;what you can expect from a non_native, integrated app.I go into detail regarding the following:&amp;nbsp;Pros and cons of using the Salesforce.com database&amp;nbsp;Native vs. Non_Native Salesforce app securityNative vs. Non_Native Salesforce app user experience&amp;nbsp;Interested in reading more on this subject? Check out&amp;nbsp;Salesforce Native App vs. Non_Native: Pros and Cons to Consider.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 09 Mar 2015 15:04:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/pros_and_cons_of_being_on_the_force_platform_for_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-09T15:04:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A contract management software review: comparisons, pricing and features</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_contract_management_software</link>
        <description>Google the term &quot;contract management software&quot; and you'll get over 22 million results. Obviously with this much activity this shows how important the contract management process is, but how do you narrow the search? More and more I see customers selecting a few vendors because they tend to match the features that best meet their needs. Here are a few vendors doing intresting things within their respective use cases.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Google the term &quot;contract management software&quot; and you'll get over 22 million results. Obviously with this much activity this shows how important the contract management process is, but how do you narrow the search? More and more I see customers selecting a few vendors because they tend to match the features that best meet their needs. Here are a few vendors doing intresting things within their respective use cases.&amp;nbsp;Contract management software providersApttus Contract Lifecycle ManagementIntegrate with&amp;nbsp;Salesforce, then help me generate documents and manage the processApttus is a&amp;nbsp;Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) application built on the Force.com&amp;nbsp;platform. Users have all the benefits of a Force.com platform license including standard workflow, Salesforce reporting and other standard features. Apttus uses custom objects to store contract data, and apex coding to program custom workflow. Users can use a microsoft word plug_in called X_Author to manage revisions, insert fields from Salesforce and include terms. &amp;nbsp;Electronic signature can be configured to incorporate DocuSign or EchoSign into the contracting process. &amp;nbsp;Completed contracts are stored in the notes and attachments section of Salesforce and can be viewed from the Salesforce1 platform.Pricing $90 / per user per month (various editions)Selectica Contract Lifecycle ManagementGive me a full_functioning cloud platform to manage the entire CLM process including procurement contractsSelectica is built&amp;nbsp;on a stand_alone platform that integrates with leading ERP and CRM applications. Selectica has&amp;nbsp;a plug_in for Microsoft&amp;nbsp;Word that allows users to modify contracts and assist in the authoring process. Selecticas proprietary workflow engine can route documents to individuals or queues for review or approval. Documents can have metadata tagged to them for reporting and to drive workflow in the cloud. Selectica has a mobile application that can allow users to view and review contract documents to which they have access.Pricing $90 / per user per month (various editions)DocuSignHelp me get the document signed while having&amp;nbsp;the ability to make changesStarting out as a pioneer in the eSignature space, Docusign&amp;nbsp;began to include&amp;nbsp;additional functionality that goes beyond the ability&amp;nbsp;to sign a&amp;nbsp;document. &amp;nbsp;For customers that have very light internal document creation needs and use a CRM or other source application to launch the process, DocuSign&amp;nbsp;is a simple solution for approvals and limited document modification. Docusign also features an open platform that can integrate with a multitude of systems and has great API capabilities. &amp;nbsp;This is on top of the foundational process of capturing the customers signature in a secure and efficient manner.Pricing $20 / per user per month (various editions)</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 10 Mar 2015 18:53:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_contract_management_software</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-10T18:53:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The Biggest Challenge with Content Management in Salesforce.com</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_biggest_challenge_with_content_management_in_salesforce.com</link>
        <description>Is there anything Salesforce.com doesn't&amp;nbsp;do?&amp;nbsp;Salesforce has its Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Communities, Analytics, Mobile, Content, Contracts and every other buzzword out there when it comes to technology, business and process. It&amp;rsquo;s a one stop shop for all of your business needs. But what does that really mean to a company when you start to dig in and understand your business requirements and needs? &amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Is there anything Salesforce.com doesn't&amp;nbsp;do?&amp;nbsp;Salesforce has its Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Communities, Analytics, Mobile, Content, Contracts and every other buzzword out there when it comes to technology, business and process. Its a one stop shop for all of your business needs. But what does that really mean to a company when you start to dig in and understand your business requirements and needs? &amp;nbsp;Salesforce's Biggest Strength: DataAs a professional that has built a career around using and understanding the Salesforce.com platform, I appreciate what Salesforce is great at, which is data. &amp;nbsp;Salesforce is a database that can manage information and help build automation and business processes around the data that it is storing. Its reporting capabilities are amazing and easy to use; and I love creating a dashboard and sending it to management to help create visibility into efficiency and risks. The challenges come in and around its unstructured data or more commonly referred to as content management.Biggest Challenge:&amp;nbsp;Content Management in Salesforce.comContent or document management can mean different things to different companies. Are you just looking for a place to store a comment? Great  thats in notes and attachments. Are you looking for a place to create documents with the data that is stored with Salesforce? Yup, it can do that. The real challenge is when it comes to doing something with those documents and keeping track of them. Bingo! Thats where things get complicated. Think about what your process is and what your requirements are. &amp;nbsp;If you need to edit documents, report on an audit trail, negotiate or redline a document, esign, merge two types of documents, or compare two versions of the same document this is where there are challenges with content management in Salesforce.The good news is that Salesforce.com realizes that they cant be everything to everyone and they created the AppExchange. The AppExchange is a great resource to find partners who can enhance and provide these types of functionality to their customers. So think about your business and develop a plan around the needs and requirements that are specific to your process. Then figure out if Salesforce.com is the right solution, or if it makes more sense to look around the AppExchange for other solutions out there that can integrate directly with the system you already have in place.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 11 Mar 2015 15:20:13 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_biggest_challenge_with_content_management_in_salesforce.com</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-11T15:20:13Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The biggest challenge with contract management in salesforce.com</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_biggest_challenge_with_contract_management_in_salesforce.com</link>
        <description>The definition of a contract is &amp;lsquo;a written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law.&amp;rsquo; When it comes to sales, the only kind of contract that means something to my CEO is an agreement that is signed by both parties and&amp;nbsp;enforceable by law.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>The definition of a contract is a written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law. When it comes to sales, the only kind of contract that means something to my CEO is an agreement that is signed by both parties and&amp;nbsp;enforceable by law.&amp;nbsp;The challenge that Salesforce.com has around contract management is that its talking about the data and process associated with the agreement but it cant support the actual document. A contract is a living, breathing and changing document that needs to be communicated, negotiated, edited and managed outside of the data from Salesforce.com.Document management is more than document creationManaging a document is more than just the creation of the document. A document can be edited and would need to be saved without creating multiple versions. A major challenge with multiple versions is that you dont know which is the most recent version and you could be working on the wrong document, wasting your time and others. Once you have multiple versions of the same document there are times that you would want to compare the two documents to make sure that the final document has all of the most recent changes. Once you edit a document you could also have the challenge of understanding what changes were made so companies refer to the solutions that help show you the redlines or track changes.Know when to use Salesforce and when to use a Salesforce appManaging the negotiation and signatures on a document can also be a challenge that companies face. These include all of the challenges mentioned in the previous paragraph as well as others. Such as capturing a signature or esignature on the document.Salesforce can manage the data, create the document and store the document. It can also manage the process in and around the workflow to approve the process and the document. Its important to understand when to use Salesforce and when to use a solution that integrates with Salesforce.com.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 12 Mar 2015 16:22:07 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_biggest_challenge_with_contract_management_in_salesforce.com</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-12T16:22:07Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>SpringCM's March 2015 Release: An Interview with VP Product Development</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/springcm_march_2015_release_an_interview_with_vp_product_development</link>
        <description>On this blog, we shy away from talking about ourselves. The content we share is typically educational with little to no mention of SpringCM. But once in awhile, we&amp;nbsp;do like to&amp;nbsp;give our readers some insight into what's going on behind the scenes.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>On this blog, we shy away from talking about ourselves. The content we share is typically educational with little to no mention of SpringCM. But once in awhile, we&amp;nbsp;do like to&amp;nbsp;give our readers some insight into what's going on behind the scenes.&amp;nbsp;Last Friday, SpringCM's&amp;nbsp;March 2015 Release went live. I sat down with our VP Product Development, Steven Jones, to gain&amp;nbsp;further insight into&amp;nbsp;the back_end of&amp;nbsp;a release and the details of this particular release.&amp;nbsp;KG: As the VP Product Development, what do you do?SJ: Im responsible for all of SpringCMs products. I balance making sure that our current customers are getting what they need to solve problems, and were building something that helps us generate new revenue from new customers.What tends to make this job hard is that you have to talk to every department in the company and gather their input.&amp;nbsp;That&amp;nbsp;has actually been one of the easiest things for me to do in this role. SpringCM&amp;nbsp;is unique in that its very easy for a product person to work with our entire company.At the end of the day, all is well if were making products our customers love. As long as were doing that, the rest is easy.&amp;nbsp;KG: How long was your team working on this release?SJ: This was a particularly big release, so we spent several months working on it.KG: How long does your team typically work on releases?SJ: We tend to break things down into monthly increments.KG: How did you decide what to include in this release?SJ:&amp;nbsp;I follow a step process:I take input from at least six different parts of the organization: sales and marketing, customer success team (which includes professional services and support), engineering and operations, and the product team itself. At a high level, its those parts of the organization that are constantly feeding me information. Sifting through that is a challenge, because&amp;nbsp;everyone has their own priorities. What I look for is overlap  where we're seeing a similar need across departments. That helps me prioritize.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Next, I go back to the engineering group to say, &quot;whats the level of effort to build this stuff.&quot; Typically, we have dependencies to keep in mind. e.g. &quot;We can't build that until we fix this.&quot; &amp;nbsp;Finally, I meet with the product team and we decide what we can develop in a months time.The hardest part about this job is you never make everyone happy. Its a huge balancing act.&amp;nbsp;I have a lot of stakeholders and the challenging job of balancing everyones urgent needs. Every month, I'm having a&amp;nbsp;conversation where I say, You cant get that, because I have to work on this.&amp;nbsp;KG: What are the new features that SpringCM users will notice?SJ: For our Salesforce customers, using SpringCM&amp;nbsp;on mobile devices in Salesforce1 is now possible. This feature will only get better over the next few months. Weve restarted the whole user experience with mobile in mind first.&amp;nbsp;KG: What are some of the back_end things that users wont notice?SJ: The reason this release took months is because we chose to invest a lot of time in back_end stuff. To do the cool things&amp;nbsp;in the future that will dazzle people, I had to do a lot of the prerequisite, back_end&amp;nbsp;work. Now Ill be able to capitalize on that work.&amp;nbsp;A great example of that is we want to give people the ability to set reminders on a document. The work we did on this release was letting people&amp;nbsp;do that through workflow and API. We couldnt do the front_end without doing the back_end first. In future releases, it'll be much more user friendly.&amp;nbsp;KG: Can you give us any hints regarding whats to come in the June Release?SJ: We are going to overhaul the external review feature, which is necessary if youre negotiating contracts. Its a part of every customers contract negotiation process. This enhanced feature&amp;nbsp;will make it easier for the sender and for their recipient (whoever theyre negotiating with). This will be a dramatically improved experience. We did a lot of customer research, and this is something we heard loud and clear. The best part? It will all work on mobile devices.Another thing we're really excited about is the next major version of Track It for Deal Visibility will be coming out in June. Thats a mobile first, Salesforce1_centric, unique application that will give salespeople visibility into their deals.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 13 Mar 2015 19:58:20 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/springcm_march_2015_release_an_interview_with_vp_product_development</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-13T19:58:20Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to manage contracts in Salesforce</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_manage_contracts_in_salesforce</link>
        <description>When I think about managing contracts in salesforce, I think about documents, negotiations and signatures. When I started to look around the web and Googled &quot;storing contracts in salesforce&quot;, &quot;managing contracts in salesforce&quot; and &quot;sales contracts in salesforce&quot;, I started to see an entire different universe that included data, workflow and visibility. This made me step back and think about the solution as a whole. Managing sales contracts in salesforce is a combination of data, documents, process and visibility!</description>
        <content:encoded>When I think about managing contracts in salesforce, I think about documents, negotiations and signatures. When I started to look around the web and Googled &quot;storing contracts in salesforce&quot;, &quot;managing contracts in salesforce&quot; and &quot;sales contracts in salesforce&quot;, I started to see an entire different universe that included data, workflow and visibility. This made me step back and think about the solution as a whole. Managing sales contracts in salesforce is a combination of data, documents, process and visibility!Contract managment starts with good Salesforce dataSalesforce is great with managing data, so naturally it makes sense to store data that relates to contracts in Salesforce using fields. Once you think about it, most of the data needed for a contract is already in Salesforce and this just enforces the importance of good data in Salesforce.... and isn't this all every Salesforce admin really wants?!&amp;nbsp; Once you have defined all the data in Salesforce the next step is figuring out which data is not in Salesforce and create the fields needed for these.&amp;nbsp; Once you have this settled the rest should fall into place!Salesforce: great for data, not for documentsThe next part of the contracts process is documents. Unfortunately, managing documents in Salesforce is not so great!&amp;nbsp; Salesforce has moved from content to knowledge to libraries and who knows what else. They haven't found a solution that works, which is why&amp;nbsp;they are always phasing products in and out of the platform. As a Salesforce admin I would head to the AppExchange to find a reliable partner to integrate with my Salesforce instance and have the best of both worlds (data and documents).&amp;nbsp; Here is what I found after a quick search:How does your company work with contracts?As with most solutions there are lots of vendors to chose from. Think about what your company does with contracts: create, edit, negotiate (redline) and sign. What is the best solution that is able to address most of your needs?&amp;nbsp;When it comes to process just think about the life of the contract. Who creates it? Does it need to be approved before being sent to a prospect? Is it negotiable? Are there rules based on size/scope? Develop a process that protects the company and enables your sale team to be efficient and effective.&amp;nbsp;Then create visibility into the process by generating&amp;nbsp;reports and dashboards to share with the executive and sales team.Managing sales contracts in Salesforce means different things to different people, but they are meant to protect the company and provide visibility.&amp;nbsp; There are lots of ways to manage an implementation, but you have to figure out what's best for your company. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 16 Mar 2015 16:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_manage_contracts_in_salesforce</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-16T16:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What is the best software for redlining a contract?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_is_the_best_software_for_redlining_a_contract</link>
        <description>Redlining is a critical piece of any contract negotiation. Years ago, that meant taking a paper document, using a red pen and marking up the requested changes that needed to be sent&amp;nbsp;back to your customer, vendor, or partner via snail&amp;nbsp;mail. Since then, tools have been built that allow professionals to capture any changes to a contract&amp;nbsp;electronically. The tool that you use specifically for capturing changes to a document needs to be considered in the context of the&amp;nbsp;overall lifecycle of your&amp;nbsp;contract process.</description>
        <content:encoded>Redlining is a critical piece of any contract negotiation. Years ago, that meant taking a paper document, using a red pen and marking up the requested changes that needed to be sent&amp;nbsp;back to your customer, vendor, or partner via snail&amp;nbsp;mail. Since then, tools have been built that allow professionals to capture any changes to a contract&amp;nbsp;electronically. The tool that you use specifically for capturing changes to a document needs to be considered in the context of the&amp;nbsp;overall lifecycle of your&amp;nbsp;contract process.Is&amp;nbsp;'Track Changes' enough to enable&amp;nbsp;your contracts process?You can always use Microsoft Word to complete this task as it has embedded functionality that allows a user to Track Changes and also perform a comparison manually of disparate documents. This is a time consuming and cumbersome process. Many other stand_alone tools allow you to automatically compare changes. There are many stand_alone document comparison tools that you can use. Just look for something like Word document compare software or Contract documents compare software.Your solution should allow you to track and record&amp;nbsp;changes as they are madeThe solution that you implement should allow you to automatically capture any&amp;nbsp;changes that are&amp;nbsp;made to your&amp;nbsp;document. This action should take place in such a way that the users experience computer is not impacted. You may want to set_up&amp;nbsp;rules to capture these changes to&amp;nbsp;a document as they are made, or at designated&amp;nbsp;steps in the&amp;nbsp;contract process. You should be able to manually invoke a&amp;nbsp;comparison and reconcile changes against a&amp;nbsp;specific document life_cycle process. Things to include in this reconciling process include formatting changes, content changes (additions, deletions, amendments), and header/footer changes. When the document is returned from an external party, changes made should be automatically highlighted when the next actor looks at the document.The key goal of introducing automatic document comparison is to eliminate manual steps and provide a shortened revision cycle. As a document moves through review cycles, both internally and externally, a business analyst should be able to identify logical points in the contract approval process and incorporate document comparison events. As the document follows the process flow, the changes will be automatically highlighted when the next actor starts to work on the document.Redlining documents is just one side of contract managementRedlines are just a small portion of the process. This specific need can be review in isolation but should also be considered in looking at the whole process including document generation, workflow process, and electronic signature. Other solutions&amp;nbsp;to consider:Apttus: Apttus incorporates a set of features in a Microsoft Word plug_in that allows you to author and redline contracts. This process starts from a comparison button in Word and requires the entire process to take place on the users desktop, effectively removing the contract from the process and creating a potential blindspot for organizations with&amp;nbsp;regulation concerns.Selecta: Selecta offers built_in workflow and document comparison capabilities. Traditionally an on_premise solution, Selectica has recently moved its solutions to the cloud.&amp;nbsp;Financial Force Contract Management:&amp;nbsp;This is a data_centric solution and example of contract management that focuses more on the revenue value of the contract than the content. If you're in a transactionary business without nuanced agreements, this might be a good fit for your company.&amp;nbsp; We hope that this short list will save you some time in your own search. Perhaps it will make it that much easier to fill in a few more columns in your vendor selection spreadsheet. Be thorough in your contract management software research and take care to separate your companys actual needs from the range of features and functions youll find in the AppExchange listings. It may also be informative to scan the customer reviews provided with each listing. And please reach out to us here at SpringCM if you need help with your contract management solution decision.Imace:&amp;nbsp;Quinn Dombrowski&amp;nbsp;via Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 17 Mar 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_is_the_best_software_for_redlining_a_contract</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-17T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Review of the Best Tool for Document Workflow</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_tool_for_document_workflow</link>
        <description>Most of the companies I talk to are&amp;nbsp;looking for workflow to help standardize a&amp;nbsp;business process. If you&amp;rsquo;re trying to standardize a process, and make it less chaotic and more structured, you're probably in need of workflow.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Most of the companies I talk to are&amp;nbsp;looking for workflow to help standardize a&amp;nbsp;business process. If youre trying to standardize a process, and make it less chaotic and more structured, you're probably in need of workflow.&amp;nbsp;Another sign you're in need of a document workflow solution? You want to eliminate email back and forth, and add some accountability and autobility to a document. And you want to do it in a way thats efficient.Whether you're just now realizing you need document workflow or you've been doing your research on solutions for awhile, I've pulled together a list of document workflow software that I hope you'll find helpful.Best Tool for Document WorkflowSharePoint WorkflowIf you already have a SharePoint implementation in_house, you can leverage SharePoints document workflow to manage/implement new business processes for a document. One drawback is this doesnt integrate with Salesforce very well.&amp;nbsp;Nintex WorkflowNintex is &quot;workflow for everyone&quot;. As an alternative for using SharePoint workflow, Nintex Workflow plugs into your Sharepoint instance. Straightforward and automated,&amp;nbsp;Nintex is a great solution if youre looking for an easy to use visual workflow configuration platform. One drawback is this also doesnt integrate with Salesforce very well.Salesforces Native Workflow EngineA great solution if youre already using Salesforce,&amp;nbsp;Salesforces workflow allows you to create approval processes for internal sales activities. This may include things like documents, as well. E.g., You need to attach a document to a&amp;nbsp;Salesforce record, opportunity or account. Part of your workflow could be a request to attach the latest MSA.&amp;nbsp;One drawback is Salesfore&amp;nbsp;workflows can't interact with people outside of Salesforce. So if you have a legal team member who isnt a Salesforce&amp;nbsp;user, they can't easily interact with the document.It's important to note that configuration for all the tools I mentioned above may require third party implementation services.Before beginning your research, make sure youve outlined at least one workflow or document process youd like to implement. That allows you to compare and contrast features more effectively between each workflow solution.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 18 Mar 2015 15:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_tool_for_document_workflow</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-18T15:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to improve the relationship between sales and finance with automated document workflow</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_improve_the_relationship_bewteen_sales_and_finance_with_automated_document_workflow</link>
        <description>Regardless of your industry or department, chances are your day_to_day revolves around&amp;nbsp;meeting set goals. The sales team&amp;nbsp;chases quarterly&amp;nbsp;sales quota, the HR&amp;nbsp;manages the office and sources top talent, and so on and so forth.&amp;nbsp;However, when departments do not have a system or a method&amp;nbsp;to connect with each other, the smallest problem&amp;nbsp;can create a domino effect throughout a company.</description>
        <content:encoded>Regardless of your industry or department, chances are your day_to_day revolves around&amp;nbsp;meeting set goals. The sales team&amp;nbsp;chases quarterly&amp;nbsp;sales quota, the HR&amp;nbsp;manages the office and sources top talent, and so on and so forth.&amp;nbsp;However, when departments do not have a system or a method&amp;nbsp;to connect with each other, the smallest problem&amp;nbsp;can create a domino effect throughout a company.Departmental unity should demand your&amp;nbsp;immediate attention. Routine and status quo can quickly subvert a better process when they are followed in order for that department to continue its operations. More often than not, this routine can lead to&amp;nbsp;key communicating components being lost when working in conjunction with adjacent departments.Turning sales into revenue (and commission) &amp;nbsp;As the Accountant here at SpringCM, I worked on a project to unify our sales and finance teams. Sales operations&amp;nbsp;did not have the visibility they needed from finance in order to answer key, relevant questions:Which&amp;nbsp;clients have paid their invoices?What documents has the finance department emailed the client? (Collection efforts)Which clients were invoiced, and for what?Has the sales representative been paid commission?How much is commission for a specific closed deal?What does the invoice look like?&amp;nbsp;What created the problem in answering&amp;nbsp;such simple questions? QuickBooks is the&amp;nbsp;accounting system that we use, and&amp;nbsp;sales&amp;nbsp;couldn't access the answers to all their questions. This was an issue that created more problems of its own:The sales team was oblivious to the impact of its&amp;nbsp;efforts. They didn't know what clients were or were not paying;&amp;nbsp;the amount of their respective&amp;nbsp;commission; inevitably, this hurt morale and resulted in a discouraged sales teamInvoices were being sent late since&amp;nbsp;it wasn't clear who was to be billed next, and for whatIt was difficult for the sales leadership&amp;nbsp;to forecast goals based on historical data.&amp;nbsp;Using automated document workflow to fix a broken processHow did we fix this problem? Although the project is ongoing, it has quickly improved the relationship and effectiveness of the&amp;nbsp;sales and finance departments&amp;nbsp;at SpringCM. Not to mention leading to a happier customer base. By leveraging&amp;nbsp;our own product's&amp;nbsp;workflow capabilities&amp;nbsp;with Salesforce, we're&amp;nbsp;able to automatically push&amp;nbsp;invoices to clients on a timely basis while recent activity is fresh in everyone's minds. This visibility answers many of the questions that were left unanswered before this system was put into place.It is important to understand the operation of each department and how they all work together. Improving company&amp;nbsp;communication through document workflow can be a great benefit to both the company and the client.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 23 Mar 2015 15:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_improve_the_relationship_bewteen_sales_and_finance_with_automated_document_workflow</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-23T15:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Q1 roundup: contract management software reviews</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_roundup_of_q1s_contract_management_software_reviews</link>
        <description>If you've been following our blog, you'll have noticed we're big on sharing what&amp;nbsp;our peers are accomplishing in the contract management space. Our focus is on the success of our customers, and we know that your contract lifecycle management (CLM)&amp;nbsp;investments need to be well_considered and well_researched. So we figured we'd&amp;nbsp;do some of the Googling for you! Now that Q1 is winding down, we've pulled&amp;nbsp;together a roundup of our contract management software reviews. &amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>If you've been following our blog, you'll have noticed we're big on sharing what&amp;nbsp;our peers are accomplishing in the contract management space. Our focus is on the success of our customers, and we know that your contract lifecycle management (CLM)&amp;nbsp;investments need to be well_considered and well_researched. So we figured we'd&amp;nbsp;do some of the Googling for you! Now that Q1 is winding down, we've pulled&amp;nbsp;together a roundup of our contract management software reviews. &amp;nbsp;1. A review of contract management software: comparisons, pricing and featuresThis post by Scott Witoszynski highlights some of the main players in the contract management space, as well as sharing his perspective on&amp;nbsp;the best features of each solution.&amp;nbsp;Solutions included in this blog post are: Apttus, Selectica and DocuSign2. A review of the best contract management software&amp;nbsp;This post by TJ Crowns, one of SpringCM's seasoned business development representatives, focuses on the contract management software&amp;nbsp;he hears prospects talking about during phone calls. As you consider making an investment in CLM, it's important to know where your peers stand, as your contracts strategy will rapidly become a differentiator in your sales process.&amp;nbsp;Solutions included in this blog post are: Apttus, SharePoint Online, Selectica, DocuSign and &quot;no solution&quot;&amp;nbsp;3. A review of the best salesforce contract management softwareThis post by Steven Jones covers CLM software that's availabe to the Salesforce.com ecosystem. Many of our customers are also Salesforce.com users, and we've learned it's crucial&amp;nbsp;to tightly integrate your contracts process with your CRM instance. Some solutions play nicer with Salesforce than others, and this review will better help you determine which CLM is best for your team.&amp;nbsp;Solutions included in this blog post are: ASC Contract Management, Apttus Contract Lifecycle Management, Contract Management by Financial Force4. A review of the best contract management software for financial servicesThis post by SpringCM CEO, Greg Buchholz, tackles what CLM solutions work best for companies in the financial services space. Greg&amp;nbsp;began his career working at financial firms, so his expertise is brought fully to bear on the best contract management software you should be considering if your in FinServ.&amp;nbsp;Solutions included in this blog post are: LaserFiche, Selectica, ASC Contract Management</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 24 Mar 2015 14:02:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_roundup_of_q1s_contract_management_software_reviews</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-24T14:02:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to automate sales contract compliance </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_automate_sales_contract_compliance</link>
        <description>Throughout any organization, there are different kinds of compliance concerns. For example, your legal department is concerned that the most up_to_date and legally solid contracts are being used. Sales just wants to close the deal before the quarter is over, and IT is concerned with what information is being shared with whom. &amp;nbsp;As the VP of Operations at SpringCM, I field most of these concerns &amp;mdash; especially IT&amp;rsquo;s, because I&amp;rsquo;m extensively involved in security initiatives.While there are definitely compliance standards that are required by law, sales contract compliance is typically tied to an internal compliance requirement.</description>
        <content:encoded>Throughout any organization, there are different kinds of compliance concerns. For example, your legal department is concerned that the most up_to_date and legally solid contracts are being used. Sales just wants to close the deal before the quarter is over, and IT is concerned with what information is being shared with whom. &amp;nbsp;As the VP of Operations at SpringCM, I field most of these concerns  especially ITs, because Im extensively involved in security initiatives.While there are definitely compliance standards that are required by law, sales contract compliance is typically tied to an internal compliance requirement.How to determine what youll need need for sales contract complianceVP of Sales, General Counsel, IT and the CEO have a meeting where they all say, this is what we need to happen. Each departments requirements&amp;nbsp;are different, so one goal of the meeting is to develop a list of things that each department needs to get their jobs done. Additionally, youll need to make a list of rules and make sure all departments are following the rules.This meeting and the follow_up action items should flesh out what needs to happen between departments. How many times have we all heard legal say, We cant have sales people run off and do whatever they want. And sales turns around and says, We cant have the legal department holding up our deals. &amp;nbsp;If youve heard this more than a handful of times, its time to automate your sales contract compliance.Whats the best way to automate the sales contract compliance process?If you arent using contract management software with robust workflow automation features, your process is probably incredibly time consuming and manual. This tool is the foundation for sales contract compliance automation and will allow you to provide visibility into the processes that each team cares about.What are the benefits of automating sales contract compliance?Its imperative to have a centralized location for all of your sales contracts. A centralized location will allow you to track, audit and report against the things that are most important to your organization. All documents and information will also be secure.In the old days, documents like NDAs, MSAs, quotes and proposals were in file cabinets, or on an internal server. Now theyre in the cloud, so your IT and security team needs to have comfort knowing there are protections.There are many more factors and steps to consider as you automate sales contract compliance, but this should give you a good start on your path to automation.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 25 Mar 2015 14:35:43 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_automate_sales_contract_compliance</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-25T14:35:43Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>4 ways to prepare for automating contract creation</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_prepare_for_automating_contract_creation</link>
        <description>Throughout the years, I've worked&amp;nbsp;with customers who want to automate their contract creation. When most people start&amp;nbsp;the process, they think it&amp;rsquo;s pretty straighforward. But when they look under the covers, there&amp;rsquo;s a lot more to it. There&amp;rsquo;s a lot of discovery that needs to happen. That discovery starts with thinking about the people who have a say or stake in the acquisition process, in order to truly involve them to where you can automate the process.</description>
        <content:encoded>Throughout the years, I've worked&amp;nbsp;with customers who want to automate their contract creation. When most people start&amp;nbsp;the process, they think its pretty straighforward. But when they look under the covers, theres a lot more to it. Theres a lot of discovery that needs to happen. That discovery starts with thinking about the people who have a say or stake in the acquisition process, in order to truly involve them to where you can automate the process.Before I jump in to how to prepare for the process, let me share what I mean when I say, &quot;automating contract creation.&quot; It's automatically&amp;nbsp;generating contracts/documents required to close the deal.Why do companies typically want to automate their contract creation?Organizations&amp;nbsp;spend a lot of time and resources on this initial step in the contract process, that could be better utilized focusing on their core competencies. These resources are typically found in sales, legal, management or their administrative&amp;nbsp;support.4&amp;nbsp;steps&amp;nbsp;companies can take to ensure that they will be able to successfully automate contract creationInvolve the right stakeholders.&amp;nbsp;These stakeholders are typically in finance, management, legal, sales operations, product managers, the consulting or services team, etc.Define the types of contracts that you want to automate. Apply the 80/20 rule. If 80% of your&amp;nbsp;volume falls into one or two&amp;nbsp;contracts, focus on those. Leave the other 50 that are one_offs for a later date.Set goals.&amp;nbsp;You'll want to set&amp;nbsp;goals around timelines, impact (whose lives&amp;nbsp;are you going to make easier), and training. The training piece is often forgotten. This ensures that everyone knows the new process and how to execute on it. &amp;nbsp;Track the goals.You will now have visibility into how long it takes to create and approve a contract. Measure your performance&amp;nbsp;and&amp;nbsp;use that information&amp;nbsp;to improve your process.&amp;nbsp;Get feedback from each stakeholder.Understand and determine organizational&amp;nbsp;Service Level Agreements.Ensure that&amp;nbsp;the metrics are a part of a comprehensive dashboard within your CRM. Make sure your contract management solution integrates with your CRM. Then ensure&amp;nbsp;that relevant data is pushed back to that dashboard.While you'll be well on your way to a healthy contract lifecycle&amp;nbsp; from contract creation to close and renewal  make sure that theres a plan to always improve. A healthy contract lifecycle process will help improve relationships within your organization and&amp;nbsp;with&amp;nbsp;your customers  a win_win.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 27 Mar 2015 15:06:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_prepare_for_automating_contract_creation</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-27T15:06:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How a poorly implemented CRM can alienate customers (and voters) </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_a_poorly_implemented_crm_can_alienate_customers_and_voters</link>
        <description>It&amp;rsquo;s election season in Chicago. That should have been past tense, but we're due for&amp;nbsp;an unprecedented mayoral run_off election&amp;nbsp;next&amp;nbsp;week.&amp;nbsp;I&amp;rsquo;m in the Rahm Emanuel database having participated in more than one tech activity at 1871 and the ITA, both supported by Rahm. Anytime you fill out a form or register for an event, you are tacitly agreeing to being marketed to, that&amp;rsquo;s just today&amp;rsquo;s world.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Its election season in Chicago. That should have been past tense, but we're due for&amp;nbsp;an unprecedented mayoral run_off election&amp;nbsp;next&amp;nbsp;week.&amp;nbsp;Im in the Rahm Emanuel database having participated in more than one tech activity at 1871 and the ITA, both supported by Rahm. Anytime you fill out a form or register for an event, you are tacitly agreeing to being marketed to, thats just todays world.&amp;nbsp;Ive received no less than 6 calls at&amp;nbsp;home, work, and on my cell asking for my vote. Each time I politely told the nice volunteer I would be voting for&amp;nbsp;the Mayor. They should have marked me down as Closed/Won and moved onto the next target _ Id already decided to vote for Rahm as I did the past two times, but maybe if I get call #7, Ill just stay home. This situation got&amp;nbsp;me thinking about how sales prospects must feel when they are hit with multiple calls from the same company, with&amp;nbsp;each caller apparently lacking any context, history, or empathy for the target.It takes more than CRM to build a businessMost conversations we have about CRM are from the perspective of sales operations, or sales teams driving new revenue. It reminds me of an old saying that pops up on LinkedIn every now and then: If your only tool is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail. CRM is more than just a hammer in one sense _ its not just for sales. In another sense, though, CRM is a hammer. It does one task particularly well, and thats tracking contact data. That data can be sliced, diced and visualized in a hundred different ways (see: rise of analytics technology), and companies are tripping over themselves to become analytical. At the risk of sounding obvious, it takes more than a hammer to build a house. And it takes more than CRM to build a business.Plenty more tools in the cloudIve written about it before, but I am continually impressed by the ecosystem Salesforce has created around itself. Other CRM vendors exist _ Microsoft Dynamics and SugarCRM come to mind _ but like Kleenex replaced tissue and Saran Wrap replaced cling film, Salesforce has become synonymous with CRM. Thats an incredible feat, and shows how spot_on Benioff and company was when they conceptualized a sales force automation software (SFA) that companies could rent. Not only did they disrupt SFA, but they consolidated the B2B cloud in the process. I think its safe to say the cloud as we know it would not exist today without the vision and passion of Marc Benioff and Salesforce.This cloud, the Salesforce ecosystem, is where we find the other tools necessary to build a business. The screwdrivers and plane saws and other gadgets you only think about around Fathers Day.&amp;nbsp;What's the next cloud application for your business?&amp;nbsp;CRM data is great, and when managed well, it can be a robust source of knowledge to help your sales and support teamsmake crucial decisions. But how can you make your CRM system better? What else can you be doing to improve your performance as a business?These arent meant to be rhetorical questions. What do you see as the next essential cloud application for you to build a successful business? Let me know in the comments.Oh heck, Ill just mail in a ballot and&amp;nbsp;go watch more brackets get busted.Image:&amp;nbsp;Vitor Lima&amp;nbsp;via Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 30 Mar 2015 21:45:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_a_poorly_implemented_crm_can_alienate_customers_and_voters</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-30T21:45:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>12 tips for driving contract management software user adoption</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/12_tips_for_driving_contract_management_software_user_adoption</link>
        <description>It&amp;rsquo;s all for naught if users don&amp;rsquo;t adopt.It&amp;rsquo;s the night before Go Live, and you&amp;rsquo;re replaying the last few weeks in your mind. &amp;nbsp;You&amp;rsquo;ve just spent the last month and a half extracting requirements from corporate legal, sales leadership and sales operations, finance, compliance, and other key stakeholders. Your team has meticulously configured, tested and trained end users. You should be ready, but anxiety sets in! &amp;nbsp;You&amp;rsquo;re ready to launch your contract management application, but what if users don&amp;rsquo;t adopt the solution?</description>
        <content:encoded>Its all for naught if users dont adopt.Its the night before Go Live, and youre replaying the last few weeks in your mind. &amp;nbsp;Youve just spent the last month and a half extracting requirements from corporate legal, sales leadership and sales operations, finance, compliance, and other key stakeholders. Your team has meticulously configured, tested and trained end users. You should be ready, but anxiety sets in! &amp;nbsp;Youre ready to launch your contract management application, but what if users dont adopt the solution?Ive been implementing Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions for almost 5 years and have worked with more than 100 customers during this time. In every single project, customers have asked what the best practices and tips to ensure user adoption is swift, complete and painless. &amp;nbsp;Following are some thoughts.During ImplementationUnderstanding the scope of the CLM solutionAs in any project, scope refers to the work involved in generating the deliverables for the project to complete successfully. Understanding what your organization needs from a CLM solution will help in addressing the pain points specifically and overall measuring the success of the implementation, thereby ensuring user adoption. Bottom line, solving relevant pain points for the relevant audience promotes user adoption.Involving the right audienceIf you dont hear from all the stakeholders and gather requirements during implementation, then there is a good chance that end users are forced to adapt to a solution, which might not work for them. To prevent that, engage subject matter experts for each CLM role to identify areas of improvement in ones day_to_day tasks in the CLM process, which will automatically improve user adoption.Educating end users (repeat often)Any process change requires end user training. As a CLM implementation goes from Phase 1 (initial roll out) to Phase 2 (optimization) to Phase 3 (incorporating new features), continuously educating end users about process changes and training them on new and enhanced features is key to drive adoption.Using reports and other outputs to measure the CLM processGoing back to #1, if you know what is expected out of the CLM solution, then identifying the metrics that you want to measure in the process becomes easier. Aside from measuring standard user adoption metrics like user login durations and usage metrics, process related metrics (e.g. workflow step duration) will help identify bottlenecks and allow for metrics_based enhancements to the CLM process.Communicate up, down and across the organizationAs the implementation progresses and milestones are achieved, challenges are conquered and setbacks occur, share this information in concise, easy to digest ways to keep executives in_the_know and build their support; to keep peers in the loop and aware of potential support you may need from them; to build enthusiasm from end users.Post ImplementationManaging Post Production IssuesAfter go live, there definitely will be challenges to overcome _ new requirements, process gaps, changes to configuration, changes to process etc. Creating a system (support team, ticketing system, case management etc.) to capture these issues and proactively resolve&amp;nbsp;these issues will help in keeping the users confidence in the CLM solution.Continuously improving the CLM solutionDuring the initial roll out (Phase 1), some of the challenges one would face in any new project are 1) limited budget 2) limited buy in from stake holders or sponsors, etc. So the scope of the implementation borders around  make these 3 high priority requirements (from a list of 10) work for us now to prove that the solution works. Once you are past that stage, look out for improvements that would add more value to your CLM solution. Enhancements need not be focused on process improvements but could be to leverage new functionality (in the SaaS space, new functionality gets released every few weeks or so), which could increase productivity and again drive user adoption.Before, During and Post ImplementationCultivating a ChampionIdentify an expert or cheerleader from the user group. Having a champion has many benefits  1) triaging any issues and providing the primary support necessary for the users, 2) vetting new features for fit, 3) providing guidance with the decision making and direction (custom solution vs. out of the box features)Seek Executive OwnershipTypically when senior management or leadership has confidence in the system or shows excitement about the system, then end users follow the course. So, understanding and meeting the expectations of the leadership, who are also key stakeholders, will give the initial push necessary to kick start adoptionPlan active communicationEnsure that the entire user base knows what in the system is changing, how it is change and why it is changing. As mentioned above, education is key and keeping the user base communicated with help in improving and maintaining the CLM solution and at the time encourage both positive and negative feedback from the end users.Onboard new hiresWith the changes to the solution over time, ensure that documentation/training manuals are up to date. This will allow for onboarding new end users easily.Use carrots and stickDont be afraid the incentivize&amp;nbsp;use, typically with just small trinkets (e.g. movie tickets, Starbucks gift card), to get them jazzed about using the system. Create simple challenges and reward good system usage behavior. Make it fun! &amp;nbsp;And, sometimes, though Im not a big proponent, sticks (e.g. wall of shame) are necessary to correct negative behavior and drive adoption.The bottom line  there are lots of techniques and best practices that should be employed to drive user adoption and set your team up for success.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 31 Mar 2015 14:52:58 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/12_tips_for_driving_contract_management_software_user_adoption</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Mar-31T14:52:58Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract Management Software Features: 4 Key Things to Look For</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_software_features_4_key_things_to_look_for</link>
        <description>When I ask prospects what they need from a contract management solution, I usually get quite a few answers. Their informal requirements can range from, &amp;lsquo;I need something to automate a current process that is usually based on email back and forth&amp;rsquo; to &amp;lsquo;I need the ability to control and see different versions of the contract.&amp;rsquo;At some point in the conversation, we usually talk about the need for the contract management solution to integrate with Salesforce, Integration with Salesforce, or their current CRM.</description>
        <content:encoded>When I ask prospects what they need from a contract management solution, I usually get quite a few answers. Their informal requirements can range from, I need something to automate a current process that is usually based on email back and forth to I need the ability to control and see different versions of the contract.At some point in the conversation, we usually talk about the need for the contract management solution to integrate with Salesforce, Integration with Salesforce, or their current CRM.What contract management features should&amp;nbsp;you consider?If youre in research mode, Ive pulled together a short list that should help you determine what tool works best for you and your company.Ease of use: If something is hard to use, people will continue managing contracts the way they were pre_implementation. Here are a few things you should look for:Doc generation only takes a few clicksThe ability to easily edit and version documentsWorkflow is all on one page, so the user doesnt have to jump all over the toolRapid Deployment: With any project, you want to keep the momentum of it moving forward. And sometimes, you contracts issue is so severe, you need a solution that can be up and running quickly. Another advantage of rapid deployment is reduced Professional Services costs  if its deployed quickly, you wont need service hours for set_up.Minimize custom code deployment and management: Especially when dealing with workflows or custom business processes, you want to minimize the custom coding. Doing so reduces the risk of the person who custom coded leaving your company and leaving you clueless. Find a tool that has options to configure, so you can avoid custom coding.Scalability and Flexibility: Whatever pain point&amp;nbsp;youre trying to address wont be the same in a few months. Today, you might need to invest in contracts and tomorrow you might have an onboarding issue. Invest in a solution that can grow with you as your content use cases change.This short list should help get you as youre evaluating contract management software. Have additional questions? Leave them in the comments below!</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 01 Apr 2015 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_software_features_4_key_things_to_look_for</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-01T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>7 contract risks keeping your legal team up at night</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/7_contract_risks_keeping_your_legal_team_up_at_night</link>
        <description>Talk to a corporate lawyer about the work they do and there's one word that'll come up in just about every other sentence: risk. Your legal teams, whether you're a start_up just getting on your feet or a multi_national company, are trying to mitigate your exposure to risk.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Talk to a corporate lawyer about the work they do and there's one word that'll come up in just about every other sentence: risk. Your legal teams, whether you're a start_up just getting on your feet or a multi_national company, are trying to mitigate your exposure to risk.&amp;nbsp;Fines and lost revenue are at your doorWhen it comes to the verbiage&amp;nbsp;of your contracts, lawyers are focused on risky language. A legalese&amp;nbsp;definition of a contract is a meeting of minds _ your legal team must make sure that the content in your&amp;nbsp;contract reflects your intent and abilities to satisfy any obligations. Without your legal team, the way you word a contract could expose your company to unnecessary financial risk. You could be setting yourself up to incur fines or agreeing to costs that put you at a financial disadvantage.As much as we have transitioned into a &quot;customer_first&quot; mentality, organizations still&amp;nbsp;need to be wary of potential loopholes that allow a customer to exit an agreement without paying.&amp;nbsp;Risk comes in many forms during the contract process. There are a lot of variables lawyers have to consider&amp;nbsp;in order to effectively mitigate financial and compliance risk for your company. Below are seven of the most common legal risks we hear about from customers.1. Contract provision&amp;nbsp;control&amp;nbsp;Legal is responsible for assessing each individual&amp;nbsp;provision&amp;nbsp;in a contract and how much risk each&amp;nbsp;poses individually. A fix for this issue: create contract templates. With pre_approved templates in place,&amp;nbsp;legal is able to quickly assess a newly generated contract to see if anything has been overwritten or changed by others in the organization (here's looking at you, sales).&amp;nbsp;2. The review process&amp;nbsp;Lawyers trust that you can negotiate contracts on your own, to a point. However, as you make changes to different provisions in the contract, it's important to loop your legal team in so they can make sure that you haven't put yourself at a disadvantage. Both companies involved in the negotiations are doing this, so it's best to keep them over_informed. Think of them as your contract consiglieri.&amp;nbsp;3. Managing existing risk&amp;nbsp;Sometimes what's best for the organization can entail a management amount of risk. After the contract has been signed, it's up to your legal team to track and account for any of the potential pitfalls they allowed for during the negotiation process. Think of it in these terms: say you closed fifty&amp;nbsp;customers this year but really had to put yourself out there to earn the busy of two&amp;nbsp;of them _ your legal team needs to watch those two&amp;nbsp;agreement closely for warning signs.&amp;nbsp;4. Contract&amp;nbsp;ObligationsOften, a contract that you sign contains obligations, provisions or stipulations that _ if not met _ can prevent you from receiving payment from customers. You'll be grateful come renewal time.&amp;nbsp;5. Contract AmendmentsSpeaking of renewals, your agreements with clients can evolve over time. Each change that is made to an existing contract is considered an amendment, and it's up to your legal team to determine how these&amp;nbsp;impact your business from a risk perspective. See: obligations.&amp;nbsp;6. AcquisitionsPity the corporate lawyer who works for a organization&amp;nbsp;interested in acquiring other companies. You see a whole new line of revenue, not to mention an existing customer base. The legal team sees a whole new slew of contracts that they had no control over during the review and negotiation process. Now it's up to your team to review and factor any new risk involved in these existing contracts.&amp;nbsp;7. Contract StorageBecause businesses are constantly changing with new customers, new products, new regulations and so on, it's important to know where your contracts live. Gone are the days when a filing cabinet would be an acceptable storage option for your company's most critical documents. Many companies, with the advent of SaaS, are beginning to look to the cloud to help manage and store their contracts. Lawyers should spend their time helping you accelerate deals and keeping you out of legal hot water, not digging through musty folders.&amp;nbsp;While you might be pacing your living room thinking about the prospects who've gone cold, or the new piece of marketing collateral you need to write, know that legal is just as sleepless trying to keep you and your teams from unwittingly stepping into a pile of litigation or lost revenue.&amp;nbsp;Image source: Flickr via&amp;nbsp;Derek Bridges&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 02 Apr 2015 14:49:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/7_contract_risks_keeping_your_legal_team_up_at_night</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-02T14:49:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 key features of contract lifecycle management </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/3_key_features_of_contract_lifecycle_management</link>
        <description>According to a recent report from Bluewolf, contract lifecycle management (CLM) is slated to be a key investment by companies in 2015 and beyond. But what are some key features of this key investment? As a developing technology, what makes a best_in_class CLM solution is still being determined, but as we work with customers to develop an application that supports their contract process, we think we're starting to see some emerging trends that you should consider if you're in the market for a CLM.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>According to a recent report from Bluewolf, contract lifecycle management (CLM) is slated to be a key investment by companies in 2015 and beyond. But what are some key features of this key investment? As a developing technology, what makes a best_in_class CLM solution is still being determined, but as we work with customers to develop an application that supports their contract process, we think we're starting to see some emerging trends that you should consider if you're in the market for a CLM.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Platform integrationsEver since Salesforce reared its formidable head in the early aughts, the number of sales software solutions has grown exponentially. It's become increasingly important to ensure your sales and marketing solution stack integrates&amp;nbsp;with one another. In the CLM space, it's often a question of whether or not your contracts tool is native to Salesforce. We discussed this decision&amp;nbsp;at length in a recent blog post, and, due to popular demand, expanded it into an eBook. Consider the teams involved in your contracts process _ typically legal, finance, sales and sales operations _ and what technology they are currently using, and how CLM might add value to these investments.&amp;nbsp;Automated contract workflowAnother important function that companies are looking to bring into their process is automated workflow. When it comes to your contract process, think of all the levers that need to be pulled to turn a verbal agreement into a signed contract.&amp;nbsp;Most CLM solutions come with a document generation function or at least integration with solutions like Drawloop and DocuSign. Once that document is in motion, there's a lot of manual hand_offs to be made using everything from email attachments to fax machines. If you're lucky, you'll avoid sending contracts via snail mail.This sort of status quo activity is exactly what leads to 18% of the sales process being spent in the contract generation and negotiation stage. A contract between you and your client should feel like a mutual win, not a new chore. Automating parts of your contract motion will enable you to manage more contracts with greater efficiency. This leads to a&amp;nbsp;quicker&amp;nbsp;realization of revenue in the long_term. Not to mention that your customer will be able to realize the benefits of your solution even sooner!&amp;nbsp;Contract tracking and forecasting&amp;nbsp;Everyone knows the importance of maintaining the accuracy of your sales pipeline, but what do those numbers actually represent? All that data is simply the revenue attached to the&amp;nbsp;potential contracts you have coming your way. Once these deals have advanced into the contract negotiation stage, you begin to lose visibility into the realiability&amp;nbsp;of a particular set of&amp;nbsp;deals closing (exempting deal notes, which...well, we know you do your best, sales teams). Nothing induces more night sweats than&amp;nbsp;approaching the end of quarter with a bunch of contracts out for approval. With CLM that enables you to track contracts and forecast based on historical data, you can enlist executive support where needed and ensure the contracts that can get across the finish line this quarter, do.&amp;nbsp;This is by no means a comprehensive list, but three features we've seen mentioned by many of our customers as reasons for investing in CLM. What are some of the improvements you'd like to make to your contract process?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Image source:&amp;nbsp;Moyan Brenn&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 06 Apr 2015 21:41:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/3_key_features_of_contract_lifecycle_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-06T21:41:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How do I evaluate a contract management solution?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_do_i_evaluate_a_contract_management_solution</link>
        <description>Too often, customers approach contract management without really understanding all of the considerations that need to be included to make the best selection for their organization. Working with customers to help select a solution has given us&amp;nbsp;a unique perspective on what to look for and what not&amp;nbsp;to overlook. &amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Too often, customers approach contract management without really understanding all of the considerations that need to be included to make the best selection for their organization. Working with customers to help select a solution has given us&amp;nbsp;a unique perspective on what to look for and what not&amp;nbsp;to overlook. &amp;nbsp;Here are the&amp;nbsp;top 10 things to look for in a Contract Management solution:Is your organization ready for the implementation?&amp;nbsp;It's critical to the success of the project that the right level of sponsorship is given to the implementation.What is the scope of legacy agreements? Migrating or collecting all of the legacy contracts and building that into your project is something that is often overlooked. &amp;nbsp;Determine what systems the contract solution will need to interface with.&amp;nbsp;Does the solution need to get or receive data from your ERP, CRM or other system?Document your workflow and approval process.&amp;nbsp;Knowing how contracts are routed and approved is critical for a successful implementation. &amp;nbsp;Does the solution provide the ability to create documents using information from your CRM?&amp;nbsp;This will increase your ROI and automate several processes that are most likely done manually today.How does the system handle redlining or version control? &amp;nbsp;This process can be very time consuming and is prone to error if there is not a tool in place in the solution.Can terms and obligations be attached to the document?&amp;nbsp;It's important that the solution has the ability to store important pieces of data that are negotiated into the agreement.Does the system support automated alerts and notifications? This is a valuable tool that will help improve adoption and maximize the impact of the solutionHow easily can users search for data?&amp;nbsp;Are they able to search for key terms that are included in the contracts?&amp;nbsp;Are documents fully indexed when they are loaded into the system?How easily can users build reports and dashboards?&amp;nbsp;It's important to ensure that reports are created and utilized to measure all aspects of the contracting process.Following these guidelines can get you started down a path for a successful contract management software implementation. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 07 Apr 2015 20:22:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_do_i_evaluate_a_contract_management_solution</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-07T20:22:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 compelling benefits of contract management for sales managers</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/3_compelling_benefits_of_contract_management</link>
        <description>I often hear people talk about the big picture contribution of contract management when it comes to supporting sales. Typically, sales managers like myself are focused on&amp;nbsp;benefits like increased sales productivity, greater revenue and shortened sales cycles. In my experience,&amp;nbsp;these are the outcomes of&amp;nbsp;three key benefits resulting from&amp;nbsp;contract management solutions. To best understand how contract management leads to such impactful outcomes, let&amp;rsquo;s strip back how we got there.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>I often hear people talk about the big picture contribution of contract management when it comes to supporting sales. Typically, sales managers like myself are focused on&amp;nbsp;benefits like increased sales productivity, greater revenue and shortened sales cycles. In my experience,&amp;nbsp;these are the outcomes of&amp;nbsp;three key benefits resulting from&amp;nbsp;contract management solutions. To best understand how contract management leads to such impactful outcomes, lets strip back how we got there.&amp;nbsp;SpeedA manual contract process can be tedious. So tedious in fact that, on average, it takes three and a half weeks to create one and get it approved. Contract management offers a much quicker and efficient way to create contracts and get them approved by automating the entire process.TransparencyAnother major issue is getting everyone involved with the contract to play their part on time. The average contract requires five signatures. By having a tool that gives everyone visibility to where the contract is stalled and who needs to sign next, you are no longer on a wild goose chase.ComplianceHuman error can be one of the biggest compliance risks for companies when it comes to contracts, especially when the process is done manually. Contract management creates a process where documents can be locked down and verbiage unchangeable. This is especially helpful for companies with complex processes in multiple markets that require different needs.These three key benefits should help you see great outcomes in sales productivity and greater revenue.&amp;nbsp;Image Source:&amp;nbsp;FutUndBeidl&amp;nbsp;via Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 08 Apr 2015 21:07:09 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/3_compelling_benefits_of_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-08T21:07:09Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What to look for in a contract management solution for sales</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_to_look_for_in_a_contract_management_solution_for_sales</link>
        <description>The best contract management solution for sales in one that:Is easy to use.Is seamlessly embedded in your CRM (e.g. You don&amp;rsquo;t have to leave Salesforce to access it.)Supports you when you&amp;rsquo;re out of the office.Has simple/intuitive workflow to automate redundant tasks.Easily supports and accurately tracks all redlining with prospects and customers.With the implementation of a CRM like Salesforce, you&amp;rsquo;re at the beginning stages of streamlining the sales processes. Let&amp;rsquo;s face it, try as you might to reduce non_selling activity, there are lots of administrative tasks associated with a direct sales rep. The more automated you can make non_selling activity, the more selling activity you&amp;rsquo;ll have and more responsive to your customers and competitive you&amp;rsquo;ll become.</description>
        <content:encoded>The best contract management solution for sales in one that:Is easy to use.Is seamlessly embedded in your CRM (e.g. You dont have to leave Salesforce to access it.)Supports you when youre out of the office.Has simple/intuitive workflow to automate redundant tasks.Easily supports and accurately tracks all redlining with prospects and customers.With the implementation of a CRM like Salesforce, youre at the beginning stages of streamlining the sales processes. Lets face it, try as you might to reduce non_selling activity, there are lots of administrative tasks associated with a direct sales rep. The more automated you can make non_selling activity, the more selling activity youll have and more responsive to your customers and competitive youll become.Once a prospect has agreed to license your product or service, the business terms are next up. As key technical and business representatives put their good names and reputations on the line, theyll expect expediency from YOU to get contracts out the door for review. &amp;nbsp;Your management team expects accuracy and efficiency as well.For contract initiators and approvers, the contract management solution&amp;nbsp;should make it very simple to create, review and approve contracts internally. Data from your CRM must automatically populate contracts. Standard (and approved) clauses should be easy to find and merge&amp;nbsp;into templates. Once assembled, the contract should easily move between approvers on desktop and mobile devices alike. If approvers are busy or unavailable, the system must have the intelligence and flexibility to reroute as necessary.The final step to signing the necessary contracts is redlining with your future customer. &amp;nbsp;The platform must insulate both parties from error by automatically providing an audit trail every time a document is viewed or changed in any waywhether tracked changes have been enabled or not. &amp;nbsp;Since the addition or deletion of one word can change a contracts entire meaning, its imperative that a contracts management system has the ability to track all changes automatically. &amp;nbsp;If a system does not provide a complete audit trail, it will likely not pass muster with corporate governance or compliance personnel.Automating the creation, routing and management of contracts is becoming ubiquitous in corporate America for organizations large and small. &amp;nbsp;With it, well be responsive and more effective when trying to onboard new customers. &amp;nbsp;Without it, Im afraid youll soon  if not already _ be at a competitive disadvantage. &amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 09 Apr 2015 18:37:07 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_to_look_for_in_a_contract_management_solution_for_sales</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-09T18:37:07Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How long does it take to deploy a contract lifecycle management solution? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_long_does_it_take_to_deploy_a_clm_solution</link>
        <description>As the Chief Customer Officer at SpringCM,&amp;nbsp;I&amp;rsquo;m frequently asked how long will it take to get up and running on a contract lifecycle management (CLM)&amp;nbsp;solution. Unfortunately, there isn&amp;rsquo;t a cut and dried answer _ it depends. This is a frustrating response, I know, but let&amp;rsquo;s examine the variable in play and draw some conclusions along the way.</description>
        <content:encoded>As the Chief Customer Officer at SpringCM,&amp;nbsp;Im frequently asked how long will it take to get up and running on a contract lifecycle management (CLM)&amp;nbsp;solution. Unfortunately, there isnt a cut and dried answer _ it depends. This is a frustrating response, I know, but lets examine the variable in play and draw some conclusions along the way.Why even invest in contract lifecycle management?&amp;nbsp;The first question to ask is ,&quot;Why do we need a CLM solution? What business benefit do we hope to achieve?&quot; For most companies, the primary answer falls into 1 of 3 buckets:Drive productivityImprove visibilityMitigate risk/improve complianceCLM implementations focused on productivity seek to improve hand_offs, ensure that all information is available to make decisions and streamline processes. Processes need to be well understood, decomposed and recomposed to get to the optimal solution. This can be a bit time consuming as multiple functional areas may need to come to consensus around policies, procedures, and more, before any solution configuration begins.Improving visibility&amp;nbsp;Companies undertake a CLM project focused on visibility when the process works pretty well but contracts tend to get lost or end up bottle_necked. Sale leaderships want to be able to find the highest value contracts with the greatest probability of closing and keep those moving quickly. Since the process is generally understood, the focus is on understanding why bottlenecks occur and eliminating them. This is typically less time consuming than overhauling an entire process as discussed previously.Mitigating risk and improving compliance&amp;nbsp;There are also organizations for which mitigating risk or improving compliance is key. Here, the focus in typically on surfacing the terms and conditions in contracts (e.g. early termination, references to federal regulations, non_standard warranties) and ensuring that corporate legal, for example, is aware and can take action given certain conditions or parameters. It can be tedious work to tease out all of the special Ts &amp;amp; Cs, but often, the lawyers and subject matter experts have the answers readily at hand.Templates, Process and Participants, oh my!&amp;nbsp;Once the primary CLM drivers are understood, and requirements, policies and procedures have been captured, its time to get down to work configuring the solution. Here, there are three chief variables that contribute to the length of the deployment.Contract TemplatesMost organizations have standard contract templates for NDAs, MSAs, SOWs and more. Additionally, there are a few to several variations of each depending on things such as the product, deal size, geography, language, etc. Organizations that use a CRM/SFA tool such as Salesforce.com, want to merge data from the prospects records into contract templates. This promotes good data quality and reduces the redundancy of re_typing data. Of course, the greater the number or templates and the larger the number of data fields that need to be merged, the more effort is required.Review and Approval ProcessesDeployment can be quick if all contract types are reviewed and approved using the same process flow (i.e. person A to person B to person C with rejections going back to Person A). However, this is seldom the case. Companies can have complex routing rules based on all kinds of variables, such as contract type, geography, deal size, product mix, etc. Extracting all of the business rules from subject matter experts and then adding them into configurations takes time. The more complexity, the bigger the effort.Number of ParticipantsSomewhat related to the complexity of the process, as the number of participates in a review and approval process grows, the greater the effort to implement the solution. More participants means more business rules, and exception and escalation paths.To the extent that these 3 variables can be reduced and/or streamlined, the faster a deployment can occur because less effort is required.How complex is your contracts process?&amp;nbsp;Straightforward CLM deployments  ones with&amp;nbsp;a few&amp;nbsp;contract templates, a single review and approval process, and 4_5 process participant should take 40_60 hours over 4_5 weeks to fully deploy (from project kickoff to launch). Medium complexity solutions that involve 5_8 templates, 2_3 review and approval processes and 6_8 participants may take 100_150 hours over 8_10 weeks to deploy. Its hard to put an estimate on truly complex CLM processes; however, even the most complex situation that could require&amp;nbsp;a few hundred hours and 12+ weeks to deploy can be rolled out incrementally or in phases (e.g. NDA process, SOW process). As such, value is obtained in small chunks&amp;nbsp;every few weeks rather than waiting for many weeks to get started.Remember, a bad business process, automated, is just a bad business process sped up. Invest up front to really understand your business process, then configure your CLM solutions so that the most valuable deals get closed faster and risk is reduced. So, regardless whether your deployment is a few weeks or several weeks, youll achieve your CLM goals.Image Source:&amp;nbsp;Dafne Cholet&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 10 Apr 2015 21:02:58 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_long_does_it_take_to_deploy_a_clm_solution</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-10T21:02:58Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>4 risks of manually managing legal contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/risks_of_manually_managing_legal_contracts</link>
        <description>I&amp;rsquo;ve been practicing law for over 25 years. Most of my career, I&amp;rsquo;ve been involved with contracts in some way, shape or form.From starting at a top 10 Chicago Law Firm to working as in_house Corporate Counsel, I&amp;rsquo;ve been a part of completely overhauling the contracts process for various organizations. At one company I worked for, we closed 1,000 transactions per year and contracts were a part of each and every transaction.Now, I&amp;rsquo;m working with a startup that provides legal services to corporate legal departments of all sizes.In each role, though all very different, I&amp;rsquo;ve noticed one commonality: There are too many people involved in the contracts process, and it slows down the sales process.</description>
        <content:encoded>Ive been practicing law for over 25 years. Most of my career, Ive been involved with contracts in some way, shape or form.From starting at a top 10 Chicago Law Firm to working as in_house Corporate Counsel, Ive been a part of completely overhauling the contracts process for various organizations. At one company I worked for, we closed 1,000 transactions per year and contracts were a part of each and every transaction.Now, Im working with a startup that provides legal services to corporate legal departments of all sizes.In each role, though all very different, Ive noticed one commonality: There are too many people involved in the contracts process, and it slows down the sales process.How are companies typically managing legal contracts?Both large, publicly traded companies and small startup companies are still using a manual process for the entire lifecycle of the contracts. When I say manual, I mean the person who wants a contract  for this example, a salesperson  will email the lawyer and say, I want a contract for this deal. Can you prepare one for me? From there, the lawyer will either draft a contract from scratch, or use an old template. Theyll talk to the salesperson who requested the contract about requirements and redline the contract. The contract will then go back to the salesperson, who will send it out to their contact.Then the back and forth between the two parties begins with redlining. From there, theres an approval process back at corporate headquarters. E.g., Finance for pricing, VP of Operations to confirm you can deliver on whats in the contract, etc. Your company will need to answer the questions, Can we comply with this contract?, Will it be profitable?, and Are there too many risks?.Most of the effort is in redlining, and the back and forth. And of course, the designated person who needs to sign the contract has to be found. At one company I worked for, there was only one person authorized to sign a contract. If she was out of the office, the contract would sit and wait for her.After the contract is signed, theres a manual process too. The contract is usually put away in a legal folder on the sales drive, but never organized very well, so you cant find the contract. And then theres the problem of not knowing if what youre looking at is the most recent contract. Again, its all very manual. In one organization I worked for, we had three different legal people working on contracts on a daily basis.What are the risks of manually managing legal contracts?There are definitely risks to manually managing legal contracts. Here are several:Cost to the company: Auto_renewals of contracts are very common. Usually an independent contractor or vendor contract will include an automatic renewal clause. Without a system that has reminders, and when you have thousands of contracts a year, its impossible to stay on top of the automatic renewals for each and every contract. At one company I worked for, we were working with a leading industry analyst. Our marketing team became very disenchanted with them and decided that they were no longer of value to our company. The marketing team lead had signed the contract himself, but had never shared it with anyone else, and he had been terminated. Our contract auto_renewed with the analyst, and we had to pay $125,000 for another year of a service that was useless to us.Inconsistency of terms: When you have a &amp;nbsp;manual system, and you have different lawyers working on different contracts, youll have different people using different clauses. For example, a lawyer I worked with was using a contract template to draft a new contract. He forgot to change the governing law, so when we were in a dispute with another U.S. company, the law from the contract was from France. It ended up being costly to the company, because they had to spend substantial funds to research French law in order to prosecute the case. This type of error occurs when youre doing things through cut and paste.No enterprise knowledge of the contracts: A contract can be sitting on one lawyers computer, but no one else knows about it. Sadly, this happens a lot. Missed compliance obligations: With a manual process, compliance obligations are often missed, because the contract is shelved and then no one looks at it again. Heres an example of when I ran into this issue: The organization I was working for had a $26MM contract with a government entity. We were required to show what percentage of minority business enterprises (e.g., women owned, veteran owned) we were working with. We had an obligation to hire minority enterprises for 25% of our contracted work. We never filed the report that showed who we were working with, and we got a call from the compliance officer saying we were in breach.Why are companies still managing legal contracts manually? The question youre probably thinking is If the manual system is so bad, why are so many companies still deploying that process? Companies either arent educated about other methods, are ingrained in the age_old practice of working with paper, or there are no resources to deploy a new system. They dont think they can purchase a solution that will be cost effective, but when you look at the ROI, you realize you cant live without it.While there are obvious risks to managing contracts manually, the good news is there are options for managing them a better way. I touch on those options in my post,&amp;nbsp;The Best Way to Manage Legal Contracts.&amp;nbsp;Cindy Williams is a guest author&amp;nbsp;on the SpringCM blog. Read all of her SpringCM posts here and connect with her&amp;nbsp;on LinkedIn!Image source:&amp;nbsp;Phillip Wong&amp;nbsp;on Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 13 Apr 2015 19:27:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/risks_of_manually_managing_legal_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-13T19:27:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The best way to manage legal contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/best_way_to_manage_legal_contracts</link>
        <description>In my last post, I talked about the risks of manually managing legal contracts &amp;mdash; a practice that many organizations still deploy today.That begs the question...What&amp;rsquo;s the best way to manage legal contracts?There are certain best practices in the industry, and these best practices apply to companies of all sizes.</description>
        <content:encoded>In my last post, I talked about the risks of manually managing legal contracts  a practice that many organizations still deploy today.That begs the question...Whats the best way to manage legal contracts?There are certain best practices in the industry, and these best practices apply to companies of all sizes.Central Repository: Be sure that the central repository is used by all of the companys business units.Standard Templates: Use standard templates that are up_to_date for enterprise use. The outdated ones should be eliminated from the system. In one of my past roles, because of things like changing regulations, business issues, pricing, payment terms, etc., we were updating our standard contract every quarter. If a business person were to use an outdated template, it could have costly financial impacts on the company. For instance, the company might be barred from escalating their price every year.Standardize the negotiation process: This is especially important with frequently negotiated terms. Develop a step process and make sure, when negotiating, youre following those steps. You also want to allow non_lawyers to be able to handle the standard agreements that dont require negotiation, or where you dont allow negotiation. Have somewhere where they can download the contract (this goes back to my central repository point). Lawyers are some of the most costly talent inside an organization, and you dont want to use their resources to do tasks that can be performed by less costly resources.Ensure that your companys culture is reflected in all contracts: The following should all be reflected in your contracts:RiskPricingVolume discounts, etc.Build compliance management into the contract process: Ensure you have a standardized way of tracking all compliance regulations.Tools for managing legal contracts One of the trends in legal departments, in large and small companies, is to use a legal management software solution to integrate best practices into the contracting process. Its important to spend your companys technology budget wisely. Its usually less costly to implement technology than it is to hire a full_time employee (FTE).With several solutions on the market, legal departments are now allocating part of their technology spend on contract management software. Again, this solution is less expensive than hiring a FTE.What are the benefits of a contract management solution?A contract management solutions benefits will be somewhat different for every organization, but generally include:Profitability for the companyOrder and efficiencyReduced RiskImproved contract cycle time: Having a solution in place is going to dramatically decrease the time that it takes to get a contract signed, and the time it takes to get to revenue.Reducing overhead cost: As I mentioned, a contract management system could alleviate the need for a FTE.Standardization of contracts and processesWhat are the risks of managing legal contracts with a contract management solution? There arent risks, but some legal professionals are so ingrained in their old habits that theyre afraid of change. The concern is What would the adoption rate be? and How long will it take for my users to get comfortable with the system?A well implemented contract management solution will mitigate risk. &amp;nbsp;Cindy Williams is a guest author&amp;nbsp;on the SpringCM blog. Read all of her SpringCM posts here and connect with her&amp;nbsp;on LinkedIn!Image source:&amp;nbsp;Sebastien Wiertz&amp;nbsp;on Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 15 Apr 2015 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/best_way_to_manage_legal_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-15T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to automate your contract process</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_automate_your_contract_process</link>
        <description>When I initially talk with companies, most are managing their contract process via email. From email, they store the contracts using things like a shared drive or local machines. And the contracts are usually scattered all over the place. &amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>When I initially talk with companies, most are managing their contract process via email. From email, they store the contracts using things like a shared drive or local machines. And the contracts are usually scattered all over the place. &amp;nbsp;Some companies are using older document management systems to try and fit the contracts use case. They usually run into issues when theyre trying to collaborate and  more specifically  when documents need to be routed outside of the organization.Why do companies usually want to automate their contract process?In the world of closing deals, the contracts process can be a huge bottleneck. Sales people become frustrated due to a lack of visibility, and legal becomes frustrated due to large, inefficient workload, and lack of automation tools.How to automate your&amp;nbsp;contract processThe key to automating the contract process lies in the ability to collaborate efficiently, safely, and in a way that is trackable. You want to reduce the amount of manual actions that people have to take, and thereby reduce the ability of human error to enter into the equation.The actual how is usually a combination of some standardized way to initiate the process and some kind of workflow to take the contract from beginning to end and route it to different stakeholders.Standardization and workflow are usually part of contract management software. You should also ensure that the solution you choose:Has clause managementIs able to handle approvals and rejections through a processHas a&amp;nbsp;trackable, standardized way to redline with prospects, customers or anyone internallyEnsure a seamless signature processGive you the ability to tag contracts with metadata so you can go back and create reports, search, etc.It all comes down to efficiency, visibility and risk.Efficiency: The ability to route contracts quickly to the person who needs to see them or take an action on them. This should also be done in a way that ensures the responsible party knows theyre looking at the latest version of the document. Through a version history feature, you should have the ability to see an audit trail. It should be automated so the user doesnt have to update the trail, and the system should be able to log everything that happens to the contract.Visibility: Giving different stakeholders inside the organization information on where contracts are currently at in a process. Visibility also has to be tailored to the role. If youre management, you have different concerns than a lawyer or salesperson. Your contract management tool should allow for different visibility for different roles. Ultimately, you should be able to track the state of your contracts and understand where bottlenecks are so you can optimize the process.Risk Reduction: Understanding what kind of language is going in to your contracts is extremely important. You understand what liabilities you face, trends of where your contracts are going and whats being agreed upon. You need to decide if you should curb those trends or embrace them. You should also be able to quickly inventory all documents to see who has access and who has permissions to make changes. This will give you the ability to add a layer of governance to the process. E.g. In order to get a contract into the system, someone has to fill out a form with a base level of information.Who are the contract automation stakeholders?In my experience, the people looking to automate the contract process are usually a combination of stakeholders from Sales and Legal. Once a project is taken on, you quickly realize there are a lot more touchpoints (departments), and you need to figure out how to get contracts to those different touchpoints.Whatever solution you choose, whether its manual or automated via contract management software, its important that everyones role in a contract process should easily integrate into their current daily workflow, so theyre freed up to do their jobs.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 16 Apr 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_automate_your_contract_process</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-16T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Ways Sales Reps Can Use Contract Management Software to Close Deals Faster </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/use_contract_management_software_to_close_deals_faster</link>
        <description>If you&amp;rsquo;re in sales and you&amp;rsquo;re reading this, chances are high that documents in your sales cycle have affected your deal &amp;ndash; and, let&amp;rsquo;s face it, your income &amp;ndash; negatively. Whether it&amp;rsquo;s an NDA, MSA, proposal, quote, or some other document; paperwork shouldn&amp;rsquo;t stall your sale. This sales friction impacts not only a Sales Rep, but also company revenue potential.Executives prioritizing operational efficiency at the world&amp;rsquo;s fastest growing companies enable their Sales Teams with the best technology. &amp;nbsp;Thus, contract management solutions being deployed at staggering rates. Below are five ways a contract management solution will enable a Sales Rep to close a higher volume of deals faster.</description>
        <content:encoded>If youre in sales and youre reading this, chances are high that documents in your sales cycle have affected your deal  and, lets face it, your income  negatively. Whether its an NDA, MSA, proposal, quote, or some other document; paperwork shouldnt stall your sale. This sales friction impacts not only a Sales Rep, but also company revenue potential.Executives prioritizing operational efficiency at the worlds fastest growing companies enable their Sales Teams with the best technology. &amp;nbsp;Thus, contract management solutions being deployed at staggering rates. Below are five ways a contract management solution will enable a Sales Rep to close a higher volume of deals faster.1) Preparing the contractOne of the most time_consuming parts of a manual&amp;nbsp;contract process is drafting and editing Word or Excel documents. You may have some templates or old contracts to work off of, but getting them to look professional after entering the right data takes time that is better spent prospecting or conducting meetings.If you are already using a CRM platform such as Salesforce.com, you have the data such as name, account name, or address. Why not take advantage of that and stop duplicating efforts? A contract management solution would enable you to, with a click of your mouse, automatically generate the contract with a tool that pulls in relevant data and puts it into the correct contract template.If you do not use a CRM platform, an ideal contract management solution would provide an easy way to type data into a form that ultimately gets merged into your contract.If you are receiving the contract from your prospect or client, the solution should have an easy way for you to ingest that into the system to edit or route for approval or signature.2) Streamline the internal approval processIn small, flat organizations, there may not be a complex approval process required before a contract is sent out. In that case, the contract management tool should enable the Sales Rep to quickly send out the document for review or signature.However, in organizations where approval is required based on contract terms, contract type, or financial details, a robust solution can streamline the routing of the contract.Instead of manually routing the document by email attachment, a contract management tool with workflow automation can recognize which terms or numbers, for example, are in the contract and send it, through the system, to Legal, the Sales Manager, CFO, or whoever is required. That approver would be notified via email.3) VisibilityA contract management should also provide visibility into where the contract is in the approval process. Instead of emailing multiple people asking for a status update on the contract, a contract management tool can provide a way for a Sales Rep to see not only who has their hands on the document, but to also nudge someone so the deal can progress.4) E_signatureOne of the most exciting contract_related words for a Sales Rep to hear is signed. If youve earned the business of your prospect and the contract has been approved internally, negotiated and finally agreed to, it is time to seal the deal. If youre not already taking advantage of an e_signature vendor, this is one of the most obvious ways to speed up a deal. When a prospect is ready to sign but has to print, sign, scan, and mail back a contract, a lot can happen in that time period, prolonging the close. A tool that incorporates e_Signature functionality will further enable a Sales Rep to close quicker.5) Store contracts in a place where you can easily find and reference them afterwardCongratulations! Youve closed a deal, welcomed the client, and informed your team on what they need to do to take care of the new customer. However, youre likely going to be required to go back and look at that executed contract  whether to confirm details with your boss, reiterate terms with your client, or even to forecast your commission. A contract management solution should enable you to store these contracts in an intuitive spot. Ideally, the contracts will be accessible through your CRM platform. Youll want to be able to quickly look up these contracts and send a link to other people who need to view the contract as well. This will enable you to avoid a bottleneck in Sales Ops or Legal, and save you even more time post_sale.Collaborating around legal documents with your prospect or client should reinforce your responsiveness and reliability as a Sales Rep, not challenge your capability as a Rep or a company. &amp;nbsp;A contract management solution should enable you to cultivate strong relationships and make your company appear more professional, and allow you to enjoy more commission as you close deals faster.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 17 Apr 2015 14:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/use_contract_management_software_to_close_deals_faster</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-17T14:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>4 Reasons to Invest in a Contract Management Solution</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/reasons_to_invest_in_a_contract_management_solution</link>
        <description>A funny thing happens when you talk to enough people about their contract processes _ you realize every organization suffers from the same core problems and concerns. Identifying these issues, and designing software to help solve them, is the crux of what I do as a User Experience designer at SpringCM.</description>
        <content:encoded>A funny thing happens when you talk to enough people about their contract processes _ you realize every organization suffers from the same core problems and concerns. Identifying these issues, and designing software to help solve them, is the crux of what I do as a User Experience designer at SpringCM.Each week I talk to our users, usually legal and operational teams, about their investment in an efficient contract lifecycle. One thing that is universal is that none of them would go back to their old way of managing contracts. Why is that? Because the old way was risky, disorganized and tons more work.Process Automation: You really shouldnt work so hardThe biggest advantage to using a contract management system is that it does the work of routing your deal documents for you. Now that may not seem so impressive, but consider the complex logic that can go into doing that right. Contracts rarely get signed in the first round, so its important to have a system in place that knows what to do, not just when things go as planned, but when negotiations need to escalate to higher levels for approval. When a system does this automatically, the process speeds up too. Contracts dont get stuck in inboxes, just waiting to be forwarded along, so everyone can spend more time closing deals. &amp;nbsp;Reduce Risk: Lockdown the language, not the collaboration The word risk comes up a lot when I talk to people about contracts. One thing that clear is that everyones reputation is in the game when it comes to this moment in a deal. The legal team wants to make sure they are protecting the company with the most advantageous language possible, and the sales team is focused on getting their prospect to sign on the dotted line, come hell or high water. &amp;nbsp;A managed contract lifecycle provides a structure that reduces the tension between these goals. When a system can ensure that the language of a contract is only changed by the right people, at the right moment, and can further guarantee that all contracts are being created from the most up_to_date templates, things start getting a lot less risky.Optimize your process: Identify inefficiencies and bottlenecksIts not easy to tell a computer exactly what to do with your contracts, in no small part because it forces your team to sit down and document something that is often messy and unstructured. While this can sometimes be an intense process (getting everyone to agree on how things are done is never easy) its actually a great opportunity. Our customers get a chance to consider best practices and actually improve how they manage their contract lifecycle, long before the first agreement goes out the door. Over time, a contract management system &amp;nbsp;will collect metrics on your process, to help you keep making improvements. Knowing which steps are taking the longest to complete can help you identify friction and relieve bottlenecks, leading to quicker signatures and happier legal teams.Visibility: Your inbox is not the answerI have this joke, where I say that our biggest competition is actually our users inbox. Like most of my bad jokes, this one has more than a touch of truth in it. I cant remember the last interview I conducted where the phrase ..and then I search my inbox.. didnt pop up at some point. The fact is, email rocks _ but it simply wasnt built to manage documents and it certainly wasnt designed to support the delicate dance that is contract negotiation. &amp;nbsp;There is no reason, in this modern world, to settle for searching your inbox to understand what is going on with a deal, or find the right version of a contract document. &amp;nbsp;A good contract management&amp;nbsp;solution will come with easy ways for everyone on your team to gain visibility into a contracts path to approval, and cut down on questions about who had the doc and what needs to happen next.So, if youre considering a contract lifecycle solution I say treat yourself. I may be a bit of a nerd when it comes to my high opinion of contract management solutions, but I hear proof of their value on a daily basis. These are success stories of standardized and automated contract lifecycles, that took unnecessary work off of admins and lawyers, and pulled teams together as better collaborators and communicators. These are tales of a system that has your back from the moment a contract is written to when it finally comes back in the door for countersignature and finalization. Who wouldnt want that?&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 20 Apr 2015 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/reasons_to_invest_in_a_contract_management_solution</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-20T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What makes a good contract for automation?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_makes_a_good_contract_for_automation</link>
        <description>Everyone thinks that only really simple contracts are good candidates for automation, however that's not the entire truth. While repeatable, standard contracts are great for a contract automation tool, they are hardly the only type that should be automated. &amp;nbsp;The most bang for your buck can actually be with more complex contracts. You can leverage the ability to pull common terms and contract language into agreements without necessarily involving a member of the legal team. Additionally, complex contracts that have variable terms often require additional redlining and approvals. Leveraging a contract management solution can offer controls and approvals that are not possible in to do manually. Contract management software&amp;nbsp;can address any number of challenges related to approvals, language limitations and different templates.</description>
        <content:encoded>Everyone thinks that only really simple contracts are good candidates for automation, however that's not the entire truth. While repeatable, standard contracts are great for a contract automation tool, they are hardly the only type that should be automated. &amp;nbsp;The most bang for your buck can actually be with more complex contracts. You can leverage the ability to pull common terms and contract language into agreements without necessarily involving a member of the legal team. Additionally, complex contracts that have variable terms often require additional redlining and approvals. Leveraging a contract management solution can offer controls and approvals that are not possible in to do manually. Contract management software&amp;nbsp;can address any number of challenges related to approvals, language limitations and different templates.What are some factors that need to be considered in making the decision for contract automation?Can I pull common terms from a clause library?Do I know who needs to approve the contract?Is the customer able to review the contract electronically?Are the contracts on my paper or on third party paper? Either is okay, but they will drive different business processes, which can be handled by a contract management solution.Is this contract renewable, and is there a process to manage around the renewal?If you answered yes to most of these questions you have a good candidate for automation. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 21 Apr 2015 15:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_makes_a_good_contract_for_automation</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-21T15:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What does "CLM" stand for? [Video]</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_does_clm_stand_for_video</link>
        <description>Part of entering the business world is familiarizing yourself with the acronyms professionals love to create. Whether it's CYA, B2B, CRM or CLM, there's no shortage of these abbreviations. As purveyors of CLM (Contract Lifecycle Management), we decided to ask the good people of our hometown, Chicago, if they knew what CLM stands for. Watch&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;results of our street poll below!&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Part of entering the business world is familiarizing yourself with the acronyms professionals love to create. Whether it's CYA, B2B, CRM or CLM, there's no shortage of these abbreviations. As purveyors of CLM (Contract Lifecycle Management), we decided to ask the good people of our hometown, Chicago, if they knew what CLM stands for. Watch&amp;nbsp;the&amp;nbsp;results of our street poll below!&amp;nbsp; What does CLM stand for?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 22 Apr 2015 20:33:16 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_does_clm_stand_for_video</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-22T20:33:16Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What do contract management and basketball have in common? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_do_contract_management_and_basketball_have_in_common</link>
        <description>After watching the NCAA College Basketball Tournament, I realized how a Sports Team is no different from a Sales Team. WIth both teams, everyone has their own role yet shares a common goal of winning. For a basketball team, the court connects all the stakeholders including the player, coaches and&amp;nbsp;officials. As for the sales team, a contract management platform connects the sales teams with the legal and contract departments.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>After watching the NCAA College Basketball Tournament, I realized how a Sports Team is no different from a Sales Team. WIth both teams, everyone has their own role yet shares a common goal of winning. For a basketball team, the court connects all the stakeholders including the player, coaches and&amp;nbsp;officials. As for the sales team, a contract management platform connects the sales teams with the legal and contract departments.&amp;nbsp;Athlete = Sales AssociateAthletes are the members of the team that have to Execute in order to win. This is done by constant training and competing at the highest level. Execution occurs during the actual game. Like Athletes, Sales Associates need to be constantly trained to remain competitive. Their production is only noticed when deals are closed. Contract Management captures information on deals the Sales Associates Execute on and are reported on just like a Box Score from a sporting event.Assistant Coach = VP of SalesThe Assistant Coach is typically the team member who watches specific players and recommends substitutions to the head coach. The Assistant coach having clear Visibility into a players habits and trends is important so they can make informed decisions. The VP of Sales has a very similar purpose. They need to have Visibility into the active deals for quarterly goals. &amp;nbsp;The VP of Sales will spend most of their time at the end of quarters making sure deals close that have the most potential.Head Coach = Chief Sales Officer (CSO)Game strategies are always developed by the Head Coach. Head Coaches are the Approvers of game time decisions. They decide which Athletes start, plays to run, and players to sub based on&amp;nbsp;the Assistant Coachs recommendations. Chief Sales Officers (CSO) are equivalent to Head Coaches as they are the Approvers for the Sales Team. The CSO has the power to approve proposals generated by the Sales Associate. They manage what discounts and actions that need to be taken in order to close business, and fast.Official = Legal AssociateOfficials make sure all rules are followed during the game. Officials Mitigate the risk and ensure games are ruled fairly. Without officials, the game would be a free for all, and the most rough, non_compliant teams would prevail. This would lead to less fans to one_sided games and ultimately, loss of profit to NCAA. &amp;nbsp;The Legal Associate plays a much similar role. Legal Associates make sure the contracts are executed correctly to Mitigate their company from compliance risk. If a contract were to slip through the Legal Department without proper revisions and redlining, the company faces serve profit_loss.Contract Management allows all stakeholders from the Sales Team to perform their task in order to, Seal the deal.&quot; Closing a deal, like winning a game, takes more than just one player. With a contract management solution, youll implement a more collaborative environment and ensure visibility while ensuring compliance practices are met. Without one, your team will end up looking more like a kindergartener's soccer game than a strategic, collaborative&amp;nbsp;performance by top atheletes.&amp;nbsp;Image source:&amp;nbsp;Chilli Head&amp;nbsp;via Flickr&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 24 Apr 2015 16:43:46 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_do_contract_management_and_basketball_have_in_common</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-24T16:43:46Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 Key Stats from the 2015 State of Contract Management Report</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/3_key_stats_from_the_state</link>
        <description>Last week, we unveiled&amp;nbsp;the findings from&amp;nbsp;our 2015 State of Contract Management survey. We surveyed over 720 contract professionals to better&amp;nbsp;understand&amp;nbsp;what contract management pains they are experiencing that keep them from meeting their business&amp;nbsp;goals.&amp;nbsp;Maybe your contract process is a well_oiled machine that churns out expertly reviewed legal documents like a Ford assembly line, or maybe you are barely hitting quota goals due to time_consuming, manual contract generation and review processes. Either way, if your company uses contracts, there's a stat in this report that will be relevant to your success this year.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Last week, we unveiled&amp;nbsp;the findings from&amp;nbsp;our 2015 State of Contract Management survey. We surveyed over 720 contract professionals to better&amp;nbsp;understand&amp;nbsp;what contract management pains they are experiencing that keep them from meeting their business&amp;nbsp;goals.&amp;nbsp;Maybe your contract process is a well_oiled machine that churns out expertly reviewed legal documents like a Ford assembly line, or maybe you are barely hitting quota goals due to time_consuming, manual contract generation and review processes. Either way, if your company uses contracts, there's a stat in this report that will be relevant to your success this year.&amp;nbsp;Before you read the full report, we've highlighted&amp;nbsp;three key stats that should help you continue to be a well_informed and successful contract professional.&amp;nbsp;1. 71.3% of respondents do not have an automated contract processWe found that survey participants are largely relying on manual processes to generate and review sales contracts. Respondents said they were using everything from email to Excel to manage their contract process. However, the more human touch points&amp;nbsp;you have in your contract process, the more opportunities there are for human error. When it comes to your sales contracts, a bad contract at minimum can cost you a deal _ worst case, you end up with a more complicated legal situation on your hands.&amp;nbsp;2. 46.2% of respondents said they had a contract process longer than four weeksWow, in an industry that prides itself on being fast_moving, it was shocking to see how many of our respondents were bogged down in months_long contract processes. This is one of the greatest misconceptions we see about the sales process and how people determine where to invest in technology. You can create as many opportunities as they are stars in the sky, but if it takes months to get 'em across the finish line, you won't be scaling at the rate you need to be competitive. Plus, you're creating a poor customer experience right off the bat, and keeping your new clients away from your awesome product or service!&amp;nbsp;3. 29.1% of respondents said the top business driver behind contract management is increased sales productivityWhich brings us to our third stat _ sales productivity is becoming a top drive for companies investing in contract management. This isn't surprising, given the length of these&amp;nbsp;contract processes. Again, we've seen a lot of investment, innovation and attention given to the front_end of the sales pipeline, but just like a relay race, if you're anchor runner drops the baton, you lose. If you have a great sales process in place to support lead conversion, presentations and overall sales enablement, you are sinking your ROI by allowing your contract process to continue running on manual, outdated processes.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Image source:&amp;nbsp;GotCredit&amp;nbsp;via Flickr&amp;nbsp; </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 28 Apr 2015 22:16:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/3_key_stats_from_the_state</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-28T22:16:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The 5 Most Popular Contract Management Posts [April 2015]</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_5_most_popular_contract_management_posts_april_2015</link>
        <description>If you&amp;rsquo;re a subscriber or a frequent reader to this blog, you&amp;rsquo;ve probably noticed that we&amp;rsquo;ve been focusing on contract management and Salesforce specific posts. We'd love to hear from you in the comments: what would you like to see us focus on in the coming months? Are there specific questions you'd like answered?</description>
        <content:encoded>If youre a subscriber or a frequent reader to this blog, youve probably noticed that weve been focusing on contract management and Salesforce specific posts. We'd love to hear from you in the comments: what would you like to see us focus on in the coming months? Are there specific questions you'd like answered?While you're thinking about that, let's take a look at this months most popular contract management blog posts.5. What does &quot;CLM&quot; stand for? [Video]While we live and breathe CLM, we wondered how many people actually know what the acronym means. We took to the streets of Chicago with video camera in hand to ask, What does CLM stand for? The answers are pretty entertaining.4. Four risks of manually managing legal contractsGuest author Cindy Williams, who has been practicing law for over 25 years, details how companies typically manage legal contracts, as well as the greatest risks of manually managing those contracts.3. Three key features of contract lifecycle managementOur friends at Bluewolf reported that contract lifecycle management is slated to be a key investment by companies in 2015 and beyond. If youre one of the companies thinking about making the investment, this post shares what&amp;nbsp;key features should you be looking for.2. How do I evaluate a contract management solution?Part of evaluating a contract management solution means knowing if your organization is ready for the solution. Beyond that, its important to know what you should be looking for in a solution. This post shares 10 things that should be a part of your evaluation.1. Seven contract risks keeping your legal team up at nightThe legal team is an integral part of contract management. And because all contracts are inherently risky, lawyers have much responsibility as they hold up their end of the process.Don't forget  We'd love to hear from you in the comments: what would you like to see us focus on in the coming months? Are there specific questions you'd like answered?</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 30 Apr 2015 21:12:21 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_5_most_popular_contract_management_posts_april_2015</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Apr-30T21:12:21Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Day in the Life of a Contract Administrator</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/day_in_the_life_contract_administrator</link>
        <description>We recently sat down with Karen Hicks, who is a Director of Contracts and Administration at a software company, to learn what a day is like in her professional life.&amp;nbsp;She covers every possible contract that could pass through a company.</description>
        <content:encoded>We recently sat down with Karen Hicks, who is a Director of Contracts and Administration at a software company, to learn what a day is like in her professional life.&amp;nbsp;She covers every possible contract that could pass through a company.Karen has been working with contracts in some form or fashion for 19 years. For the past 10 years, she has been totally responsible for everything from negotiating with end users and resellers alike, managing all contract boilerplates, to trademarks and exporting, to leases for properties.Q: As a contract administrator, what are some of the things youre responsible for?KH: I hold regular calls with our sales team to hear about their opportunities, so I can advise on what legal documents theyll need. This ensures that the deal keeps moving and were ahead of the curve as it relates to contract requirements. &amp;nbsp;Im here to enable our sales team, not slow them down, so working shoulder_to_shoulder with them through the sales process is critical for the success of both of our teams and ultimately, the company.Working with the sales department as they manage our response to RFPs, I review all terms and conditions in the RFPs, ensuring that upon award were well positioned to negotiate the most favorable terms for the company with our new end user.Another important part of my job is making sure were complying with certain regulations. For example, we need to be aware of the FCPA rules when dealing with international companies; our employees compliance, and the compliance of the employees of our international partner is critical.Q: What departments do you work with the most? KH: Most typically, I work with Sales, Project Management, General Counsel and Senior Management, though I can also work with Marketing, Engineering, IT, and/or HR if the contract is for one of their groups. In the end, contracts touches each department at one time or another.Q: How many sales contracts are you typically working with at any given time?KH: A lot of it depends on where were at in the quarter. At the end of the quarter, everyone is pressing in to make sure theyre getting as many orders as possible. In the beginning of the quarter, Im probably working on 5_6 end user contracts at a time. By the end of quarter, I can be working on 5_6 times that with 20_30 contracts at a time.Q: Do you use software to help you manage the contract process? KH: We currently use Salesforce (SFDC) on the sales side. Within SFDC, we set_up a custom field within an opportunity called legal docs required, so that salespeople have access to all the documents that are necessary to close the deal and at anytime, they can see the status of a document as its being drafted and/or out for signature, etc.The only other tool we use is our central server where we save all of our signed contracts. Through our file tree, we can see which documents have been drafted, historical versions as theyve progressed through negotiation through to the final signed version. Only four people have access to the contract files on the central server.Q: What would your ideal process look like? KH: The idea of a central repository seems ideal, but Ive definitely experienced pitfalls like:If anyone takes the contract, negotiates on the phone, and then failed to save it back to the repository, we dont have access to any of those changes. Its just living on their desktop.The naming convention can get messy. The legal department has a certain way of naming the files, but if thats not followed, it can become confusing.Because weve been acquired several times, there is such a due diligence process when youre being acquired, we dont have a way of easily running a report on our central repository. I have an ongoing excel spreadsheet, but it isnt automatically updated. &amp;nbsp;I keep a lot of contract knowledge between my ears. At any time, someone can ask about a customer or a contract and I can easily say, I remember that one.Q: What are the barriers to your ideal process?KH: To date, the primary barrier has always been the cost. Of course, theres the cost for the database, and the cost of the time itll take, but what about migrating all the historical knowledge weve gained over the last 19 years? Someone who is very detail oriented would have to input the information to build up that historical database. Right now at our company, signed contracts are posted to the library on Salesforce and then linked to the Salesforce account and opportunity. Historical working files are saved to our central server, which is great for storing, but you cant report out of it.Q: Anything youd like to add? KH: I very much enjoy what I do. I find it interesting how the contracts can be so diverse and unique. Youll see commonalities, but the minute you know that youve been able to negotiate an agreement that originally started with lots of redlines and you get a successful implementation of the software, thats another success story.Theres a lot of value to a contract. A well written contract will serve the needs of both parties, and should include terms that have been mutually agreed upon.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 01 May 2015 19:34:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/day_in_the_life_contract_administrator</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-01T19:34:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Top Blogs for Sales Professionals</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_top_blogs_for_sales_professionals</link>
        <description>Salespeople are nothing&amp;nbsp;if not driven to self_education and becoming&amp;nbsp;better at meeting the demands of their customers. And internet is nothing if not over_saturated with blogs and content claiming to contain the best practices for said sales reps. We consider ourselves to be pretty avid readers of the internet, and have used our discerning taste as current and former salespeople to identify and share our top five blogs for sales professionals _ listed in no particular order_ for sales professionals. Leave your own favorites in the comments!&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>Salespeople are nothing&amp;nbsp;if not driven to self_education and becoming&amp;nbsp;better at meeting the demands of their customers. And internet is nothing if not over_saturated with blogs and content claiming to contain the best practices for said sales reps. We consider ourselves to be pretty avid readers of the internet, and have used our discerning taste as current and former salespeople to identify and share our top five blogs for sales professionals _ listed in no particular order_ for sales professionals. Leave your own favorites in the comments!&amp;nbsp;1. Jill KonrathJill Konrath is a well_regarded motivational speaker brought in by companies to help galvanize sales engagement. She's also the author of three books on sales technique, which you can find here.&amp;nbsp;Latest post:&amp;nbsp;Sales Motivation I Cant Live WithoutTwitter:&amp;nbsp;@jillkonrath2. Geoffrey JamesGeoffrey James is a regular contributor to Inc.com, where he hosts his blog. James is an expert in B2B selling and is the author of&amp;nbsp;Business Without the Bullsh*t and How To Say It: B2B Selling.Latest post:&amp;nbsp;Its Official: Wearing a Suit Makes You Less EffectiveTwitter:&amp;nbsp;@Sales_Source3. Jim Keenan &quot;A Sales Guy&quot;Jim Keenan brings a refreshingly candid voice to the&amp;nbsp;oversaturated space of sales expertise. His blogs do a great job representing the energy and passion he brings to sales technique and training, along with sharing practical advice about how to navigate the current selling landscape.&amp;nbsp;Latest post:&amp;nbsp;THE NEW HIRING BAR SURPRISINGLY FEW PEOPLE ARE REACHINGTwitter:&amp;nbsp;@keenan4. Jonathan FarringtonJonathan Farrington is like the Nick Fury of sales experts. He's the leader of Top Sales World, a community of sales experts (including some of those already mentioned in this post) that provide daily advice for those in the sales field. We recommend following both his blog and Top Sales World.&amp;nbsp;Latest post:&amp;nbsp;Closed  Now What?Twitter:&amp;nbsp;@TopSalesWorld5. Anthony IannarinoS. Anthony Iannarino is another leader in driving sales excellence at companies around the globe. Iannarino's brand of sales advice aims to upset the status quo and help readers approach common sales problems with a different perspective. If you're dealing with a sales technique that feels too good to be true, or maybe a little few steps from practical, his advice will help you find your way back to a productive center.&amp;nbsp;Latest post:&amp;nbsp;Lies You Want to BelieveTwitter:&amp;nbsp;@iannarinoLike with any profession, there are many opinions on how to sell. None of the above represents the definitive way to be a successful B2B or B2C salesperson, but they each provide advice and insight to keep you a few steps ahead of the Will Loman in us all.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Did we miss your favorite sales blog? Let us know in the comments!&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 06 May 2015 15:52:20 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_top_blogs_for_sales_professionals</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-06T15:52:20Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>SaaS Security Essentials for Legal</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/saas_security_essentials_for_legal</link>
        <description>There was a time when almost all computer software was delivered to customers or licensees on disks or some other type of portable media, and then installed on individual computers at the customer&amp;rsquo;s location. Under this traditional software licensing model, software licenses and usage rights were generally measured and limited by readily identifiable physical parameters (for example, a specified number of sites, servers, workstations, or &amp;ldquo;seats&amp;rdquo; ), generally making it relatively easy for the customer (or for the software licensor) to monitor or verify compliance with the license and rights that the customer had purchased to the software.</description>
        <content:encoded>There was a time when almost all computer software was delivered to customers or licensees on disks or some other type of portable media, and then installed on individual computers at the customers location. Under this traditional software licensing model, software licenses and usage rights were generally measured and limited by readily identifiable physical parameters (for example, a specified number of sites, servers, workstations, or seats ), generally making it relatively easy for the customer (or for the software licensor) to monitor or verify compliance with the license and rights that the customer had purchased to the software.Software without Physical BarriersIn this increasingly interconnected world, software products are now ever_more_frequently being made available in a software_as_a_service (SaaS) model over the Internet, removing physical barriers and making the software potentially available to anyone, anywhere in the world. And through application programming interfaces (APIs), software can be accessed directly by other programs, rather than only by human beings. These changes not only increase the accessibility of software, they also greatly expand the potential use cases for software.For example, rather than a particular software solution only being used by a companys employees performing a particular function, within a particular department, or at a particular location of the company, the solution (or specific functionality within it) now can potentially be accessed and used, and content provided, submitted, or reviewed, by other individuals in other roles, at other locations, or belonging to other organizations, or even by other systems.Functionality within a software solution can be made available not only to a companys employees but also to the companys suppliers and customers, as well as, in certain cases, the companys other systems or even third_party systems, making it possible to more easily implement an enterprise_wide business process in a consistent manner.The Risks Associated with Todays SaaS ModelUnfortunately, removing some of the physical barriers and limitations regarding software usage can also make it more challenging to measure and verify software usage. And while surprises can be a source of great pleasure and excitement in certain aspects of life, surprise generally isnt a good thing in business, especially when adverse financial consequences may result.Customers therefore need to make sure to obtain all of the rights that they need to use SaaS applications in the ways that they intend to use them and actually are using them. Dont wait for a software audit by the vendor to learn you dont have the rights you need.Many SaaS platforms offer different applications and different types of users, each with their own pricing . Fees may also depend upon other parameters, such as the amount of storage the customer is permitted to use, or the usage of an API to access a SaaS application.Without the Rights, No One Benefits&amp;nbsp;Generally speaking, neither the customer nor the SaaS provider benefits from the customer not obtaining the rights it needs (or obtaining rights that dont fit its needs). SaaS providers may also be able to work with a customer, to find creative (and sometimes more economical) ways to fulfill the customers needs and implement the customers desired use cases in a more efficient or complete way.So, in order to avoid unwanted and unpleasant surprises, be sure to discuss your needs with your SaaS providers, and make sure you obtain the rights you need to use SaaS solutions in the ways your business requires.Milton L. Petersen is an attorney whose practice focuses exclusively on information technology_related transactions and issues. &amp;nbsp;He is a partner in the Information Technology and Outsourcing Practice Group at HunterMaclean and can be reached at 912_238_2629 or mpetersen@huntermaclean.com.Image source:&amp;nbsp;geralt via Pixabay&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 07 May 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/saas_security_essentials_for_legal</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-07T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Meet Sharik of Cloud Sherpas</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/meet_sharik_of_cloud_sherpas</link>
        <description>Earlier this month, the SpringCM Team sat down to speak with Sharik Dhiman from Cloud Sherpas. Sharik is a member of the Configure Price Quote (CPQ) and Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) center of excellence, focused on Steelbrick (a SpringCM partner) implementations.</description>
        <content:encoded>Earlier this month, the SpringCM Team sat down to speak with Sharik Dhiman from Cloud Sherpas. Sharik is a member of the Configure Price Quote (CPQ) and Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) center of excellence, focused on Steelbrick (a SpringCM partner) implementations.SpringCM: What type of customers do you work with?Sharik Dhiman: We work with customers across of all sizes from a lot of different industries. We have customers in financial services, insurance, high tech, software, with anywhere from a few hundred employees to thousands of employees.SCM: What type of problems do you solve for your clients?SD: The most common problem we see with our customers is they have multiple disconnected quoting and contracting processes, lack of structure and approvals for discounting and long cycle time for quote and contract generation. It comes down to a struggle scaling systems to match the growth of their company.One of the customers weve been working with for over a year had originally implemented multiple CRM platforms, a total of eight across the company. They wanted to consolidate these into single system for CRM, CPQ and contract management processes. We were able to implement this holistic platform for them. They have been live with it for about 8 months, and they have seen immediate progress and benefits. One interesting metric is that prior to our engagement with them, 31% of contracts sent to customers had some sort of error. Within one quarter following our work, that error rate came down to 7%.SCM: How are CLM and CPQ technologies related?&amp;nbsp;SD: CPQ and CLM are tightly knit, with many points of dual impact. I truly dont believe you can have an effective solution with just one of these processes streamlined. You have to get both right. I see both as part of sales enablement movement as they both strive to improve sales force capabilities. Companies want to be able sell more, sell faster, and in doing so, you want to be able to add customers without contract errors that diminish the customer experience.CPQ and CLM are just as important to your sales goals as a presentation or an initial phone call. Its like an assembly line _ if one part isnt working right, the whole thing shuts down.SCM: Should CPQ or CLM come first?SD: Ideally you should implement them both at the same time. They are both integral parts of a good sales process. Some other businesses might be able to determine which to implement first based on a certain pain point _ if their biggest pain is slow quotes, or complex product and pricing, then CPQ is probably going to be the best initial investment. If youre having problems with margins because reps are quoting incorrectly and giving customers discounts without approval, CPQ should come first.If, on the other hand, your quotes arent an issue, and youre having more trouble with the back_end processes like getting contracts out the door fast enough or long approval process between legal and complex terms/conditions/clauses hard to manage, then CLM is your best bet.But, again, the best strategy is to implement both simultaneously.When does a company need CPQ?SD: Youll want to invest in CPQ if you have complex products that involve a lot of configuration when it comes to pricing and discounts. Companies growing at a fast pace, working out of Excel, looking to add new sales channels, or struggling to control discounts should implement CPQ.When does a company need CLM?SD: If its taking too long to get accurate contracts out the door, and its difficult for sales and legal to collaborate to streamline productivity, you should definitely invest in CLM. These problems will lead to deals being delayed, or pushed back to subsequent quarters. This is a real problem for growing companies with aggressive goals.However, just because you are experiencing these pains, it doesnt necessarily mean a company is ready for a technology implementation. Technology can help, but &amp;nbsp;companies should look at their processes and the bottlenecks and pain points and understand what they want to do with the business outside of technology. It makes sense to review and streamline pricing process and contract process and decide on new practices before getting started on technology implementation.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 11 May 2015 15:16:39 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/meet_sharik_of_cloud_sherpas</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-11T15:16:39Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>4 Contract Lifecycle Management Best Practices for Sales Teams</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_lifecycle_management_best_practices_for_sales_teams</link>
        <description>As an Account Executive at SpringCM, every day, I talk to sales leaders who are looking for a way to get rid of chasing contracts down in email, desktops and other solutions that don&amp;rsquo;t have the functionality of a contract management solution.</description>
        <content:encoded>As an Account Executive at SpringCM, every day, I talk to sales leaders who are looking for a way to get rid of chasing contracts down in email, desktops and other solutions that dont have the functionality of a contract management solution.I usually explain that contract lifecycle management (CLM) is a much more efficient way to manage the process, so it gives their teams more time to sell.So what are CLM Best Practices for sales teams? Ive detailed them below.4 Contract Lifecycle Management&amp;nbsp;Best Practices for Sales TeamsHave a central repository to store all your contracts: Your sales process is very hub and spoke. Your team will always (or at least should always) be coming back to that one, central repository, where theres a single source of truth. &amp;nbsp;Use a redlining tool: Contract review is an essential part of the process. With redlining, youll be able to see what changes were made to the contract and audit whats going on in the contract. I know a lot of people use Microsoft Word tracked changes for this part of the process. A risk that Ive seen arise from using Word is two_fold: First, its a manual process of pulling up the contract and comparing changes. Second, you have to hope that someone doesnt go in and accept changes to the contract without you knowing. With redlining, you have the comfort of knowing that changes will be documented in your central repository, and the changes will be visible via an audit trail.Ensure you have an audit trail: With an audit trail, youll be able to follow any and all actions related to your contracts. E.g., See what changes are made to your contract, who has been viewing the document, etc.Implement document builder and workflow: With document builder and workflow, your team will be able to hit a create contract button, which then kicks off a workflow that sends to contract out for review, approval and e_signature. &amp;nbsp;With minimal effort, its go on to the next person in line, so your salesperson is back to selling. The alternative? Manually creating a contract, pushing it to legal, legal sending it back to the salesperson and finally sending it out for e_signature. With an automated process, the salesperson is touching the contract once, rather than 3_4 times.Each of these best practices can be easily accomplished with a good Contract Lifecycle Management tool, rather than using a myriad of tools.Have you implemented any of these best practices? Share in the comments below! </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 13 May 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_lifecycle_management_best_practices_for_sales_teams</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-13T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>What is Contract Lifecycle Management?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_is_contract_lifecycle_management</link>
        <description>I have spent my entire career selling enterprise software. I have lived through many contract negotiations. There is a lot of stress that comes with the experience of negotiating global master license agreements. By the time we get to the MSA, there is pent up demand to get started on the project. The only thing standing in the way is the contract. Should we schedule the teams for kickoff based on a quick negotiation? All eyes are on this process. And this is a defining moment that sets the tone in this relationship. &amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>I have spent my entire career selling enterprise software. I have lived through many contract negotiations. There is a lot of stress that comes with the experience of negotiating global master license agreements. By the time we get to the MSA, there is pent up demand to get started on the project. The only thing standing in the way is the contract. Should we schedule the teams for kickoff based on a quick negotiation? All eyes are on this process. And this is a defining moment that sets the tone in this relationship. &amp;nbsp;With over 16 years of experience in enterprise technology, I value this process most of all. Shortening the time to revenue makes everyone more successful. The majority of the last decade I have been in the SaaS world, working with Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solutions. Once CPQ gets the quote right, then with the click of a button, a contract is generated. Then the fun begins.What is contract lifecycle management?Contract lifecycle management, by definition, it is the proactive, methodical management of a contract. That management starts with the first request for a contract. Once signed, that contract needs to be managed. Obligations need to be honored by both parties. This contract is a bond between companies for years  fingers crossed that it is positive.If you think about it, a contract is the basis of every business relationship. How you manage that contract dictates how quickly you bring in revenue, how likely you are to be profitable through the duration, and finally how likely you or the client will renew that contract.It is a bit like a crystal ball viewing the future of your business.Think about a recent contract negotiation. Did you love the process? Did it go quickly? Were you happy to see that vendor post signature? How your company handles the negotiations of a contract sets the tone of that relationship moving forward. If the negotiations take too long, you look like a company that is difficult to do business with. It could risk the deal. People are the most cooperative prior to a signature. If you present poorly early, it makes prospective customers nervous for what the future holds.The question to ask yourself is: if I brought a contract management solution into my company, how much positive impact would that have on our revenue?A contract management solution can have a significant impact to even the most basic business issues.Including:Where is the contract?What are the obligations within the agreement?When does it renew?Some contracts are on paper, while others are electronic. Both need to be managed. Before you decide on a contract management solution, ask yourself the following questions:Does everyone who needs access have access?Who manages the commitments within the agreement? &amp;nbsp;Is there a process to this or does it rely on one person?Who tracks the renewal? &amp;nbsp;Is an opportunity created? &amp;nbsp;Is someone working with the client to make sure it renews?These questions arent always easily answered. Then the harder, introspective questions are:How easy are we to do business with? &amp;nbsp;Are we showing partnership ?Are we pushing clients away?Are we putting our company at risk due to compliance violations?&quot;Contract approval time drops an average of 82% with the use of a Contract Management solution,&quot;&amp;nbsp;as stated by Aberdeen. So the real question isWhat are you waiting for?&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 15 May 2015 13:43:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_is_contract_lifecycle_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-15T13:43:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 benefits to growing your business with contract management software and CPQ</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_best</link>
        <description>As an account executive at SpringCM, I spend a lot of my time speaking with customers about integrating&amp;nbsp;configure price quote (CPQ) with contract&amp;nbsp;lifecycle&amp;nbsp;management (CLM). Companies have spent the past few years focusing heavily on the initial stages of a sales cycle, ensuring that the buyer's journey moves seamlessly between lead generation, nurturing and hand_off to sales. However, I'm beginning to notice more companies looking to invest in the back half of the sales process, when negotiations begin and where complicated processes like contract management and pricing are potentially slowing&amp;nbsp;deals down.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>As an account executive at SpringCM, I spend a lot of my time speaking with customers about integrating&amp;nbsp;configure price quote (CPQ) with contract&amp;nbsp;lifecycle&amp;nbsp;management (CLM). Companies have spent the past few years focusing heavily on the initial stages of a sales cycle, ensuring that the buyer's journey moves seamlessly between lead generation, nurturing and hand_off to sales. However, I'm beginning to notice more companies looking to invest in the back half of the sales process, when negotiations begin and where complicated processes like contract management and pricing are potentially slowing&amp;nbsp;deals down.&amp;nbsp;CPQ and CLM naturally complement one another as you can't have a final contract without pricing, and pricing means nothing&amp;nbsp;without a signed contract. Additionally, there are three key benefits I've found to using both during the back half of your sales process: visibility, sales efficiency&amp;nbsp;and growth.&amp;nbsp;1. Increased deal visibilityCPQ offers better visibility into pricing changes, giving sales leadership peace of mind when it comes to sales reps giving one_off allowances to customers unwilling to commit to a more standard pricing structure, but that only provides so much insight into the overall contract lifecycle. Pricing is absorbed into CLM&amp;nbsp;once it's memorialized by a formal contract sent out for review, and without contract management software in place, all visibility into the lifecycle of that contract is lost. If you install a CLM solution along with CPQ, you are able to see changes made to that contract beyond the pricing, leading to more accurate forecasting and a more holistic view of what it takes for your company to close deals. With CPQ alone, you can see how much revenue you stand to generate or lose in a given quarter, but add on CLM and you can see exactly where your bottlenecks are and take steps to help deals along.&amp;nbsp;2. A more efficient&amp;nbsp;sales processAccording to Gartner, sales reps spend less than 45% of their time actually selling. This isn't necessarily news to anyone who has spent time shoring up the front end of their sales process with marketing automation, CRM and sales enablement solutions, however, when you consider that 18% of a sales cycle is spent in the contract and negotiation stage, you have to wander how much efficiency is being lost during these conversations and tasks. Having the combination of CPQ and CLM increases speed to contract and allows you to fully realize the benefit of CPQ teeing up the right product and price mix. Sales reps will spend less time tweaking contracts and chasing down legal, and more time adding deals to the pipeline.&amp;nbsp;3. Scalable growth&amp;nbsp;More business is a necessity for growing your company. Unfortunately, many companies plan to grow without putting the necessary processes and systems in place. Whether you're a transactional organization or a company selling complex, B2B solutions, your growth will be hindered by bottlenecks&amp;nbsp;during&amp;nbsp;the contract and pricing stage of the sales cycle. A benefit to CPQ and CLM software&amp;nbsp;is that workflow automation allows them to scale with your company as it grows. If you're forcing sales reps and legal teams to reinvent the wheel with every new deal, you'll spend more time adding headcount than closing new business. Combining CPQ with CLM allows companies to do more with less, and to grow at the desired rate.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Another bonus consideration is your foundational system integration. What software are you already using to enable your sales team? Consider checking out our blog that walks through the benefits of native v. non_native Salesforce applications.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;Image source:&amp;nbsp;Craig Sunter _ Thanx 2 Million ;_))&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 19 May 2015 20:34:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_best</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-19T20:34:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 ways to eliminate bottlenecks with contract lifecycle management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/ways_to_eliminate_contract_bottlenecks_with_contract_lifecycle_management</link>
        <description>A bottleneck is anything that is preventing or slowing the process of getting a contract fully executed. These can include:Time to find and fill out a contract appropriately, which can result&amp;nbsp;in added cycles when information is incorrect.Time spent in the approval process consisting of emailing attachmentsNo visibility into the status of the contractNo ability to &amp;ldquo;push&amp;rdquo; people to complete tasks, so contracts can be forgotten in the mix.As a salesperson, I&amp;rsquo;ve definitely experienced my fair share of contract bottlenecks. Admittedly, the bottleneck has been, at times, me. From manually generating a contract to editing mistakes on my end and securing the signature.Now that we&amp;rsquo;re using our own product internally, the bottlenecks on our end are now streamlined, but I still have the out_of_my_hands factors like the contract sitting in my customers&amp;rsquo; inbox, waiting for approval. &amp;nbsp;The good news is, with a few changes, it&amp;rsquo;s possible to eliminate bottlenecks.</description>
        <content:encoded>A bottleneck is anything that is preventing or slowing the process of getting a contract fully executed. These can include:Time to find and fill out a contract appropriately, which can result&amp;nbsp;in added cycles when information is incorrect.Time spent in the approval process consisting of emailing attachmentsNo visibility into the status of the contractNo ability to push people to complete tasks, so contracts can be forgotten in the mix.As a salesperson, Ive definitely experienced my fair share of contract bottlenecks. Admittedly, the bottleneck has been, at times, me. From manually generating a contract to editing mistakes on my end and securing the signature.Now that were using our own product internally, the bottlenecks on our end are now streamlined, but I still have the out_of_my_hands factors like the contract sitting in my customers inbox, waiting for approval. &amp;nbsp;The good news is, with a few changes, its possible to eliminate bottlenecks.3 ways to eliminate bottlenecks with contract lifecycle managementIdentify your challenges (bottlenecks) and areas where automation would help.Challenges might include:Getting a contract out takes too long, or has too many steps.Getting a contract approved takes too long and involves many versions of a document being emailed around.Salesperson is spending too much time on admin work, or 1_2 person operations or legal team managing too much and become, themselves, a bottleneck due to not enough hours in the day.Define a strategy, vision and requirements.In my initial conversations with a prospect I ask: What do you need to fix? &amp;nbsp;What issues/challenges exist because of how you do things today? What does the perfect solution for you look like? And where is automation needed?My most successful customers are the ones who say, Weve defined our process. We know a contract will get approved by x,y,z before it goes out. If you already have that defined, we just need to figure out how long that will take and get it going.Others dont have a process figured out. They say, We know something is broken. Guide us. Thats fine too, but itll be easier and faster the more thought that has been put into your process and where you ID bottleneck areas. The whole point of automation is the standardization of a process. The more standard you make your process, the more we can tweak things to make it &amp;nbsp;even more efficient.Implement a central repository thats organized and searchable.Its essential to find the easiest, most accurate way to find and send contracts out. The central repository, which is a part of best_in_class contract lifecycle management tools, is huge. Among other things, it ensures that you avoid sending out old contracts and everyone is working on the current version. Everyone knows the one place to go for the right document.After a deal is closed, a central repository helps when you also need to find what has been agreed to. E.g., If your finance or legal team needs to reference a contract. Without a central repository, youll run in to situations where a salesperson is storing a contract on their desktop or in email, which can make it nearly impossible to find. &amp;nbsp;This can become a bottleneck in another important process: getting paid.&amp;nbsp;At the end of the day, its essential to enforce your new strategy. Train your team and really make sure that theyre following through on all that youve outlined.Bottlenecks can be avoided. It just takes some front end work and automation with a good contract lifecycle management tool.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 20 May 2015 18:53:37 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/ways_to_eliminate_contract_bottlenecks_with_contract_lifecycle_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-20T18:53:37Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Security Best Practices for Contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_security_best_practices_for_contracts</link>
        <description>Everyone knows that contract security is important, but why? When I talk to customers they typically have two main desires.First, they&amp;rsquo;re concerned with document level security. They need to ensure that the right people have access to the right documents _ and quickly. On the flip side, they want to make sure the wrong people (both internal and external) can&amp;rsquo;t get to documents that they shouldn&amp;rsquo;t see.The next desire is more system level. They&amp;rsquo;re most often concerned with what will happen if one of the data centers hosting their contracts goes down. A best_in_class contract management solution will have redundancy. That is, they&amp;rsquo;ll have more than one data center in case one goes down. An added layer of security is to also have a third party backup system. &amp;nbsp;Aside from using a system that prioritizes security, what can you to ensure your contracts are secure?</description>
        <content:encoded>Everyone knows that contract security is important, but why? When I talk to customers they typically have two main desires.First, theyre concerned with document level security. They need to ensure that the right people have access to the right documents _ and quickly. On the flip side, they want to make sure the wrong people (both internal and external) cant get to documents that they shouldnt see.The next desire is more system level. Theyre most often concerned with what will happen if one of the data centers hosting their contracts goes down. A best_in_class contract management solution will have redundancy. That is, theyll have more than one data center in case one goes down. An added layer of security is to also have a third party backup system. &amp;nbsp;Aside from using a system that prioritizes security, what can you to ensure your contracts are secure?5 security best practices for contracts&amp;nbsp;Implement document level security: I mentioned this above, but its worth repeating. Ensure that you give the right people access to the contracts they need. Conversely, make sure youre protecting documents that shouldnt been seen by certain parties.Use a tool thats secure: Mitigate the risk of a man in the middle attack. Data should be encrypted when its sitting in repository and when its in transit.Dont email contracts: Encryption is sometimes not enabled by default on email clients, so theres always a risk there. Another risk is email parties are free to forward docs. If you can forward a document how secure is it? With email back and forth, theres usually a risk or losing the audit trail and latest version. Its very hard to keep everything controlled and secure when using email.Automate permission assignment: As a contract goes through a workflow, a tool that has automated permission assignment can change the permissions around the contract automatically. E.g., Once the contract is approved and worked on by legal, sales gets a higher permission level. Having that dynamic permission makes it safer, so someone cannot pull the trigger too fast.Make sure youre using a tool thats meant to manage contracts: If youre trying to shoehorn a CRM system, youre not going to have the level of control that you would for an app that was built specifically to manage contracts and documents. You will have very little control over what can be done from a management perspective.What steps are you taking to ensure your contracts  and ultimately your company and your customers  are protected?</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 22 May 2015 14:20:56 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_security_best_practices_for_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-22T14:20:56Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract Lifecycle Management Software Pricing: What's the Most Inexpensive</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_lifecycle_management_software_pricing_whats_the_most_inexpensive</link>
        <description>Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) is the proactive, methodical management of a contract. CLM software is a tool that helps automate that process.When evaluating tools, price is always a topic of conversation and purchasing the most inexpensive CLM software isn&amp;rsquo;t always the best option.When you reach 5_10 people involved in the contract process, you&amp;rsquo;re ready. That could mean 5_10 sellers, or five salespeople, one legal, and a sales operations person, etc. Look for contract management technology that is affordable, can be implemented in record speed, and offers significant time savings and productivity increases almost overnight.</description>
        <content:encoded>Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) is the proactive, methodical management of a contract. CLM software is a tool that helps automate that process.When evaluating tools, price is always a topic of conversation and purchasing the most inexpensive CLM software isnt always the best option.When you reach 5_10 people involved in the contract process, youre ready. That could mean 5_10 sellers, or five salespeople, one legal, and a sales operations person, etc. Look for contract management technology that is affordable, can be implemented in record speed, and offers significant time savings and productivity increases almost overnight.Top 4 Most Inexpensive CLM Software OptionsMicrosoft Word and Email: This is the free option that is most often used. Be warned, it comes with risks from lack of security and control to no central repository. The loss in productivity and security is often more costly than the free price tag.TinderBox: A sales productivity suite that generates and delivers proposals, presentations, quotes, RFPs and contracts, TinderBox enables you to control proposal and contract creation.eSignature: While eSignature solutions like DocuSign are not full contract lifecycle management solutions, this stand alone product enables your team to automate a tiny but important sliver of the contract process  securing the signature. With a solution like DocuSign, youre able to sign and send documents anytime, anywhere, on any device. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Trident: With an &amp;nbsp;la carte approach to contract management, businesses are able to select tools and services that fit their particular contract management needs. They offer a central repository, automation and more.Before you make a purchase decision, whether its inexpensive or requires more of an investment, you need to evaluate the true cost. It goes way beyond the subscription license&amp;nbsp;fees and the pro services, and you must consider the costs associated with people over time, dedicated staff, troubleshooting and costs to update and modify as your processes change over time.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 26 May 2015 18:12:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_lifecycle_management_software_pricing_whats_the_most_inexpensive</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-26T18:12:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>11 Key Benefits and Risks of SaaS Contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/key_benefits_and_risks_of_saas_contracts</link>
        <description>This post&amp;nbsp;is the first in a two_part series. It will briefly address some of the principal benefits to users&amp;nbsp;of cloud_based, Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, as well as some of the key business and legal risks to corporate users. The second&amp;nbsp;post&amp;nbsp;will discuss how these risks are typically and fairly&amp;nbsp;addressed during negotiations between cloud software providers and customers. The issues are frequently very complex, but understanding them and properly and reasonably allocating risk between the customer and the cloud provider are critical to arriving at a satisfactory and sustainable agreement.</description>
        <content:encoded>This post&amp;nbsp;is the first in a two_part series. It will briefly address some of the principal benefits to users&amp;nbsp;of cloud_based, Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, as well as some of the key business and legal risks to corporate users. The second&amp;nbsp;post&amp;nbsp;will discuss how these risks are typically and fairly&amp;nbsp;addressed during negotiations between cloud software providers and customers. The issues are frequently very complex, but understanding them and properly and reasonably allocating risk between the customer and the cloud provider are critical to arriving at a satisfactory and sustainable agreement.A Rapid Ascent to the CloudThere is little doubt that the enterprise software&amp;nbsp;paradigm shift away from on_premise to remotely hosted cloud applications has been remarkably rapid. Its clear to me that the benefits and risks to companies operating their key IT systems in the cloud are much better understood today by sophisticated buyers, their IT departments and their attorneys than they were just a few years ago.&amp;nbsp;First, in summary fashion, some of the benefits and risks of cloud_based applications (see, generally, Salesforce, Benefits of SaaS, http://www.salesforce.com/saas/benefits_of_saas/):Benefits of SaaS Applications for the CustomerReduces the customers need for dedicated, internal IT resources  personnel and hardware. Instead, the customer subscribes, typically on an annual basis, to the right to use the providers cloud computing infrastructure and applications on a shared basis with the providers other customers.Potentially quicker deployment. Theres no need for the core software applications to be installed in the customers computing environment. Instead, they reside or are hosted in in the vendors cloud environment. (Still, some configuration of the application may be necessary to optimize it for the customers business.)Lower initial acquisition costs. The customer does not need to pay a large up_front license fee for a traditional perpetual, non_exclusive license to the software. SaaS applications are typically licensed on a subscription basis with an annual subscription/license fee. Over time, however, subscription costs may exceed the up_front license fee required in a traditional installed software model.No maintenance releases or patches to install. Updates, upgrades, enhancements, bug fixes, etc., are made across the entire code base hosted by the vendor and apply to all customers. Often the subscription license fee includes this maintenance. However, technical support services will frequently require an additional charge. In the traditional installed software model, combined maintenance and technical support services can cost between 15_20% of the aggregate software license fee annually.Scalability. There is no need to purchase additional hardware as the customers needs grow, but the customer may need to purchase additional computing capacity from the provider, e.g., bandwidth, data storage, etc.Reliability. Cloud vendors typically will commit to a service level agreement guaranteeing at least 99.5 and frequently 99.9% uptime/availability (subject to force majeure, including Internet outages) and other exceptions.Data security. Given the importance of customers concerns regarding the security of their data when it resides off_site (not to mention customers legal obligations with respect to confidential information, personally identifiable information and sometimes protected health information under HIPAA, reputable SaaS vendors will frequently provide potentially more robust data security than the customer would itself  this is particularly the case where the customer is a smaller company without deep IT resources, staff, controls or expertise.&amp;nbsp;Business and Legal Risks of SaaS Applications for the CustomerData Security and Privacy. The customers critical proprietary and confidential data will reside and be processed in the providers cloud_based infrastructure. While not limited to commercial cloud vendors, data breaches or unauthorized or illegal system intrusions resulting from malicious or criminal activity, hacking, data theft, espionage (whether by competitors, criminals, insiders, cyber_terrorists, governments and other groups of misfits) or negligence (employee or contractor mistakes) occur with alarming frequency.Availability of the Hosted Application (Uptime Commitment). If a critical SaaS application is unavailable, the customers business operations can be significantly impaired. (SaaS vendor will typically agree to make the application available and accessible at least 99.5% of the time 24x7x365, subject to certain exceptions for e.g., routine maintenance, Internet outages, etc.).Bankruptcy or Insolvency of the Cloud Provider. If the customer cant access or process its critical data because its cloud software provider has gone dark or is out of business, thered better be a backup or disaster recovery plan in place to get access to the data to mitigate the harm.Compliance with Increasingly Stringent Data Security, Breach Notification and Privacy Laws and Regulations. As of January, 2015, according to The National Conference of State Legislatures (see http://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications_and_information_technology/security_breach_notification_laws.aspx), all but 3 states in the U.S. (Alabama, New Mexico, and South Dakota) have data breach notification laws. If personally identifiable information (PII) is provided by individuals, e.g., consumers, to a company which processes that data in the cloud, and a breach in the security of the cloud providers environment results in unauthorized or unintentional disclosure of the PII of those individuals, the company, i.e., the cloud providers customer, will be responsible for notifying those affected under applicable breach notification laws. In addition, U.S._based multinational companies having facilities in the EU which process the PII (personal data) of EU citizens, will need to conform their data security processes and standards to EU data security requirements  and ensure that their cloud software providers can meet those requirements. The legal and regulatory environment in the area of data privacy is very fluid, but cloud software customers (and providers) should expect more stringent and rigorous requirements.Eric S. Freibrun runs a legal practice focused on I.T./software/cloud/Internet transactions and intellectual property protection  representing software and SaaS vendors and their corporate user customers. He has over 30 years software and I.T. transactional experience; former in_house I.P. and transactional counsel for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Eric has been in private practice since 1992. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 28 May 2015 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/key_benefits_and_risks_of_saas_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-28T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>7 Tips for Saving Time on Contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/7_tips_for_saving_time_on_contracts</link>
        <description>As a Business Development Representative at SpringCM, I help drive new business opportunities by educating prospects about the contract management space. I look to identify bottlenecks and frustrations associated with business process.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a Business Development Representative at SpringCM, I help drive new business opportunities by educating prospects about the contract management space. I look to identify bottlenecks and frustrations associated with business process.Having talked to hundreds of prospects, Ive heard all types of contract management issues  one of the biggest issues being the time it takes to fully execute a contract. Every company's business process is different, and I hear multiple contract execution times, but the most common number is three weeks.Salespeople are spending too much time on administrative work, related to contracts, and not enough time selling. Time is crucial to any salesperson, and I believe we should treat spending time the same way we spend money.Here are 7 tips for saving time on contractsCentralize one place for all contracts to live: Having a central repository makes it easy for anyone from any department to find contracts. Typically a company will use a shared drive or local drive, and contracts live on laptops or computers. It can be a time suck if youre storing a contract and cant remember where you put it. Other potential risks include storing the contract in email and employee turnover. If theres no central repository and someone leaves your company, it can be nearly impossible to find a contract. &amp;nbsp;Define your contract workflow: Make sure you know and identify everyone involved in your contract process, and understand how contracts are routed through departments. Understanding everyone involved in process and what their roles are makes it easy to understand what to do to automate the approval process, thus saving time. &amp;nbsp;Automate your approval process: When documents are automatically routed through your organization, you are eliminating the back and forth of email. You also hold your team accountable for completing tasks. With a good CLM solution, this process can all be tied to your CRM, so your sales team doesnt have to use multiple tools.Keep an audit trail: If any questions are raised after negotiations have been made, you are able to refer back to things like redlines and revisions.Organize contracts by status: How many contracts you generated per month? How many contracts are out for approval? Knowing how many contracts you have generated, how many are out approval, and how many have been executed can help you with forecasting. Take it one step further by creating dashboards to display those numbers.Track Renewals: Instead of going into each contract manually, automatically display whats up for renewal with a good CLM tool.Use eSignature: Eliminate the scanning and uploading of a document after a wet signature. eSignature should integrate seamlessly with your contract management software.Time enables salespeople to create more opportunities for their company and for their own livelihood. Whether its more time for sales calls and meetings or time with family and friends, more time equals happiness.Your turn: What are your tips for saving time on contracts? Share in the comments below! &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 29 May 2015 14:46:54 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/7_tips_for_saving_time_on_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-May-29T14:46:54Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Getting your ducks in a row: How to manage compliance in the contract process</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/getting_your_ducks_in_a_row_how_to_manage_compliance_in_the_contract_process</link>
        <description>&quot;[Compliance is]&amp;nbsp;the process of adhering to policies and decisions. Policies can be derived from internal directives, procedures and requirements, or from external laws, regulations, standards and agreements.&quot; _ Gartner</description>
        <content:encoded>&quot;[Compliance is]&amp;nbsp;the process of adhering to policies and decisions. Policies can be derived from internal directives, procedures and requirements, or from external laws, regulations, standards and agreements.&quot; _ GartnerCompliance begins with process changeWhen do internal directives, procedures or requirements get enforced or get changed in an organization? Processes change in response to issues or opportunities. For examples, bottlenecks in contract approval process can occur when managers are asked to make decision about contracts without complete information, which can slow turnaround time and delay closing deals. . In other cases, new process automation technology enables the enforcement of business logic, including routing and decision rules, to ensure consistent decision_making.How to create&amp;nbsp;a compliant contract processBuild a Contract Process, that, measures all the raw data from which one can extrapolate the process bottlenecks from and, more importantly, gives the baseline metrics from which the process could be improved.How long does it take for a contract process to completeHow long does a particular step in a contract process take to completeHow often is complete data available/unavailableHow to improve your compliant contract processOnce you have the baseline metrics, analyze the metrics for bottlenecks/improvements and identify the optimal threshold for any of the key metrics that you are measuring.Why does Joe from Legal always take twice the amount of time to review the contact than Jane from Legal?When the contract involves an SOW, why does it result in a 50% spike of the overall turnaround time?With the process data, the process admin can make data_driven decisions to incentivize users to adopt, thereby be compliant from a contract process standpoint.Managing compliance against external laws, regulations, standards and agreementsRunning a business is hard enough and it gets worse. For instance, when you get penalized by the government/agency for not adhering to rules and regulations or failing to comply with them on time. Additionally, when you violate an agreement with other organizations. Here are two examples of government initiated regulations or laws happening this year:In the Healthcare industry, the 30 year old ICD_9 codes are replaced with ICD_10 codes so providers, payers and clearinghouses are required to upgrade to the new codes to remain compliant under HIPAA.Illinois drivers licenses and ID cards might not be good enough to fly next yearTo protect your organization from laws/regulations and, at the same time, to prepare and adopt quickly, there are some basic aspects of the contracts you should always keep track of:What is the type of contract?Is the contract on a legally approved template?What is the templates version number?When was the template approved?Who approved the template?Who owns the contract?Who and which companies signed the contract (internally and externally)?When was the contract signed?Who modified the contract?Who has access to the contract?When does the contract expire?What is the contract worth?On whose paper is the contract?Once you know the basic information about your contracts from the attributes listed above, you can get creative with what more you want to track at a contract level. Examples of additional details one can track on contracts:Riders and amendments to standard contractsSales Discounts and PromotionsContracts with oneoff clausesGoverning Law on the contractRenewal InformationProduct or Services sold under the contractCompanies must change to meet compliance standardsPolicies for Compliance, be it internal or external, create change. If an organization can prepare for change, anticipate these changes and proactively implement Contract processes for these changes, then it helps in realizing the strategic benefits (or) in staying ahead of competition (or) in being at least compliant.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 01 Jun 2015 20:21:45 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/getting_your_ducks_in_a_row_how_to_manage_compliance_in_the_contract_process</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-01T20:21:45Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Essential Reminders for Your Documents and Contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_essential_reminders_for_your_documents_and_contracts</link>
        <description>How many times have you started a sentence with &amp;ldquo;Remind me to&amp;hellip;&amp;rdquo; in the past week? If you&amp;rsquo;re like me, it&amp;rsquo;s probably a lot. Our jobs ask us to juggle competing demands and stay on top of a growing pile of details, often while we work across desks and devices. The fact is, we have so much to remember that we&amp;rsquo;d go crazy if we didn&amp;rsquo;t get some help.</description>
        <content:encoded>How many times have you started a sentence with Remind me to in the past week? If youre like me, its probably a lot. Our jobs ask us to juggle competing demands and stay on top of a growing pile of details, often while we work across desks and devices. The fact is, we have so much to remember that wed go crazy if we didnt get some help.Reminders work like an alarm on your document. Just apply a reminder to a document and an email will automatically be sent to anyone who needs an alert that there is some new action to take. Deceptively simple, but exceptionally powerful.Here are essential reminders for your documents and contracts.Keep track of important dates with Obligation Management Contract documents have become increasingly detailed and provide a lot information on the relationship between your company and your client. In addition to terms, they often outline obligations, milestones and invoicing schedules. Reminders can offer a way for all of these dates to be easily tracked and observed.Set expiration datesMany documents apply to an agreement or terms that are only valid until a certain date. Since this date is often years after the agreement was signed, it is challenging to make sure your changing team is aware of an upcoming expiration. Ive heard stories of admins chained to excel spreadsheets that they have to constantly update and review as contracts get signed. Not only is this often unreliable, its a lot of work!Reminders make tracking and reporting on expiration dates a breeze. Just apply an expiration reminder date and an automated email can be sent on the date of expiration or even kick off a workflow to automate renewals.Track 30, 60 and 90_day renewalsRenewal reminders go hand_in_hand with expiration dates. Theyre a great way to nudge users when its time to start thinking about renewing an agreement. Many people set reminders that increase in intensity as they approach the expiration date. You can schedule emails to remind team members about the upcoming renewal, or use workflow to generate a renewal agreement.Manage document retention policiesDocument retention policies have become a hot_topic in our increasingly digital, highly_litigious world. Having a solid protocol on when to eradicate documents that contain sensitive information, reduces legal risk and helps keep your repository organized. &amp;nbsp;But a little like my junk drawer, its hard to remember to throw something away when you havent seen it for three years. Schedule document reminders that trigger destruction processes, ensuring that your documents stay safe when you need them and are destroyed when the time is right.Stay on top of out_of_date marketing collateralMarketing collateral can be a lot like groceries. It looks great when you first put it on the shelf, but you might get nasty surprise if you open it up a year later. Reminders offer an easy way to keep things fresh, by sending a nudge to your marketing team when its time to retire or update new collateral. If it saves you from opening up even one presentation with 2014 plastered on the title slide, its worth it. &amp;nbsp;Your turn: Do you use any of these reminders? Or is there a reminder that we havent listed here? Share in the comments below! &amp;nbsp;Image source: Kate Ter Haar on Flickr  //  </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 02 Jun 2015 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_essential_reminders_for_your_documents_and_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-02T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to Use Contracts to Make Revenue Predictable</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_use_contracts_to_make_revenue_predictable</link>
        <description>As Chief Revenue Officer, my primary job is to build out and lead our teams, made up of setters, closers, customer relationship managers, SEs and alliance managers for both the direct channel and partner network here at SpringCM. I&amp;rsquo;m the guy that has to grow revenue significantly, year over year.I think sales organizations that aren&amp;rsquo;t looking to operationalize every aspect of their business will get left behind. Contract management is no exception.</description>
        <content:encoded>As Chief Revenue Officer, my primary job is to build out and lead our teams, made up of setters, closers, customer relationship managers, SEs and alliance managers for both the direct channel and partner network here at SpringCM. Im the guy that has to grow revenue significantly, year over year.I think sales organizations that arent looking to operationalize every aspect of their business will get left behind. Contract management is no exception.5 Tips for Using Contracts to Make Revenue Predictable Manage the customer experience: In many ways, this is the first impression of the customer relationship. The entire process  from the start of the contract to the signature and beyond  should be simple. It should be a frictionless experience for your customer.Keep your closers closing: In order to keep your sales team selling and away from burdensome administrative work, there should be an easy button for contract management. It should be easy to create the contract, move it around internally and externally for approval, negotiate it, and get it signed and returned for safe record keeping.Trigger contract renewals: Renewals are just incredibly important for predicting revenue. Contract management doesnt stop at the signature. Keep an archived record around customer obligations, delivery and timelines, and of course automatic reminders for renewals.Contracts should be mobile: I travel about 80% of the time. From my smartphone and Apple Watch, I have visibility into the contracts in motion. I can see where any contract is in process, who needs to approve it next _ whether its internal or with a customer _ and a list of deals in review. That on_the_go view enables me to forecast with precision and confidence.Your contract management software should integrate with your CRM: Every touch that occurs in a contract lifecycle should be tracked, measured and fed back into your CRM for reporting and analytics. A contract process is operating at optimal capacity when fully integrated with the CRM.Todays sales landscape is different Heads of sales who dont outfit their sellers with process, guidance and tools are doing them a disservice. A great example of a company doing it right is my friends at InsideSales.com. They have one of the most effective and mechanized selling operations Ive ever seen. They provide process, training and technology to enable their salespeople to compete  ultimately making their entire process _ from contract to close _ incredibly predictable.Your turn: Do you use contracts to make revenue predictable at your company? Share in the comments below!Image Source:&amp;nbsp;Christian Schnettelker on Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 03 Jun 2015 15:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_use_contracts_to_make_revenue_predictable</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-03T15:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Review of the Best Salesforce e_Signature Vendors</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_salesforce_esignature_vendors</link>
        <description>As a Business Development Representative at SpringCM, on a daily basis, I talk with dozens of professionals who are looking to solve a contract management need. Whether it&amp;rsquo;s something that involves their entire contract lifecycle, or it&amp;rsquo;s something more specific like eSignature, we discuss their challenges and how contract management software can address those challenges.If the person I&amp;rsquo;m speaking with uses Salesforce, the AppExchange inevitably comes up in our conversation. And while the AppExchange is a great resource, it can be overwhelming &amp;mdash; especially when it comes to eSignature vendors.So when discussing Salesforce eSignature vendors, I typically bring up these five to help my prospects narrow down the search:</description>
        <content:encoded>As a Business Development Representative at SpringCM, on a daily basis, I talk with dozens of professionals who are looking to solve a contract management need. Whether its something that involves their entire contract lifecycle, or its something more specific like eSignature, we discuss their challenges and how contract management software can address those challenges.If the person Im speaking with uses Salesforce, the AppExchange inevitably comes up in our conversation. And while the AppExchange is a great resource, it can be overwhelming  especially when it comes to eSignature vendors.So when discussing Salesforce eSignature vendors, I typically bring up these five to help my prospects narrow down the search:CudaSignCudaSign will automatically add Salesforce data to documents, send from custom object, quotes, plus Notes &amp;amp; Attachments. &amp;nbsp;A feature CudaSign includes is the drag and drop interface, which effortlessly turns a range of different file types into eSignature ready documents. &amp;nbsp;They then get sent for a single or multiple eSignatures in a specific folder. &amp;nbsp;SertifiCompanies choose to use Sertifi because of the innovative, personal one_on_one customer support and to close deals fast with an integrated eSignature and PCI payment solution. By using Sertifi, customers have the&amp;nbsp;ability to work directly in Salesforce in order to send agreements for signatures, get real_time updates and view signed agreements in Opportunity or Salesforce objects. &amp;nbsp;Built completely Native on the force.com platform, it has native integrations with Zuora, Conga, Drawloop, and many more. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;DocuSignDocuSigns mobile application allows individuals to access documents from Saleforce with the ability of an on_the_go signature. &amp;nbsp;When customers are able to connect their Saleforce account they are given access to any documents including Accounts, Cases, Contracts or Opportunities. &amp;nbsp;RightSignatureRightSignature has the ability to send documents for eSignature straight from Salesforce Opportunities and Contracts. Additionally, customers can see real_time status updates (viewed or signed) in Salesforce. &amp;nbsp;oDesk, SurveyMonkey, Alfresco, SecondMarket, Wedbush, New Relic, and Disqus are just a few of the many successful companies use RightSignature. &amp;nbsp;eSign service from Adobe, Formerly EchoSignAdobes Document Cloud eSign service assists users in sending, signing, tracking, and filing contracts quickly and securely. &amp;nbsp;With Salesforce1, all of these features can be done through a mobile device. &amp;nbsp;Currently, there are over 40,000 organizations using Adobe Document Cloud eSign services.As I mentioned earlier, researching the best Salesforce&amp;nbsp;eSignature vendors on the AppExchange can be overwhelming. There are many more vendors we could highlight here, but hopefully this short list will give you jumpstart on your research. If you have any questions or comments about any eSignature vendor, dont hesitate to contact us directly or leave a comment below. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 08 Jun 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_review_of_the_best_salesforce_esignature_vendors</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-08T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to convince your boss you need contract lifecycle management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_convince_your_boss_you_need_contract_lifecycle_management</link>
        <description>As an Account Executive here at SpringCM, my job is to help prospects with their contract lifecycle management problems. It really comes down to do they have pain points in the contract management process? And can we help solve those issues?Typically, the most productive conversations I have are when I&amp;rsquo;m talking to a person who is most responsible for the contract management process and they&amp;rsquo;re able to say, &amp;ldquo;Well, here&amp;rsquo;s where George struggles in the process.&amp;rdquo;</description>
        <content:encoded>As an Account Executive here at SpringCM, my job is to help prospects with their contract lifecycle management problems. It really comes down to do they have pain points in the contract management process? And can we help solve those issues?Typically, the most productive conversations I have are when Im talking to a person who is most responsible for the contract management process and theyre able to say, Well, heres where George struggles in the process.If youre convinced your company needs a contract management solution, but you need to convince others within your organization, here are a few tips:Interview sales reps, sales management or legal teams to see where they struggle the most during contracts. This goes back to what I mentioned earlier  the most productive conversations I have are when Im talking to a person who is able to say, Well, heres where George struggles in the process. Interviewing stakeholders will give you the ability to make informed statements like that.Come prepared with the pain points: Know the answer to the question, does this software solve that problem? If you come to our meeting knowing where your process is broken, where there are bottlenecks, etc., well likely be able to work together to sell the concept to others within your organization.Define specific areas where you struggle: Whether its around visibility, risk, compliance, efficiency, or all of the above, knowing specific areas where your company struggles in the process will help us define the need.By preparing on the front end, not only are you setting yourself up for a quicker decision_making process, youre laying a strong foundation for success as you roll out contract lifecycle management to your company. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 10 Jun 2015 15:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_convince_your_boss_you_need_contract_lifecycle_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-10T15:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>SpringCM's June 2015 Release: An Interview With VP Product Development</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/springcms_june_2015_release</link>
        <description>SpringCM's June 2015 Release is&amp;nbsp;set to go live tomorrow. I sat down with VP Product Development, Steven Jones, to get the skinny on all the changes our customers can expect to see.</description>
        <content:encoded>SpringCM's June 2015 Release is&amp;nbsp;set to go live tomorrow. I sat down with VP Product Development, Steven Jones, to get the skinny on all the changes our customers can expect to see.KG: How is this release different from the March Release? SJ: March represented a significant investment in the backend of the platform, in scale and performance. As a result, our end users did not see much in terms of frontend enhancements.With the bulk of that work behind us, we were able to return to those areas of our platform that our users work with every day. I am very pleased to see us make great progress on the mobile interfaces, for example.In March, we also released our brand new REST API which has been well_received. The early feedback from partners and customers has been outstanding, and we were able to iterate on that already in this release.KG: What are the new features that SpringCM users will notice? SJ: Our Salesforce users will see a huge improvement in how they access their documents from their mobile devices. Using Salesforce1 on mobile phones or tablets, they can quickly pull up contracts in motion, any related documents they are using to close deals, or respond to customer requests. That experience will only get better as we continue to invest in our mobile interfaces.We also overhauled an important feature called Document Reminders. This is being used by our customers to better manage any and all document_specific events. So if a contract gets signed today, you can automatically set_up reminders to notify responsible parties 30, 60, and 90 days before the renewal date. You can also set_up reminders around important contractual milestones or to manage obligations in the contract. Its quite powerful.As with every release, we also continue to improve the end user experience whether theyre working with documents in folders, with web forms, with tasks in their workflow inbox, with reports on dashboards or even searching across their repository.KG: What are some of the backend things that users wont notice?SJ: Between March and June, we made a significant overhaul to our data center. We now have much faster hardware to drive our product performance.Also, with the June 2015 Release, all Adobe Document Cloud e_sign Services (formerly EchoSign) customers and DocuSign customers will see a noticeable performance improvement in the eSignature_related steps of their contracts. Additionally, SpringCM is able to report more detailed information about the status of outstanding eSignature requests.KG: Can you give us any hints regarding whats to come in the next Release?SJ: Were really excited about a new mobile application we call Track It for Deal Visibility, that well be launching with the July Release. Track It gives all parties the visibility they need into the contract approval process. Right from the desktop or by using Salesforce1 on a mobile device, users can quickly determine what documents are holding up a deal and even take steps to unblock stalled approval workflows.Additionally, well be launching an updated External Review feature that completely eliminates email attachments. We heard over and over from customers that they struggle with completing round trip contract negotiations with their end users, because email attachments are cumbersome and error prone. So we worked with our customers over the past six months to rethink the entire approach. In July, well deliver a much easier way for all parties to review and approve contracts and other documents without the need to attach documents to emails.Look for more innovations like this from SpringCM in the months ahead as we combine our decade worth of cloud_based document management expertise with direct customer research and testing.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 12 Jun 2015 15:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/springcms_june_2015_release</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-12T15:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to Negotiate Key Issues in SaaS Contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_negotiate_key_issues_software_contracts</link>
        <description>This article supplements my recently posted article entitled, &amp;ldquo;11 Key Benefits and Risks of SaaS Contracts.&amp;rdquo; This time, I&amp;rsquo;ll address some ways SaaS (&amp;ldquo;software as a service,&amp;rdquo; cloud_based) software application providers and their customers can reasonably expect to contractually allocate some of the fundamental business and legal risks associated with use of a SaaS application. There are myriad issues involved in this complex topic, and where the parties end up in their written contract often depends on their relative bargaining power, negotiation skill and willingness to devote money, guns and lawyers (well, hopefully not guns) to the negotiation process.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>This article supplements my recently posted article entitled, 11 Key Benefits and Risks of SaaS Contracts. This time, Ill address some ways SaaS (software as a service, cloud_based) software application providers and their customers can reasonably expect to contractually allocate some of the fundamental business and legal risks associated with use of a SaaS application. There are myriad issues involved in this complex topic, and where the parties end up in their written contract often depends on their relative bargaining power, negotiation skill and willingness to devote money, guns and lawyers (well, hopefully not guns) to the negotiation process.&amp;nbsp;In my experience, the following topics frequently consume an inordinate amount of time in SaaS contract negotiations.What Level of Financial Liability Should the SaaS Vendor Have for a Data Breach?Many prospective SaaS customers view with trepidation the prospect of handing over physical control of their companys data to an off_site SaaS provider.1&amp;nbsp;It seems that every month we learn of a new large_scale data security breach, whether from cybercriminals, espionage, ineptitude or otherwise.2&amp;nbsp;There are many things a SaaS vendor can and should be expected to do to mitigate the risk of a data breach, e.g., appropriate personnel training, use of security technology such as encryption, multiple firewalls, intrusion detection systems, etc.,3&amp;nbsp;and third party review and certification of the adequacy of those measures.4&amp;nbsp;In addition, one might argue (and some industry commentators have5), that because SaaS providers have been required by the marketplace to implement robust, state_of_the_art security infrastructure in order to remain competitive and mitigate the risk of catastrophic data breaches, they are better equipped to protect and safeguard their customers data than their customers are.Nevertheless, in my experience, SaaS customers will frequently try to hold SaaS vendors fully (lawyers love this word when imposing an obligation on the other side, but not when it applies to their client, which is exactly how it should be) responsible and liable for any data loss, damage, intrusion, corruption, unintended disclosure or breach. From a contractual standpoint, this involves having the SaaS vendor accept liability for potentially enormous consequential damages resulting from any of the above. Consequential damages are foreseeable financial damages arising from the breach which may greatly exceed the amount the customer paid and the vendor received6.&amp;nbsp;Examples in the SaaS context would be the customers lost business or profit and the significant cost of notifying those affected by the data breach.SaaS vendors will generally not accept consequential damages liability if they wish to remain in business. Nor is it reasonable for a SaaS customer to expect them to (these same customers will typically not&amp;nbsp;accept consequential damages liability in their contracts with their own customers). If a SaaS vendor accepted full consequential damages liability, a single data breach affecting a single SaaS customer could put them out of business.&amp;nbsp;The customer should attempt to persuade the SaaS vendor to accept liability for direct damages from a data breach up to an agreed upon limit based on the overall value of the contract or a multiple thereof, e.g., 1.5x or 2x the amount the vendor is expected to be paid over an agreed upon time period. In addition, it is not unreasonable to expect that the SaaS vendor accept some consequential damages liability when the data breach results from the vendors gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Both parties should bear in mind that cyber_liability insurance is available to protect against those risks which a party is unable to contractually allocate to the other side.Availability of the SaaS Application (Uptime Commitment)The customer has a reasonable expectation that the SaaS application should be available and usable to the same degree it would be if installed in the customers on_premises computing environment. Apart from the issue of whether the application is working properly (which should be addressed by having appropriate performance warranties and remedies stated in the contract, as discussed below), if a critical SaaS application is unavailable, the customers operations can potentially be significantly impaired. The SaaS vendor should agree to make the application available and accessible at least 99.5% of the time 24x7x365. Most SaaS vendors will make this type of commitment, typically in what are called service level agreements (which are part of the overall SaaS contract) because the marketplace has demanded it7.&amp;nbsp;Customers should expect this commitment to be subject to routine maintenance outages (only during non_peak usage hours) and events outside the vendors control, such as general Internet outages and equipment failures not within the SaaS vendors environment. The contract should also obligate the vendor to provide fee credits in the event of failures to meet the availability commitment. Customers should attempt to include in the contract a death by a thousand cuts termination right, e.g., if the vendor fails to meet the availability commitment on three separate occasions during a two month period, this should constitute a material breach and entitle the customer to terminate and receive at least a prorated refund of the unused fees paid in advance.Application Performance WarrantyApart from the availability commitment discussed above, SaaS vendors will typically warrant that the hosted SaaS application will perform in all material respects (or substantially) in accordance with its applicable specifications or documentation, sometimes without limitation as to time when the customer is paying on an annual subscription basis8.&amp;nbsp;However, the remedy for breach can be quite limited, e.g., termination of the agreement if the applications performance does not meet the warranty and the vendor cannot correct it9.&amp;nbsp;In my view, the customer should reasonably expect that it should be entitled to a prorated refund of the unused portion of the subscription license fee for the remainder of the (typically annual) term or service period10 and, ideally, a refund for a portion of the fees paid prior to termination. Other vendors will limit their warranty to some period of time after either the commencement of the agreement or after discovery of the defect. Ninety days is typical and reasonable. Customers should consider attempting to obtain the right to a refund of&amp;nbsp;at least the entire service periods fees, if not more, given the hardship and expense associated with researching, selecting and switching to an alternate vendor. In addition, customers should seek to expand the vendors overall maximum liability to the total amount paid by&amp;nbsp;the customer over the period of the contract, as is frequently the case in a traditional installed software license agreement.This article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. If youd like to discuss any of the issues mentioned, please feel free to contact the author.Eric S. Freibrun runs a legal practice focused on I.T./software/cloud/Internet transactions and intellectual property protection  representing software and SaaS vendors and their corporate user customers. He has over 30 years software and I.T. transactional experience; former in_house I.P. and transactional counsel for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Eric has been in private practice since 1992.Image source:&amp;nbsp;Flazingo Photos&amp;nbsp;via FlickrSources:&amp;nbsp;[1] See Cloud Security: 6 Steps for Keeping Your Data Safe, Paul Gillin, CIO, June 2, 2015 _ http://www.cio.com/article/2929830/cloud_security/cloud_security_6_steps_for_keeping_your_data_safe.html, citing 20 of the Greatest Myths of Cloud Security, David Spark, CIO, May 13, 2015 _ http://www.cio.com/article/2922374/cloud_security/20_of_the_greatest_myths_of_cloud_security.html.[2] See, e.g., China Suspected in Massive Breach of Federal Personnel Data, New York Times, June 4, 2015 _ http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/06/04/us/politics/ap_us_government_hacked.html; Up to 1.1 Million Customers Could be Affected in Data Breach at Insurer CareFirst, New York Times, May 20, 2015 _ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/21/business/carefirst_discloses_data_breach_up_to_1_1_million_customers_affected.html?_r=0; Adult Dating Site Investigating Breach of User Data, New York Times, May 22, 2015 _ http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/05/22/technology/ap_us_tec_dating_site_hack.html.[3] See, e.g., Salesforce.com, inc., Security Overview _ http://www.trust.salesforce.com/trust/learn?tab=learn&amp;amp;title=Salesforce%20Trust%20_%20Learn.[4] See, e.g., Microsoft Security, Audits, and Certifications _ https://www.microsoft.com/online/legal/v2/en_us/MOS_PTC_Security_Audit.htm.[5] Ibid. Note 1.[6] See http://legal_dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Consequential+damages.[7] SAP offers a bit less, i.e., 99%: See Article 3.3 of General Terms and Conditions for SAP Cloud Services (for Indirect Sales) (US, English) v.9_2014  http://global.sap.com/corporate_en/our_company/agreements/north_america/agreements.epx. Microsoft offers a bit more,&amp;nbsp;i.e., 99.9%: See Sec. A_1 of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online Service Level Agreement (SLA) _ https://port.crm.dynamics.com/portal/static/1033/sla.htm.[8] See, e.g., Section 9.2, Master Subscription Agreement _ Salesforce.com and Article 7.1, General Terms and Conditions for SAP Cloud Services (for Indirect Sales) (US, English) v.9_2014  http://global.sap.com/corporate_en/our_company/agreements/north_america/agreements.epx.[9] See Article 7.1, General Terms and Conditions for SAP Cloud Services (for Indirect Sales) (US, English) v.9_2014  http://global.sap.com/corporate_en/our_company/agreements/north_america/agreements.epx.[10] See Section 12.3, Master Subscription Agreement _ Salesforce.com.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 15 Jun 2015 21:16:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_negotiate_key_issues_software_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-15T21:16:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>8 Ways to Improve Your Salesforce Instance</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/ways_to_improve_your_salesforce_instance</link>
        <description>As a Sales Operations Engineer here at SpringCM, I support the sales team with their use of Salesforce.com as a success tool. I have supported sales teams in the banking and education industries in addition to implementing Salesforce.com as an implementation partner at multiple organizations.During this varied experience, I have learned that developing a data model&amp;nbsp;goes far beyond just being able to produce reporting for management. You have to balance the user experience, the data structure, and common sense all while keeping system limitations in your side mirror. Understanding how Salesforce.com works out_of_the_box is the most valuable tool in your toolbox. That being said, there are an innumerable number of ways to improve and keep your Salesforce instance in tip_top shape. My goal is to inspire you to think about your instance and how you can improve it. &amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>As a Sales Operations Engineer here at SpringCM, I support the sales team with their use of Salesforce.com as a success tool. I have supported sales teams in the banking and education industries in addition to implementing Salesforce.com as an implementation partner at multiple organizations.During this varied experience, I have learned that developing a data model&amp;nbsp;goes far beyond just being able to produce reporting for management. You have to balance the user experience, the data structure, and common sense all while keeping system limitations in your side mirror. Understanding how Salesforce.com works out_of_the_box is the most valuable tool in your toolbox. That being said, there are an innumerable number of ways to improve and keep your Salesforce instance in tip_top shape. My goal is to inspire you to think about your instance and how you can improve it. &amp;nbsp;Here are some examples:&amp;nbsp;Don't build for the 20%: Designing/customizing your instance for a situation that happens 20% of the time or less is a sure_fire way to get yourself into trouble.&amp;nbsp;Think about the process that you are supporting, design for the spirit of the process and not for the edge cases. In the past I have seen &quot;useless&quot; checkbox and text fields that were created to deliver on a spur_of_the_moment requirement. You will end up with bad data, which leads to bad reporting, which leads to upset management, which leads to reconfiguration.Don't know the&amp;nbsp;process you are supporting? A sales process playbook will help. Working with your organization's sales management and marketing teams to create and enforce a sales process playbook that will enable you to create the supporting systems.Identify and collaborate with super users: In every organization you will find users that adopt faster than others and users that turn over every stone. Build a steering committee and review the system periodically. What is working well? Where can improvements be made? What is not working? What is working well?Cleanliness is next to godliness: Let's just say that keeping your data clean will help not just you, but your team, management and it will increase adoption. Why would a user adopt a system that has bad data?&amp;nbsp;Using tools such as JitterBit, Demand Tools etc. will make cleaning tasks a breeze.Hows your Palm Pilot&amp;nbsp;doing? Oh, you no longer&amp;nbsp;use that old technology?&amp;nbsp;You mean to say better solutions&amp;nbsp;have been developed? So have applications, processes and even Salesforce.com. You also have to innovate, change things up and keep up with the times. Remember the days when cross_object workflows were just a dream? Peruse the AppExchange and review new applications that can help you maximize your instance. Review the pain_points in your organization (e.g. if you are always having to clean up an object/field) and devise ways to keep you from having to do these repetitive tasks.Adopt Salesforce.com Releases early: Learning what new functionality is going into production environments from Salesforce early in the release process can help you solve problems or issues you are facing in your org. Don't assume that the release is not for you.Document, document, document: In highly customized orgs, there is no way to remember why a field was created 5 years ago. Sure, you can tell if its used and how often etc., but not why it was created. Now you want to rip it out (for whatever reason).&amp;nbsp;Do you know how your instance will be affected? What reports will break?&amp;nbsp;Documenting your work will help you and anyone else that may come after you. Use the field description field, it's there for a reason or create your own documentation... whatever you do, document your work.You are not alone: The Salesforce Success Community is one of the most giving and responsive communities I have been part of. Ask questions, ask for help, just put it out there and then sit back and watch the community jump all over your issue and provide great feedback and ideas.There is no perfect instance; there is no such thing as 100% optimized. Understanding this will drive you to consistently look at your instance with fresh eyes and find ways to make it better. Use your tools, dare to look beyond your limits and level of understanding and implement&amp;nbsp;the changes that change the world for the better (well, at least your instance).&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 17 Jun 2015 15:27:54 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/ways_to_improve_your_salesforce_instance</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-17T15:27:54Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Contract Management Security Questions you Should Be Asking</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_contract_management_security_questions_you_should_be_asking</link>
        <description>As a Senior Account Executive at SpringCM, I work with all types of customers. I like to take a consultative approach, helping to guide my customers through their decision making process.In almost all of my conversations, security comes up at some point. Most commonly, &amp;ldquo;Are my contracts secure in the cloud?&amp;rdquo; If you&amp;rsquo;re evaluating a contract management solution &amp;mdash; specifically one that&amp;rsquo;s in the cloud &amp;mdash; it&amp;rsquo;s likely that you have contract management security questions.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a Senior Account Executive at SpringCM, I work with all types of customers. I like to take a consultative approach, helping to guide my customers through their decision making process.In almost all of my conversations, security comes up at some point. Most commonly, Are my contracts secure in the cloud? If youre evaluating a contract management solution  specifically one thats in the cloud  its likely that you have contract management security questions.Here are 5 security questions you should ask the contract management vendor youre evaluating:What types of security audits do you pass? The vendor youre evaluating should routinely participate in security audits, vulnerability scans, penetration scans and other assessments by customers and partners.What type of security is in place at your Data Centers? Physical, as well as infrastructure security should be in place.How does security extend to mobile devices? At the very least, the vendor you select should have standard security features, such as PIN_protection and encryption of content on smartphones and tablets.What methodologies and technologies support disaster recovery? Your data should be routinely backed up, with plans for any disaster or contingency. Security methods should include:All data is stored as multiple replicas across multiple geographiesRedundant hardware stackFull data_at_rest encryptionRecovery time objective is designed to meet a 24 hour maximum.Off_site data center equipment located in a &quot;standby&quot; facilityData is replicated in near real_time in a disk to disk model.How do you set up security from the user level? You should have the ability to set security and permission around folders, as well as down to the document level. That way, users will only see documents or folders that they are permitted to see.Its no doubt that security is a big deal as you evaluate contract management solutions. Finding a vendor that takes security just as seriously as you is a non_negotiable in the process. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 22 Jun 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_contract_management_security_questions_you_should_be_asking</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-22T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How best to store your sales contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_best_to_store_sales_contracts</link>
        <description>When thinking through the topic of contract management, you need&amp;nbsp;to consider&amp;nbsp;your opportunities for improving your holistic contract process. This includes everything from contract generation&amp;nbsp;and approval to version control and signature. All of these steps leading up to a signed contract is only half the story&amp;nbsp;of Contract Management. In this&amp;nbsp;blog post, I'd like to focus on the latter part of the contact lifecycle: storage.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>When thinking through the topic of contract management, you need&amp;nbsp;to consider&amp;nbsp;your opportunities for improving your holistic contract process. This includes everything from contract generation&amp;nbsp;and approval to version control and signature. All of these steps leading up to a signed contract is only half the story&amp;nbsp;of Contract Management. In this&amp;nbsp;blog post, I'd like to focus on the latter part of the contact lifecycle: storage.&amp;nbsp;Your contracts deserve better than shared drives and file&amp;nbsp;cabinetsDespite overwhelming adoption of cloud_based B2B software, many companies are still struggling to manage complex processes like contract management through&amp;nbsp;shared drives _ consumer apps like Google Drive or Drop Box _ or, even worse, actual boxes or file cabinets filled with crucial business documents.&amp;nbsp;If a contract had served its purpose once it was signed, throwing it into a box or Google Drive would be an okay option. However, a contract is a living document that evolves with each of the businesses involved in the agreement.4 considerations when considering storing documents in contract management software&amp;nbsp;When considering a Contract Management solution that supports your contracts post_signature, youll want to make sure you can store contracts with the below features.MetadataKey pieces of information on contracts that matter to your business. For example, your sales contracts should be stored with metadata such as contract type (NDA, MSA, etc.), term start and end date, client name, client address, deal amount, product type, payment terms, and unique clauses. Your buy_side or other contracts should include metadata such as type of contract (vendor, real estate, employee, etc.), key dates, relevant company department, and special terms.Metadata is powerful because when you store contracts with these tags rather than as unstructured documents, youll be set up to take advantage of the below.SearchabilityWhen your Sales Reps, Legal, or Finance teams have to be able to refer to contracts at any point, it should be as simple as searching for keys words such as the above metadata I listed.Using a Contract Management solution that integrates into a CRM platform such as Salesforce.com will make it very intuitive for users to find contracts as the documents will be stored in association with records such as Accounts.Furthermore, a system that not only OCR scans a document so that later you can conduct full_text searching if need_be, but also enables you to drill down by fields to find the contracts you need is crucial.ReportingNow that you can organize and find your contracts, you should also be able to report on them. For example, many Sales leaders will need to know how many Sales Contracts are out for signature so that they can help advance deals.Finance may need to report on how many contracts are going to expire in the next 30_60_90 days. And Legal may want to be notified when heir vendor contracts are up for renewal.An ideal Contract Management solution will provide the platform to build reports based on key information within the contracts and even a dashboard so that individuals or teams see what matters to them most.SecurityThe last topic in storing contracts is typically investigated by IT and Compliance professionals: security. Make sure to do your homework when determining that a Contract Management solution has received the necessary Security certifications such as SOC I and SOC II. If youre in healthcare, youll want to ask the provider about HIPAA compliance. Ask the solutions representative how the solution will help when it comes to auditing.In general, whether an on_premise or cloud_based solution, Contract Management solutions are storing sensitive and often private (employee offer letters?) data, so ensure that you will be able to provision security when it comes to accessing contracts as well.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 24 Jun 2015 21:38:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_best_to_store_sales_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-24T21:38:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to Sell a Contract Management Solution to Leadership Without Waiting for Data</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/sell_a_contract_management_solution_to_leadership_without_waiting_for_data</link>
        <description>We have access to so much data in today&amp;rsquo;s world that we risk analysis paralysis. Who doesn&amp;rsquo;t like the words Big Data?</description>
        <content:encoded>We have access to so much data in todays world that we risk analysis paralysis. Who doesnt like the words Big Data?Sometimes in the contracts management process, for example, you just know you have a lousy process. Have you ever heard this before?:I cannot find the contractDoes anyone know where this contract is?When does that contract end?Who in their right mind agreed to that? (my favorite)But mining data, doing a payback or ROI analysis can often be difficult when it involves processes that touch many hands, have many revisions, and involve negotiations with third parties. Mining data that suggests you should spend $50K fixing it can be difficult to obtain.The question becomes, do you sit and wait for the data, or are there times when you just have to take a leap?How can you identify something as broken within you organization? There are three different ways to identify a broken process within your company:Its a gut thing:&amp;nbsp;As I talk to other CEOs, they will all say the same thing. My gut told me I was right, and I waited too long.Get as close to the source of the problem as possible:&amp;nbsp;Start a conversation. This could be with sales reps, the marketing team, or your customers themselves. Theres nothing more valuable than talking to the source and saying, Give me the real scoop.The more experience you have, the more your gut does have the benefit of what youve learned in the past:&amp;nbsp;It only gets easier and better over time. You not only have more data points of prior instances, but youve learned to move faster. &amp;nbsp;How to convince leadership to take a leap &amp;nbsp;Leadership is so conditioned to say, show me the data. Without true data, the best way to sell a contract management solution to leadership&amp;nbsp;is to produce 3_5 examples  tell a story. E.g., We were chasing this deal, and it took 57 days to close. That was after the customer said they were ready to buy. Another example would be, We wanted to cancel this agreement, but we missed our window on the notice period. &amp;nbsp;Be specific by sharing the customer name, personnel involved, what the timeline was, etc.At the end of the day, its important to drive everything back to revenue or costs. Leadership can process that better than a blanket statement of, this process is broken.Your turn: Have there been instances in your career when you just had to take a leap? Share in the comments below!</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 26 Jun 2015 15:41:38 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/sell_a_contract_management_solution_to_leadership_without_waiting_for_data</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jun-26T15:41:38Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 Ways to Automate Contract Execution</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/automate_contract_execution</link>
        <description>Contract execution can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. When I speak with prospects, they usually define contract execution as, &amp;ldquo;getting the contract signed&amp;rdquo; or &amp;ldquo;getting from proposal to signature&amp;rdquo;. When I say, &amp;ldquo;contract execution&amp;rdquo; I&amp;rsquo;m talking about getting a contract from initiation to signature. Part of this is also making sure that all contract deliverables, expectations and obligations are upheld.</description>
        <content:encoded>Contract execution can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. When I speak with prospects, they usually define contract execution as, getting the contract signed or getting from proposal to signature. When I say, contract execution Im talking about getting a contract from initiation to signature. Part of this is also making sure that all contract deliverables, expectations and obligations are upheld.Most companies usually execute a contract via a mishmash of technology and processes that arent really connected or reportable. Sometimes they do have a system in place, but it is either a old or not very adaptable. Whether you have no system, an older system or one that isnt very adaptable, there are risks. For example, language in contracts can slip between the cracks, as contract obligations are hard to track.How can a company automate contract execution?There are three key areas of automation that can help companies take their contract execution to the next level.Document building or template use: Users can benefit greatly from being able to create documents from templates. This eliminates possible user error, risk in using older templates, and provides a much faster and more efficient way to start a contracts process.Workflow: Being able to route the document organically throughout an organization and outside of it is imperative to contract execution. You want to move fast, but do so in a safe and trackable way.Managing post execution tasks: Getting a signature should not mean that the contract is put away and archived without any visibility. Being able to handle contract obligations, important dates, and reporting around the current contract inventory empowers organizations to make better decisions.Once a company automates their contract execution, theyre able to move faster and safer, make wiser decisions and minimize opportunity cost. By creating an environment where contract automation technology is implemented in order to get a contract executed, companies can do all those things.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 01 Jul 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/automate_contract_execution</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-01T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Resources in IT: How many people will I need for a Contract Management implementation?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/resources_in_it_how_many_people_will_i_need_for_a_contract_management_implementation</link>
        <description>As a Senior Implementation Manager on the Customer Success Team, I&amp;rsquo;m a day_to_day point of contact for a customer&amp;rsquo;s SpringCM implementation, and I am responsible for the delivery of the SpringCM solution to a customer.The customers I typically work with are Salesforce.com_integrated SpringCM implementations for enterprise customers. Whether or not the companies I work with have an IT Team really depends on the customer. More often than not, we will interact with Contract Management and Legal teams. For projects that involve IT (usually enterprise level or large organizations), we will mostly interact with the following IT organizations:</description>
        <content:encoded>As a Senior Implementation Manager on the Customer Success Team, Im a day_to_day point of contact for a customers SpringCM implementation, and I am responsible for the delivery of the SpringCM solution to a customer.The customers I typically work with are Salesforce.com_integrated SpringCM implementations for enterprise customers. Whether or not the companies I work with have an IT Team really depends on the customer. More often than not, we will interact with Contract Management and Legal teams. For projects that involve IT (usually enterprise level or large organizations), we will mostly interact with the following IT organizations:PMO (who will run or manage the project for the business team)QA (who will support the business team with the testing effort)Development Team (to build an active directory integration or to build a custom solution that leverages API)How many IT resources will you need for a Contract Management Software implementation? The amount of people youll need for an implementation usually ranges from 4_12, based on the complexity of the implementation. However, not all of those resources need to be from IT. It really depends on the project, how big an implementation is and who the stakeholders are. Its important to get subject matter experts to represent different roles for which youre trying to build a CLM process. Its vitally important to include a business sponsor who can bring the right resources to the table, make policy decisions and champion the project. An ideal contract management implementation team will have a business sponsor, 2_3 subject matter experts, a project manager and an end user.If your company doesnt have IT resources available, dont fret. With a pretty straightforward project and good contract management software, its likely that you wont need to bring in IT resources.If you have a larger and more complex project, one thing to look out for is bringing in the IT resources too late. Often times, I see companies bringing in their IT resources as an after thought. At that point, they typically want to see security documentation to perform a security audit or build custom solution or extensions using the API . Id definitely recommend bringing in the IT resource before the deal is closed to vet the extensions that you need to build using your IT resources. If you wait until after its signed, you risk slowing down the implementation or potentially cause scope creep.This begs the question, how can a company prepare for a successful CM implementation?There are definitely certain steps you should take:Look at your current process: And have a clear idea of where you want to go. You should know the different types of templates you want to automate. If youre a Salesforce user, ask yourself if its a template that is manually filled out or can it be automated from Salesforce. &amp;nbsp;Also consider how many workflows need to be automated and what departmental boundaries they cross. Volume and complexity increase time, cost and risk.Define the pain points: Is process transparency an issue? Are there too many versions of the same contract? Is it taking too long for a certain document to get approved? Once you know that, you can evaluate where its not working.Make your future process better: Once you learn from points one and two, how can you improve the process? If a certain team is a bottleneck, do you need to provide them more training, which will help with the adoption rate? At the end of the day, you want to make it easy for them to comply with the new and improved process. &amp;nbsp;With the right internal team, proper preparation and good contract management software, your implementation will ensure a successful contract management process within your company for years to come.  </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 02 Jul 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/resources_in_it_how_many_people_will_i_need_for_a_contract_management_implementation</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-02T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How does contract management work for you? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_does_contract_management_work</link>
        <description>As an account executive at SpringCM, I am involved with a prospect's experience from ideation to implementation. I watch new users wrangle different concepts of contract management, and how it can be applied to their company. While many prospects come to SpringCM with an understanding of what they're looking for in a contract management solution, many others are quick to ask how contract management works, or can work, for their team.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>As an account executive at SpringCM, I am involved with a prospect's experience from ideation to implementation. I watch new users wrangle different concepts of contract management, and how it can be applied to their company. While many prospects come to SpringCM with an understanding of what they're looking for in a contract management solution, many others are quick to ask how contract management works, or can work, for their team.&amp;nbsp;Start with processWhen you're considering investing in contract management software, it's important to remember that shifting your contracts and other sales documents into an&amp;nbsp;automated workflow won't fix a broken process unless you identify the problem areas beforehand. Many teams new to contract management think the ROI is all in automating their current process, or shifting sales documents from a static repository to a smart one, but the value of those gains is diminished by your current process. When you can power a smart process with a good contract workflow, that's when you are doing contract management right.&amp;nbsp;Workflow is a toolMany first_time contract management users, upon hearing the above, will want to put everything into&amp;nbsp;an automated workflow. However, because of the nature of contracts and sales documents, youll still want points in your process to manually check in on things (which, of course, can be flagged via workflow rules), like ensuring the document&amp;nbsp;stream is heading&amp;nbsp;in the right direction. Workflows are a great solution for static contracts, but with heavily negotiated contracts, you still need checkpoints.You'll find that much of your success implementing contract management software will rest on understing your process especially well, tweaking it to optimization, and then reinforcing the improved process with a SaaS solution. Each function in mature contract management softwares is crucial to your success during the transition from a wholly manual process to an automated one, but don't fool yourself into thinking any single function is a silver bullet or more important than another. Each needs to be working seamlessly with another within an optimized workflow to see the most gains from your investment.&amp;nbsp;This is your team on contract management softwareOther than overall ROI, first_time contract management users want to know how the software can help different teams do their respective jobs better. A robust contract management solution will free up legal's bandwidth to focus on prioritization. Managing a contract out of a single_source_of_truth like contract management software provides enables legal to handle expectations of sales teams, especially when facing questions like, &quot;Where is my contract?&quot;&amp;nbsp;Especially useful at the end of any quarter, productive or tight, is a sales team's ability to track the approval process of a sales contract. Management can make more informed projections about quarterly results, as well as provide support to reps who need most. Sales reps, on the other hand, can see exactly where the contract is without having to call and email everyone involved in the process&amp;nbsp;to the point of mutually assured insanity. They know exactly where the bottleneck is and can take steps to manage to&amp;nbsp;it.&amp;nbsp;Contract management helps Sales Ops handle renewals and other document requests from sales and management. Ops is able to gain crucial insight into current obligations and agreements that might expire or kick_off during a renewal period. Legal especially can rest easy knowing a contract isn't going to slip into breach without anyone being aware.&amp;nbsp;Overall, by investing in contract management software, each of your teams stands to see an increase in control, visibility and productivity.&amp;nbsp;Image source:&amp;nbsp;Phil Whitehouse&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 06 Jul 2015 13:42:36 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_does_contract_management_work</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-06T13:42:36Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How user experience leads to contract management success</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_user_experience_drives_contract_management_success</link>
        <description>User experience is important to every single experience a modern human has with a digital interface. User experience (UX) includes&amp;nbsp;everything&amp;nbsp;researching user behavior and desired functionality to the design of the user interface.&amp;nbsp;UX is particularly important to contract management software because contract processes are all about creating efficiencies. Having a well_crafted, super_intuitive and stupid simple UX enables sales, ops and legal teams to run efficiently while&amp;nbsp;leveraging powerful and&amp;nbsp;complex technology. And if they're running efficiently, they'll want to keep using the software you just implemented.</description>
        <content:encoded>User experience is important to every single experience a modern human has with a digital interface. User experience (UX) includes&amp;nbsp;everything&amp;nbsp;researching user behavior and desired functionality to the design of the user interface.&amp;nbsp;UX is particularly important to contract management software because contract processes are all about creating efficiencies. Having a well_crafted, super_intuitive and stupid simple UX enables sales, ops and legal teams to run efficiently while&amp;nbsp;leveraging powerful and&amp;nbsp;complex technology. And if they're running efficiently, they'll want to keep using the software you just implemented.Good UX pays&amp;nbsp;for itselfMany&amp;nbsp;companies are still managing&amp;nbsp;contracts manually, implementing ad hoc processes across multiple platforms. Manually generating sales contracts,&amp;nbsp;and routing them for approval via email or fax,&amp;nbsp;creates&amp;nbsp;more opportunities for error and potential risk to your company than if you were able to manage this process through a single platform. However, simply transitioning your contracts process from manual to automated is half the consideration if you want to see return on your investment.&amp;nbsp;Investing in a contract management software with good UX drives adoption and minimizes risk. Generally speaking, solutions in this category provide a user experience that is simple and streamlined, encouraging frequent use and providing an intuitive journey between tasks. With a manual contracts process, your sales and legal teams are hunting through outdated&amp;nbsp;folders, documents and drives to create new sales contracts, effectively ignoring any changes in language or company policy. These short_cuts can expose your company to indefinite risk, depending on how long your new client remains a customer.&amp;nbsp;An eye on your contractsA key feature to account for when you're evaluating contract management solutions is visibility. This might be the most important feature to make user_friendly, as knowing what's going on with your sales contracts is your avenue into improving your process and ensuring deals aren't lost through&amp;nbsp;inaction. Visibility isn't just current state of a contract, but also being able to see where the contract has been, and with whom, as well as what's the next step in your contract process. Once a contract is in play, it's crucial that you keep it moving. That's why best_in_class contract management software is designed&amp;nbsp;to minimize the number&amp;nbsp;of steps between milestones in your contract process.&amp;nbsp;Time for sellingOutside of visibility, a good contract management platform will give salespeople time back for selling. Any solution&amp;nbsp;that lessens the amount of paperwork a sales rep has to do will become their new favorite tool. Growing companies need to generate revenue quickly, and salespeople carry&amp;nbsp;the brunt of these growing pains. Companies need to invest in solutions that are designed to protect salespeople from mistakes that inevitably occur when you're trying to close ten new customers on the last day of the quarter. Your contract management solution should be enjoyable to use, but it should also protect your sales team from exposing your company to risk. The more time your sales reps spend thinking about how to drum up new business and less time they spend worrying about administrative tasks, the better off your company will be.&amp;nbsp;Image credit:&amp;nbsp;David Mertl&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 09 Jul 2015 21:48:41 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_user_experience_drives_contract_management_success</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-09T21:48:41Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Review of the Best Low Cost Contract Management Solutions</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/best_low_cost_contract_management_solutions</link>
        <description>As the lead sales engineer at SpringCM, I work with a variety of customers every day to help them solve their cloud content problems. One issue that many companies seem to have, regardless of size or industry, is how much will implementing a contract management solution cost my business?</description>
        <content:encoded>As the lead sales engineer at SpringCM, I work with a variety of customers every day to help them solve their cloud content problems. One issue that many companies seem to have, regardless of size or industry, is how much will implementing a contract management solution cost my business?The bottom line is always a priority for a business, and staying within a budget and getting the best deal are key factors in choosing a solution. But sacrificing other factors in pursuit of the best deal can leave you with more questions than answers.Is this solution going to be effective?Is the software were buying provided by a company that is easy to work with?Will we have to build our own custom features on top of the low cost solution?What if the solution we implement now doesnt work as our company grows?A low cost solution is great, as long as it provides the value you need. Here are some of the best, low cost solutions available to manage your contracts.Best Low Cost Contract Management SolutionsStoring Final Contract Versions on a Shared DriveThis is a simple solution that requires purchasing and maintaining a file folder structure. You can expect IT and hardware costs when implementing this at your company.If Youre a Salesforce CustomerSalesforce has a native Notes and Attachments feature that allows you to attach contracts to a specific contacts record. The cost is free, as long as everyone on your team is already on Salesforce.Electronic Signature VendorsVendors like DocuSign or Adobe Document Cloud eSign services (formerly EchoSign) can provide some components of a contract management solution. You can store and archive contracts within these vendors, but they cant manage the terms around the contract.SharePointIf you already have SharePoint the licensing is essentially free. Youll need to build a customized solution on top of SharePoint, which can be costly both to build and maintain.Before pursuing any of the contract management options available, make sure you understand what your company needs in a solution. A good contract management solution can not only provide a great ROI, but it can also help teams within your company do their jobs better.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 10 Jul 2015 14:41:52 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/best_low_cost_contract_management_solutions</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-10T14:41:52Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to improve your contracts process with version control</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_improve_your_contracts_process_with_version_control</link>
        <description>As a sales engineer at SpringCM, I spend a lot of time translating the technical functionality of our solution into meaningful&amp;nbsp;use cases for potential customers. One of the features our contract management customers find particularly interesting is version control.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a sales engineer at SpringCM, I spend a lot of time translating the technical functionality of our solution into meaningful&amp;nbsp;use cases for potential customers. One of the features our contract management customers find particularly interesting is version control.Version control keeps communications professionalThis feature is especially useful when dealing with sensitive and regulated documents like contracts, invoices, or anything that's being sent to a customer&amp;nbsp;for review. Sending incorrect or outdated versions of sales documents will definitely put your company at risk, but it also makes you and your team look unprofessional.&amp;nbsp;Another benefit of version control is efficiency. Having advanced&amp;nbsp;version control functionality enables team leads in legal and sales to push massive updates to the field via a single source of truth. This is important to companies with a lot of focus on risk management or risk control. When was the last time one of your sales reps sent out a contract with outdated language? Or maybe they sent a version that had already been passed around for revision, and now you've got an executed contract with missing obligations or amendments. These are the type of issues you can solve for by implementing a contract management platform with version control.&amp;nbsp;Version control is only as good as the workflow supporting itSomething we hear&amp;nbsp;a lot from people involved in the contracts process is a strategy for document reconciliation called, &quot;Stare and Compare.&quot; When it comes to version control, you're not going to be able to derive much value unless you're storing these versions in a single repository with workflow and document compare capabilities. This allows contracts professionals to quickly note changes to language, as well as send around a Version Stack instead of one_off documents attached to emails.A version stack is essentially the lifecycle of document edits. If you want to know how the language in an agreement has evolved over the course of the deal _ or see who has been making those changes &amp;nbsp;_ you'll be able to see these changes in the stack. This way, even as versions are amended, you are able to keep a regulatory pulse on documents being sent out.&amp;nbsp;Image:&amp;nbsp;Phillip Wong&amp;nbsp;via Flickr&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:58:27 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_improve_your_contracts_process_with_version_control</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-14T18:58:27Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>6 Contract Management Email Collaboration Risks</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/6_contract_management_email_collaboration_risks</link>
        <description>As a Small and Medium Business (SMB) Account Executive at SpringCM, I have developed relationships with many companies who have less than 500 employees. A trend I have noticed throughout these companies is a reliance on using email to collaborate with coworkers &amp;mdash; particularly when it comes to contract management.There are plenty of reasons why companies assume email is the best way to collaborate. Some think that their contract process is too complicated to be streamlined, others think their company is too small for a more elaborate solution.What most don&amp;rsquo;t consider, however, are the risks associated with collaborating over email for contract management.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a Small and Medium Business (SMB) Account Executive at SpringCM, I have developed relationships with many companies who have less than 500 employees. A trend I have noticed throughout these companies is a reliance on using email to collaborate with coworkers  particularly when it comes to contract management.There are plenty of reasons why companies assume email is the best way to collaborate. Some think that their contract process is too complicated to be streamlined, others think their company is too small for a more elaborate solution.What most dont consider, however, are the risks associated with collaborating over email for contract management.6 Risks Associated with Contract Management Email CollaborationLosing Track of the Correct Version: When your contracts are not located in a central location, it is nearly impossible to be positive you are working on the latest version. For example you are at the end of the contract cycle, everything is signed and ready to go. Then you notice an outdated clause; now the entire process starts back at square one.Contracts End up in the Wrong Persons Hands: One incorrectly typed email address and all of a sudden Jim from HR has a contract in his inbox that was supposed to be sent to Julie in Sales Ops. This can obviously be an enormous security risk.Bottlenecks: With email collaboration, it is tough to keep track of what is assigned to you and what you have outstanding. Keeping track of the contract and remembering who still has to approve it can lead to bottlenecks and headaches.Reporting: Without the ability to track your contract lifecycle, it is impossible to be sure that your process is effective. What if a process that should take two days to complete is instead taking two weeks?Lack of an Audit Trail: An audit trail is the most effective way to hold people accountable for their responsibilities. Without it, there is no way effective way to check how&amp;nbsp;Larry from Legal&amp;nbsp;received that contract, what changes he might have made, etc.&amp;nbsp;To mitigate these risks you should consider a contract management solution that allows you to collaborate from a central place, and put processes in place to ensure that contracts are redlined and approved as necessary. Not only will a solution like this&amp;nbsp;mitigate risk, but it will also improve productivity.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 15 Jul 2015 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/6_contract_management_email_collaboration_risks</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-15T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>When to implement contract management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/when_to_implement_contract_management</link>
        <description>Implementing a new contract management solution into your business can be an intimidating task to tackle. It&amp;rsquo;s easy to convince yourself that it&amp;rsquo;s too big of an undertaking. But if you ask yourself the right questions and realize how much an inefficient process can cost your business, it&amp;rsquo;s easy to start seeing the benefits of a new solution. So what questions are these questions you should be asking?</description>
        <content:encoded>Implementing a new contract management solution into your business can be an intimidating task to tackle. Its easy to convince yourself that its too big of an undertaking. But if you ask yourself the right questions and realize how much an inefficient process can cost your business, its easy to start seeing the benefits of a new solution. So what questions are these questions you should be asking?What time of year should I implement?&amp;nbsp;While there is no perfect time of the year to implement a new contract management solution, there are some factors to consider. Since the roll out of a new solution will likely involve insight from company stakeholders in sales, legal, finance (and possibly other business units), implementation should take place during a slower part of the year when sales are the slowest.An example of a tough time to implement would be the end of a quarter, since this is usually the time when sales and legal are partnering up to process as many deals as they can before the new quarter begins. Asking multiple departments to split their focus between closing deals and implementing a new solution is difficult.Is the same contract problem occurring over and over again?&amp;nbsp;A common reason companies choose to implement a new solution is a reoccurring problem they cant seem to shake. What are some of these problems?Unable to Locate ContractsA big issue companies face is a lack of a central repository to store contracts. Relying on email or storage drives to store all your contracts can lead to lost or outdated documents, which can bog down the contract process.Lost RevenueContract management solutions provide all departments with notifications of key contract details, such as renewal dates. Without it, renewal dates can come and go, and the revenue goes right along with it.Misalignment&amp;nbsp;between Sales and LegalDo your sales and legal teams constantly wage war over how long the contract process takes? Without the visibility provided by a contract management solution, it can be tough for both departments to fully understand where the contract is at and what steps still need to be taken before the contract can be sent out for the customer to sign.&amp;nbsp;Lost Productivity&amp;nbsp;No one wants to spend their valuable time at work filling out cumbersome paperwork. Not only is that paperwork irritating, but it can also slow down the sales process and be a big factor in the aforementioned battle between sales and legal.&amp;nbsp;Could you improve your current contracts process?Many times&amp;nbsp;companies will be experiencing some of the above problems, but still will not seek out a better, more efficient solution. Why? It is easy to become too set in your ways with the current process you use to complete the contract process. While the phrase thats the way weve always done it, is cliched, it really is true when it comes to implementing new solutions.&amp;nbsp;Image:&amp;nbsp;Dafne Cholet&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 17 Jul 2015 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/when_to_implement_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-17T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to Use an Audit Trail to Provide Contract Visibility</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_use_an_audit_trail_to_provide_contract_visibility</link>
        <description>As a SpringCM Sales Engineer, I am responsible for helping the sales organization find solutions to their prospects and customers problems. One of my biggest responsibilities is listening to companies&amp;rsquo; contracting challenges and determining ways to help these customers overcome these obstacles by providing a productive, visible, risk_free solution.One way many companies can achieve this is by implementing an audit trail to their contract management process.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a SpringCM Sales Engineer, I am responsible for helping the sales organization find solutions to their prospects and customers problems. One of my biggest responsibilities is listening to companies contracting challenges and determining ways to help these customers overcome these obstacles by providing a productive, visible, risk_free solution.One way many companies can achieve this is by implementing an audit trail to their contract management process.Make the Entire Process VisibleOne of the most important parts of a contracting process is the ability to track the progress of contracts from creation to completion. This includes having an associated audit trail for each individual document within the contract, where anyone can see all the versions, approvals and routing these documents went through. This makes the information referenceable later if needed for an audit or to settle a discrepancy.Stop Relying on EmailA common problem is a reliance on email to collaborate and complete the contract process. The problem with using email as your central contract repository is the lack of a concise or searchable history. This disjointed process is not only unproductive, but also can leave the company at a severe risk. &amp;nbsp;If a company is required to undergo an audit, many times there is a struggle to find enough proof points to meet the audit criteria when the contract is jumping from inbox to inbox. Even beyond potential audit issues, there are still concerns with using email to complete contracts. Approvals can be missed, changes can be overlooked and other detrimental errors that can cause an organization pain in terms of both revenue and compliance.Use an Audit Trail to Provide Contract VisibilityFinding a solution that not only allows for your contracts to be stored in a central location, but also provides an audit trail functionality, which allows users to look or extract the contract history at any time can help eliminate fear often associated with contract management. No longer will you have to conduct extensive searches that may not even yield all the information you need. Being able to check the status of a contract (whether the contract has been sent, waiting for approval, etc.) means no more wasted time calling or sending emails to see if the customer has signed your contract, and creates a much more efficient process.Knowing the current status of your contracts and having the information permanently stored in the contract management solution increases visibility and productivity for everyone involved in the contracting process.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 20 Jul 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_use_an_audit_trail_to_provide_contract_visibility</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-20T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How do most companies manage contracts?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_do_most_companies_manage_contracts</link>
        <description>Every business deals with contracts. However, the types of contracts and frequency can vary greatly: from a company that generates hundreds of sales contracts every day to a small tech company managing non_disclosure agreements with its employees. Regardles of the type of legal document you're working with, successful companies like yours must&amp;nbsp;have a contract process in place.</description>
        <content:encoded>Every business deals with contracts. However, the types of contracts and frequency can vary greatly: from a company that generates hundreds of sales contracts every day to a small tech company managing non_disclosure agreements with its employees. Regardles of the type of legal document you're working with, successful companies like yours must&amp;nbsp;have a contract process in place.Unfortunately, while companies have&amp;nbsp;a contract process, very few do any&amp;nbsp;investigating into process&amp;nbsp;inefficiencies negatively impacting&amp;nbsp;company goals.&amp;nbsp;How does a typical contract process begin?Usually, a salesperson will email someone within the general counsel branch&amp;nbsp;and say, &quot;I need&amp;nbsp;a contract for this new deal. Can you spin&amp;nbsp;one up for&amp;nbsp;me?&quot;From there the lawyer will either draft a contract from scratch (time_consuming!) or use an old template (risky!). Theyll talk to the salesperson who requested the contract about requirements and edit&amp;nbsp;the contract from there. The contract will then go back to the salesperson, who will send it out to their contact. A lot of steps, a lot of emailsThen the back and forth between the two parties begins with redlining. From there, theres an approval process back at corporate headquarters. E.g., Finance for pricing, VP of Operations to confirm you can deliver on whats in the contract, etc. Your company will need to answer the questions, Can we comply with this contract?, Will it be profitable?, and Are there too many risks?.Redlining, negotiation and signatureMost of the effort is in redlining, and the back and forth. And most companies run into bottlenecks when tracking down the person with signing power.&amp;nbsp;Its not unusual to find only one person authorized to sign a contract. If he or she is out of the office, the contract will sit and wait. Not an ideal situation for any business.&amp;nbsp;Contract storage and retrieval&amp;nbsp;After the contract is signed, theres a manual process too. The contract is usually put away in a legal folder on the sales drive, but rarely is this shared drive&amp;nbsp;organized very well. Often, sales ops and legal have trouble retreiving&amp;nbsp;the contract when it comes time to renew, or if some breach is suggested by the client. There's also&amp;nbsp;the problem of not knowing if the document&amp;nbsp;youre reviewing&amp;nbsp;is the most recent version of a contract.These issues are due in large part to the process being&amp;nbsp;very manual.This process is cumbersome at every step for everyone involved in the process. From a legal point of view, having an effective contract management solution helps expedite every step. A central repository that allows you to store all the contracts in one place saves time in the drafting in the contract. An effective redlining process saves time and headaches by eliminating any need to stare and compare versions of the contract. The approval time is shortened when everyone has visibility into who has signed the contract and whose signature is still needed.If the process described above if giving you flashbacks of contract nightmares, it might be time to invest in a contract management solution. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 22 Jul 2015 20:43:37 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_do_most_companies_manage_contracts</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-22T20:43:37Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Takeaways from the 2015 State of Contract Management Report</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/5_takeaways_from_the_2015_state_of_contract_management_report</link>
        <description>A few months ago, we launched the 2015 State of Contract Management, a first in what will be an annual report on how business professionals are managing their contracts. For our report, we surveyed 720 professionals about their contract management process and challenges.</description>
        <content:encoded>A few months ago, we launched the 2015 State of Contract Management, a first in what will be an annual report on how business professionals are managing their contracts. For our report, we surveyed 720 professionals about their contract management process and challenges.The full report, which you can download here, is full of interesting data about how professionals from a variety of industries and departments tackle their contract management process. Here are several takeaways from the report.The majority of companies continue to manually manage their contracts71.3% of professionals say their contract process is not automated.More than 50% are using email to manually manage their contracts.The lack of an automated process can create numerous headaches for companies. Manual processes end up taking much longer than needed, creating an inefficient workplace for individuals and the companies they work for.A manual process can open the door for human errorOver 85% of respondents say human error has impacted their contract process in the past.Nearly 1 out of every 10 respondents say their company has been penalized for compliance errors over a sales contract.During the contract process, human error can be costly. Ensuring that sales contracts go from creation to completion without a hitch can lead to peace of mind for everyone involved.Companies are using piecemeal tools to manage certain aspects of their contract process74% of companies are using Microsoft World to redline their contracts.14.4% of professionals are storing their contracts on their desktop.Piecemealing your way to a solution is the beginning to a solution, but ignores the big picture. Redlining contracts in Microsoft Word works, but by doing so you are ignoring the numerous other aspects of the contract process.The lack of an effective contract approval process can keep deals from closing43.7% of respondents have had deals stall due to their contract approval process.Nearly half of respondents say relevant teams do not have insight into contract motion during the closing of a deal.Harping back to the second point in this list, the delay&amp;nbsp;of contracts is bad for everyone involved. Deals stalling can affect revenue and your relationship with customers, two things that are very important to every business, regardless of industry.There are common challenges companies face in their contract processWorkflow is the largest of nine common problems that respondents say they face during the contract process.46% say their contract process takes longer than four weeks to complete.Contract process challenges are rarely unique. There are common issues that can affect any company using contracts, including the length of time it takes to complete the contract process.To view the rest of the contract process data collected in this survey, download the full report below. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 24 Jul 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/5_takeaways_from_the_2015_state_of_contract_management_report</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-24T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 reasons to support your contract process with an automated workflow </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/support_contract_process_with_automated_workflow</link>
        <description>A workflow, put simply, is a business process that enables work to get done in a timely manner according to a standard set of rules. Okay, maybe that isn't simple, but the beauty of workflows is that they translate complex tasks into a repeatable and scalable process.</description>
        <content:encoded>A workflow, put simply, is a business process that enables work to get done in a timely manner according to a standard set of rules. Okay, maybe that isn't simple, but the beauty of workflows is that they translate complex tasks into a repeatable and scalable process.Automating your contract workflowWorkflows&amp;nbsp;are essentially a reflection of human logic, and that's the main issue we come up against when designing contract management automated&amp;nbsp;workflows. We have to determine how to reflect the business logic unique to a human participant through rules in your contract management software.&amp;nbsp;There are three major concerns at the highest level of contract management: productivity, visibility and control. These are also the main reasons you might consider supporting your contract process with automated workflow.&amp;nbsp;1. Increased sales productivity&amp;nbsp;From a productivity standpoint, workflow ensures that work is being done. An automated workflow ensures that contracts are being passed from one appropriate person to the next, and guides them through the appropriate set of actions. Ideally, you'll be able to set up an automated workflow that manages against a timeline as well. Remember, all of this is accomplished through a set of rules tailored to the manual process you previously had in place.&amp;nbsp;2. Actionable visibility into contract status and pipeline healthYour workflow enables you to see exactly when a sales document like a contract enters, and completes, a step or stage in your process. You'll be able to track when the step began and ended, how long the step took, who participated in the step, and so on. This is great for complex processes like contract management, because beyond seeing the positive benefits of an automated workflow, you're also able to flag issues in the process quickly and effectively.&amp;nbsp;3. Control over the contract&amp;nbsp;Speaking of issues, incorporating an automated workflow into your contract management strategy ensures you are able to work quickly without putting your company at risk. Sales people are operating under a lot of pressure from management and customers, and when it comes to generating a tricky document like a sales contract, mistakes can happen.Beyond easing the burden of your sales team, automated workflows increases your control over compliance regulations like those associated with ISO, HIPAA or SOC. If you do business internationally, or even across state borders, you'll be familiar with having to switch out statutes and contractual language based on where the other party is headquartered. Creating and managing templates through your contract workflow prevents the wrong language from entering your negotiation process.&amp;nbsp;The impact of contract management workflow&amp;nbsp;Your workflow will evolve as your business processes evolves. The benefit of managing your workflows through software is the ability to scale quickly with your company. As your manual workflows grow in complexity, you are losing time and money re_inventing the wheel and slowing down the sales process. By implementing an automated workflow to manage your contract process, you'll improve the productivity of sales reps, provide legal teams with more control over essential sales documents, and management with a more accurate view of the pipeline and its moving parts.&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 27 Jul 2015 21:37:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/support_contract_process_with_automated_workflow</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-27T21:37:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 Most Common Contract Bottlenecks</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/3_most_common_contract_bottlenecks</link>
        <description>As an Implementation Manager at SpringCM, part of my job includes helping prepare customers&amp;nbsp;for what it will take to successfully use our product. Whether we&amp;rsquo;re at the very beginning of the process or nearing the actual implementation, there is one word that every customer has front and center in their minds _ contract bottlenecks. Every customer wants to assure that their bottleneck issues will all disappear once the contract management solution is implemented.The problem is most companies do not know exactly what their contract bottlenecks are.</description>
        <content:encoded>As an Implementation Manager at SpringCM, part of my job includes helping prepare customers&amp;nbsp;for what it will take to successfully use our product. Whether were at the very beginning of the process or nearing the actual implementation, there is one word that every customer has front and center in their minds _ contract bottlenecks. Every customer wants to assure that their bottleneck issues will all disappear once the contract management solution is implemented.The problem is most companies do not know exactly what their contract bottlenecks are.Before we can guarantee that all your bottleneck issues will be solved, we first need to identify exactly what those issues are. Encouraging potential customers to acknowledge their problems and face them head on is an effective process. This helps both the customer and the implementation team identify exactly what bottlenecks exist.What are some of the common contract bottlenecks customers identify they have during this process?Creating a new contract takes too much time: Creating a new contract can be a laborsome process without automation. There are varying documents and clauses that need to be added, redlined and updated, this adds time to a process that should be as quick as possible.The approval process takes too long: To get a contract approved, most companies rely on emails to get the process completed. Weve all been guilty of leaving an unread email in your inbox for hours or days at a time. When that email contains a contract that needs to be signed and approved, that can be a costly bottleneck to your contract process.Lack of visibility: Without having visibility into the lifecycle of the contract, it is impossible to know if your process takes too long. Not only is this a common bottleneck, this can also be a legal issue when faced with an internal or external audit.Identifying what bottlenecks are bogging down your contract process is a key step to take before you implement a contract management solution. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 29 Jul 2015 13:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/3_most_common_contract_bottlenecks</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Jul-29T13:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>SpringCM's July 2015 Release: An Interview With VP Product Development</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/springcms_july_2015_release_an_interview_with_vp_product_development</link>
        <description>Following&amp;nbsp;the official launch of the SpringCM July 2015 Release, we sat down with Steven Jones, VP of Product Development, to educate everyone on the enhancements that our customers started seeing&amp;nbsp;on July 31st.</description>
        <content:encoded>Following&amp;nbsp;the official launch of the SpringCM July 2015 Release, we sat down with Steven Jones, VP of Product Development, to educate everyone on the enhancements that our customers started seeing&amp;nbsp;on July 31st.RD: How does this release differ from the June Release?SJ: Customers will see&amp;nbsp;a number of exciting features in July release. We are always improving the core platform, but with this release we have two big ticket items: a streamlined method for collaborating around documents and a brand new product for increasing visibility into document workflows. It is major, innovative updates like these to the SpringCM platform that distinguishes the July 2015 Release.RD: What are the new features and products that SpringCM users will notice?SJ: There are two major enhancements we are rolling out in the July 2015 Release.External ReviewFirst, we are introducing a new process for round_trip external reviews that completely eliminates email attachments. When our customers send documents back and forth with third parties (e.g. customers, partners, vendors, etc.), they no longer need to fumble with attachments. This was a recurring pain point for customers, and we have come up with an innovative way to avoid attachments and improve the way you collaborate around documents. I think customers will appreciate how much easier it is to work with external parties for their contracts, agreements, or any document.Track It for Deal VisibilityTrack It is our first new SpringCM product in 2015. It provides full visibility into SpringCMs document workflow and was developed to help users who need to closely track documents that are in motion. Track It gives users complete visibility into important documents like contracts, NDAs, or proposals as they go through the review and approval workflows. Track It is great for mobile users and Salesforce users, but can also stand alone outside of Salesforce.Both External Review and Track It will provide tremendous value to customers that are using SpringCM to manage their contracts process. And even if youre not a contracts customer, or a heavy SpringCM workflow user, there are other great enhancements included in the release.RD: What are some back_end enhancements to the platform that users wont notice?SJ: We are making significant improvements to how we track the history of documents and folders. These are things that customers might not see immediately, but that will slowly be rolled out in the months ahead. For example, we know how important it is for customers to keep track of everything that happens to every document and folder in our system, and were improving the way we track history and report on that audit trail.Were also working on a major upgrade to our underlying search technology. The first part is being rolled out in the July Release but is more under the covers. The user_facing improvements will be released in our next major build.Along with those, we are continuing to make improvements to the core components of the platform, like document workflow, document generation, and rules_based automation.RD: Can you give us any hints regarding whats coming in the next release?SJ: One thing we have been focused on is providing increased support for building and managing a clause library within SpringCM. This wont simply be a repository for your clauses, but it will bring all the power of our document management platform to a critical function of the contract process.Apart from that, we are rebuilding our document generation tools in order to make it easier for the administrator and end user to streamline the process.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 03 Aug 2015 15:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/springcms_july_2015_release_an_interview_with_vp_product_development</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-03T15:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract Administration versus Contract Management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_administration_versus_contract_management</link>
        <description>As a sales engineer here at SpringCM, I spend quite a bit of time speaking with potential customers who are attempting to define their contract process. Most of these customers know they have some process in place, but few know exactly what it is or how to define it. In this post we will discuss the different types of contract processes your business may have in place, and decide which process makes the most sense foryour business.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a sales engineer here at SpringCM, I spend quite a bit of time speaking with potential customers who are attempting to define their contract process. Most of these customers know they have some process in place, but few know exactly what it is or how to define it. In this post we will discuss the different types of contract processes your business may have in place, and decide which process makes the most sense foryour business.What is Contract Administration?When asked what contract process they have in place, many companies respond with contract administration. However, this is more of a job role than an actual process. Many times, companies will have a contract administrator whose sole job is making sure contracts get from point A to point B.&amp;nbsp;This person usually has to manually quarterback this&amp;nbsp;process, by processing every contract that comes through the business. This process is usually manually completed through a spreadsheet or simply through email. Think of a contract administrator as the first line of defense between a customer and an attorney.What is Contract Management?Contract management is as simple as it sounds; its the actual process you use to manage your contracts. This process can be either manual (email, shared drive, spreadsheet, etc.) or automated through a tool, but both are contract management.How are they different?The biggest difference between administration and management is the human element. An administrator is a one_man show, juggling every aspect of every contract trying to keep the ship headed in the right direction. With contract management, there is more of a technological factor where tools can be put in place.Is Contract Administration Better Than Contract Management?The solution that best works for you really depends on what your business needs. If you are a small company that only manages a handful of contracts a quarter, a contract administrator will more than likely be able to handle your process. If you are a bigger company who processes many contracts daily, a more automated solution might make more sense.An important point to make is that both contract administration and management can coexist. The best way to think about your contracts is as a gradual process. The first step is an administrator whose job is to get the contract from creation to signature. Once your business scales, add a contract management tool to assist the admin. Finally, once the management tool is implemented, you look at contract lifecycle management to streamline the process and make it as efficient as possible. Image source:&amp;nbsp;Wonderlane&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 04 Aug 2015 18:00:04 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_administration_versus_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-04T18:00:04Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to Drastically Improve Your Document Tagging Standards</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_drastically_improve_your_document_tagging_standards</link>
        <description>As an implementation manager at SpringCM, I assist new customers in implementing the SpringCM solution into their company. One area that I find customers constantly need improvement in is setting up document tagging standards.</description>
        <content:encoded>As an implementation manager at SpringCM, I assist new customers in implementing the SpringCM solution into their company. One area that I find customers constantly need improvement in is setting up document tagging standards.What is Tagging?Tagging is the assignment of descriptive words or categories to content that allows you to quickly and easily locate any content stored in a central repository. When users add tags to content they are essentially adding metadata to describe what the content contains, what it does, or what its about. Tagging also allows for the document to be saved in varying ways, without the need to remember the exact localization path.How Do I Know if I Need Better Tagging Standards?There are some common issues that point to a need for better tagging standards.&amp;nbsp;If you are unable to get the appropriate reportsIf you are unable to effectively track your contentIf you are unable to quickly search for your dataIf you have tags with no information (values/data)If any of these issues are plaguing your document retrieval process, you are likely in need of improved tagging.Here's How You Can Improve Your Document&amp;nbsp;Tagging StandardsCreating tags that categorize your document content effectively is a great way to improve tagging. You should apply anywhere from 3_15 tags to your content, the exact number depends on the categorization system your company implements. The better tags and categorization system you put in place from the start, the easier it is to relocate content at a later time.Imagine you are putting together a new contract or report from scratch. There are numerous documents and pieces of information you need to include. Without tags assigned to your documents, there is no effective way to find all this content. Sure, you can search for the name of a document, but what if you cant remember the name? With effective tags, you can search for this content in a number of different way. Tags can (and should) include the when the document was created, when it was last updated, name of the user it was last updated by, whom the account belongs to, etc.Putting a good tagging system in place will make your business more efficient and make employees happy that they no longer have to spend hours trying to locate the exact document they are looking for.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 05 Aug 2015 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_drastically_improve_your_document_tagging_standards</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-05T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>4 Processes Improved with Automated Contract Management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/4_processes_improved_with_automated_contract_management</link>
        <description>Whether you&amp;rsquo;re a Fortune 50 company or a startup with a dozen employees, you're not making money without contracts. A signed contract representing new business, and new revenue, is something to be celebreated. However, as business becomes more complex, and buying behaviors shift, many professionals do not realize contracts can open companies up to serious risks without the right process in place.</description>
        <content:encoded>Whether youre a Fortune 50 company or a startup with a dozen employees, you're not making money without contracts. A signed contract representing new business, and new revenue, is something to be celebreated. However, as business becomes more complex, and buying behaviors shift, many professionals do not realize contracts can open companies up to serious risks without the right process in place.Here are some of the biggest risks you need to think about when examining how you manage your legal contracts.1. Contract auto_renewalWhen a contract is signed, there is usually an auto_renewal put in place. This means that once the contract end date arrives, the contract is automatically renewed for the same annual length that the deal was originally signed for. This can be an issue when dealing with a large number of contracts, where an auto_renewal happens and the company is spending money on a product it no longer needs or wants.2. Sharing Information about Existing ContractsWhen every attorney or contract admin is dealing with their contracts on their own, it is impossible for others to have any insight on the deals. One lawyer can have contracts sitting on his computer that no one else knows about, which can be a huge risk if something happens to that employees good standing in the company.3. Obligation ManagementMany contracts have obligations that must be met by one or both parties involved. It can be difficult to manually track all of the obligations that your company is on the hook for when you are juggling numerous contracts at a time. Missing these obligations can lead to severe penalties for the business.4.&amp;nbsp;Contract standardization and complianceIn an attempt to streamline the contract process, companies will create standard templates for their contracts. These templates are then usually filled with the correct clauses and language for the specific contract being drafted. Risks can occur when an incorrect clause or piece of information, which can be a costly error.These are just a few of the many risks that can arise from manually managing all of your legal contracts. Despite these risks, most companies are still managing their contracts through a manual process.&amp;nbsp;Which of these processes would you like to improve through automation at your company?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 07 Aug 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/4_processes_improved_with_automated_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-07T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to Integrate CLM with your CPQ</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_integrate_clm_with_your_cpq</link>
        <description>Tarun Patel is a Vice President of Solutions at Etherios, and a special guest author on the SpringCM blog.At Etherios, we focus on delivering cloud_based solutions for our customers with a specific focus on the Salesforce platform. We measure our success based on the value we deliver to our customers, and through the lasting partnerships we form with our clients.As the Vice President of Solutions, I&amp;rsquo;m responsible for delivering solutions that align with our customer&amp;rsquo;s business and Etherios&amp;rsquo; Salesforce.com consulting services.Some of the tools we assist companies in implementing are contract lifecycle management (CLM) and configure price quote (CPQ). An issue we see arise with clients is whether they can integrate both a CLM solution and a CPQ solution into their business.</description>
        <content:encoded>Tarun Patel is a Vice President of Solutions at Etherios, and a special guest author on the SpringCM blog.At Etherios, we focus on delivering cloud_based solutions for our customers with a specific focus on the Salesforce platform. We measure our success based on the value we deliver to our customers, and through the lasting partnerships we form with our clients.As the Vice President of Solutions, Im responsible for delivering solutions that align with our customers business and Etherios Salesforce.com consulting services.Some of the tools we assist companies in implementing are contract lifecycle management (CLM) and configure price quote (CPQ). An issue we see arise with clients is whether they can integrate both a CLM solution and a CPQ solution into their business.What is CPQ and when should a company implement it?A CPQ tool allows the sales team to generate accurate, complex pricing quotes easily by automating the process. Companies typically realize that they need a CPQ tool (e.g., SteelBrick) when they are spending too much time generating customized quotes for a specific customer. This can happen when a company needs multiple divisions and departments to help with the pricing for the quote.CLM and CPQ tools can work alongside each otherDuring the consulting process, we find that companies sometimes think that they need to pick between a CLM and a CPQ tool. In reality, these tools can be utilized alongside one another. When you have dynamic contractual terms with a customer, a CLM tool needs to be integrated alongside the CPQ tool to assure that the process is as streamlined as possible.How to smoothly integrate&amp;nbsp;CLM with your CPQEnsuring a smooth integration process of your tools is important. There are three important steps in making sure the integration goes well.Analyze your product management (setup, bundling, availability, etc.), pricing and quoting processes and align with the new CPQ tool.Analyze your contract management (setup, renewals, expiration, compliance, etc.) processes and align with the new CLM tool.Take a data driven approach to map out the data needs and flows for both processes and ensure that the data supports both the CPQ and CLM tools.The process isnt done after integrationAfter the initial tools are rolled out, there is maintenance that needs to take place to ensure that the tools are being used effectively. I like to think of tool integration as buying a new house. Moving in is the first step, but I need to know what maintenance is required to keep the house livable.Understanding the various rules and logic that are built into your CPQ and CLM tools is vital. Being able to assess the flexibility of these tools and maximize the return you receive from them provides a major impact on the business.However, keep in mind that no tool is infinitely adjustable to solve every single problem. Going back to the house analogy, its essentially the difference between re_purposing a spare room as an office and adding an entire new room. A CPQ tool may be flexible enough to address some of your needs, but to really see the returns, implementing a CLM tool may make more sense.As with most technology initiatives, you should identify and focus on the 80% of business needs that are critical to the organization, and realize that the remaining 20% will be realized over time as you mature and gain expertise with your CPQ/CLM tool.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_integrate_clm_with_your_cpq</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-10T14:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Why metadata is essential to your contract management process</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/metadata_essential_contract_management_process</link>
        <description>You've likely heard a version of &quot;Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, the song that made differences in pronunciation (e.g. toe_may_toe vs. toe_mah_toe) famous. This song is an important lesson in how people approach language and make it their own. While this freedom of interpretation is great for day_to_day conversation and musicals, it can prove disastrous when it comes to tagging standards for contract and document management. What you might call an agreement, another person might call a contract. Yikes.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>You've likely heard a version of &quot;Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, the song that made differences in pronunciation (e.g. toe_may_toe vs. toe_mah_toe) famous. This song is an important lesson in how people approach language and make it their own. While this freedom of interpretation is great for day_to_day conversation and musicals, it can prove disastrous when it comes to tagging standards for contract and document management. What you might call an agreement, another person might call a contract. Yikes.&amp;nbsp;(Source: YouTube)Tagging Standards versus Metadata&amp;nbsp;Tags are useful for providing context about your document, but they aren't great if you're trying to drivea&amp;nbsp;process involving structured searching, reporting or a workflow. For example, if you're workflow isexecuting on documents labeled contracts, but you tagged yours as an agreement, the process wouldn't work for your&amp;nbsp;document.Metadata, on the other hand, is objective data generated by a system or served up as options to users&amp;nbsp;based on predetermined standards. Some examples of metadata you'd see in a contract process are the customer name, contract type, and the expiration date. &amp;nbsp;Metadata in your contract management processMetadata is key for accurate searching, reporting and building a workflow around your contractmanagement process. Tags are fine for a freestyle process that exists outside compliance and will never be used in a search, but when you rely on them to manage a standardized process it can get messy. A bad tag can send a contract down the wrong path entirely. For example, an NDA that was intended to be sent out to a customer can end up with your legal department.&amp;nbsp;When it comes to processes like contract management, it's important to set standards ahead of time and not rely on the subjective interpretations of your users. What do you think?&amp;nbsp;Image source:&amp;nbsp;https://www.flickr.com/photos/centralasian/&amp;nbsp;via Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 11 Aug 2015 21:30:40 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/metadata_essential_contract_management_process</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-11T21:30:40Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Bad Contracts: 5 Risks You Didn't Know Exist</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/bad_contracts_5_risks_you_didnt_know_exist</link>
        <description>Here at SpringCM, we deal with contract management everyday. By getting down in the trenches with contracts, we have become well_versed in the risks associated with them. There are plenty of common contract risks that we find most companies are aware of, but there are some that always seem to surprise stakeholders. Here are five contract risks that you didn't know exist.</description>
        <content:encoded>Here at SpringCM, we deal with contract management everyday. By getting down in the trenches with contracts, we have become well_versed in the risks associated with them. There are plenty of common contract risks that we find most companies are aware of, but there are some that always seem to surprise stakeholders. Here are five contract risks that you didn't know exist.1. Agreeing to unknown terms&amp;nbsp;This is a big risk that often gets overlooked. Contracts are complicated documents that need to be reviewed properly, and when there isnt a solid review process in place, the terms may be overlooked. This can leave you in a weaker position going forward.&amp;nbsp;2. Auto_renewalsThis one can affect both sides of the contract process. If you are the customer and you do not have a solution that sends reminders when contracts are about to be renewed, you can be on the hook to pay for a software you may not have a need for anymore. If you are a vendor, you may lose revenue if you dont have a reminder to kick off the renewal process with your customer.3. No audit trailToo many companies think they will just deal with an audit when it happens, not enough plan ahead of time how to make sure the auditor (internal or external) has the information needed. If there is an issue with a contract, knowing who made a change, what change they made and when they made it is a huge safety feature.4. Obligation managementMany times contracts will have obligations or milestones built into them that one side needs to meet. If these obligations arent met, the terms of the contract may mean that the revenue you collect from that deal is less than expected. Being able to effectively track these obligations allows you to better project your revenue for the upcoming quarter.5. Blind Spots in your approval processSpeaking of revenue forecasting, not knowing which deals are going to close in the current quarter and which ones may need some additional time is a huge risk for a business. For example, say your projected revenue for the current quarter is $10M. Knowing this, you plan on hiring more sales reps and invest heavily into new marketing campaigns. Then at the end of the quarter, you realize that you have a $2M deal that is stalling and wont be completed until the next quarter. This lack of insight into how the deals are progressing is obviously a huge risk for businesses.Now its your turn _ are there any contract risks that we missed? Let us know in the comments down below! Image Source:&amp;nbsp;GotCredit&amp;nbsp;via Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 13 Aug 2015 20:52:58 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/bad_contracts_5_risks_you_didnt_know_exist</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-13T20:52:58Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The Best Ways to Get Your Sales Team Excited About a New Tool</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_best_ways_to_get_your_sales_team_excited_about_a_new_tool</link>
        <description>Rolling out a new tool to your sales team can be a tricky process. Most new tools are received by sales teams with a level of skepticism, and members of the team often question the true motive of the new tool.</description>
        <content:encoded>Rolling out a new tool to your sales team can be a tricky process. Most new tools are received by sales teams with a level of skepticism, and members of the team often question the true motive of the new tool.Is this just a way for my boss to check up on me? Is this going to actually help me do my job better?Can this help how effective I am at selling our product?With these being the common reactions to new tools, it's easy for managers to be discouraged. However, there are ways to get your sales team excited about new tools.Build&amp;nbsp;Awareness Before the Tool is Rolled OutLetting members of your sales team know, beforehand, that a new tool will be coming to them is an easy way to avoid some of the skepticism. Telling your team, Hey, this is what is going to happen, can go a long way in getting users to adopt the new tool. Without this step, effective tools can often fall by the wayside.Involve Users in the ProcessThis seems like a simple step, but it is one managers often forget. Since the sales team members are the ones who are actually going to be using the tool everyday, bringing them in on the process can be an enormous help. Users should be involved in the vendor selection process, including sitting in on demos provided by the vendors. This allows them to provide management with feedback on what aspects of a tool they find valuable and what features they can do without.Create a Feedback System After a Tool is SelectedMany managers assume that once a tool has been implemented, the process is over, but providing your team with a system where they can give feedback on the new tool is vital. There may be aspects that seemed important during the demos, but later its realized that no one is using the features.Dont Overwhelm Teams with Too Many ToolsIt is easy to get caught up in the vision of how a sales tool will help your business and forget to measure the actual benefit it is providing. Managers sometime get starry_eyed visions of teams having a plethora of tools and utilizing each one to perfection. In reality, many of these tools end up being under_utilized or totally forgotten about simply because the team is drowning in tool options.The rolling out of a new tool should be thought of as an internal sell.Giving the right people access to the right tools will help set up users as reference sellers. If a user sees real value being added to their co_workers process, they will be much more likely to give the new tool the attention it deserves. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 14 Aug 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_best_ways_to_get_your_sales_team_excited_about_a_new_tool</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-14T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract Management: How to determine your ROI </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_how_to_determine_your_roi</link>
        <description>As the Chief Customer Officer here at SpringCM, I assist in everything the customer needs after the completion of the sale. This includes getting the customer up and running, training them on the software, and setting them up for success. During this process, the big question we ask customers is, &amp;ldquo;Are you getting the value out of SpringCM that you thought you would?&amp;rdquo; One major way we help customers visualize the value they are getting is by evaluating their return on investment.</description>
        <content:encoded>As the Chief Customer Officer here at SpringCM, I assist in everything the customer needs after the completion of the sale. This includes getting the customer up and running, training them on the software, and setting them up for success. During this process, the big question we ask customers is, Are you getting the value out of SpringCM that you thought you would? One major way we help customers visualize the value they are getting is by evaluating their return on investment.ROI is a deciding factor in every business process, including contract management. Almost every company is aware that they need to determine the potential ROI of a contract management solution before the purchase, but few are aware how exactly to calculate it.&amp;nbsp;How to determine contract management ROIThrough our work with customers, we have discovered that there are two key areas where a company who implements a contract management solution will see a return on their investment.&amp;nbsp;1. Increase in employee productivityThis is the largest area of return companies will see after implementing a contract management solution. By streamlining the entire contract process and creating efficient workflows, sales, operations, and legal teams spend less time in the trenches with contracts, making them much more efficient at their respective jobs.2. Reducing operating costsThis is the more tangible return that companies see after implementation. Often times there is an overlap in software that can be eliminated; other times there are licenses that can be cancelled once users have the new contract management license.After these two factors have been evaluated before implementation, projections will be made on how much money the new solution should save the business. Following the first 90 days, the solution team should check_in and re_evaluate how the actual numbers are comparing to the initial projections.Determining the ROI on your contract management solution is an important process. Without it, it can be near impossible to justify the decision to purchase new software.Image source:&amp;nbsp;Dan Moyle&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 17 Aug 2015 15:35:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_management_how_to_determine_your_roi</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-17T15:35:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Dreamforce 2015 City Guide: My Ideal Night In San Francisco</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/dreamforce_2015_city_guide_my_ideal_night_in_san_francisco</link>
        <description>As a Dreamforce novice last year, I remember feeling both excited and overwhelmed by the idea of joining over 100,000 people for the annual mega conference. Aside from the educational sessions and networking opportunities, one of the best parts of the week is exploring the city of San Francisco.</description>
        <content:encoded>As a Dreamforce novice last year, I remember feeling both excited and overwhelmed by the idea of joining over 100,000 people for the annual mega conference. Aside from the educational sessions and networking opportunities, one of the best parts of the week is exploring the city of San Francisco.As Tony Bennett so eloquently sang, To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars, is definitely an amazing experience. &amp;nbsp;But if youve never been and you dont know any locals, how do you know where to spend your time while away from Moscone Center?Dreamforce 2015: Things to Do in San FranciscoLast year, we polled the most well_traveled techies here at SpringCM and created a guide to the City by the Bay. People loved it, and we felt pretty stinkin good about helping them enjoy their time in San Francisco. Of course, for Dreamforce 2015, we had to bring the guide back and make it better.Heres what youll find in this years guide:Weve included more than food and drink recommendations: We heard you _ not everyone is as food and drink motivated as we are. Youre cultured. You want to experience everything the city has to offer. With that in mind, weve included a comedy club, shopping, adventure recommendations and more. &amp;nbsp;Theres a map, so you dont get lost: Just in case your Google Map app fails you (weve all been there), weve included an old fashioned map in the guide.Theres an Uber for that: Want to head out to that comedy club? Itll be an 11 minute Uber ride. For each recommendation we made, we also included approximate Uber travel time from Moscone.How to Get the Dreamforce 2015 GuideWere giving you a couple of options. The easiest way? Click here to download the eBook, or click the image below. If youd like a hard copy, as well, well have those available at our booth #N1031.Enjoy your time in San Francisco! &amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 18 Aug 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/dreamforce_2015_city_guide_my_ideal_night_in_san_francisco</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-18T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Are Your Reps Overwhelmed with Too Many Sales Tools?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/are_your_reps_overwhelmed_with_too_many_sales_tools</link>
        <description>As an Account Executive here at SpringCM, I work with companies every day to help them increase productivity across their workforce. I consult with these companies on their current document and contract management processes and provide recommendations on how they can improve. One question I always make sure to ask them: &amp;ldquo;Does your sales team have too many tools available to them?&amp;rdquo;Many company stakeholders struggle with the concept that their sales team may be overwhelmed with too many tools at their disposal. It&amp;rsquo;s important to understand the value of sales tools, how reps can become overwhelmed with options, and how management can help prevent it.</description>
        <content:encoded>As an Account Executive here at SpringCM, I work with companies every day to help them increase productivity across their workforce. I consult with these companies on their current document and contract management processes and provide recommendations on how they can improve. One question I always make sure to ask them: Does your sales team have too many tools available to them?Many company stakeholders struggle with the concept that their sales team may be overwhelmed with too many tools at their disposal. Its important to understand the value of sales tools, how reps can become overwhelmed with options, and how management can help prevent it.Sales Tools Are ImportantA companys sales tools and resources are instrumental in moving deals through the sales cycle quickly. Having the right tools implemented in the right areas can prove vital in increasing productivity across a workforce. Sales reps today look to provide companies with a different way of thinking about their business that will yield better results. They want tools that can help them become better consultants, expedite the sales process, and make the best use of everybodys time.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;How Many Tools Are Too Many?While sales tools are important, organizations need to be wary of rolling out too many tools. When there is an influx of tools, it is easy for some to get lost in the shuffle. Even if tools dont fall through the cracks, there might be insufficient training to teach reps how to utilize the new tools, and if reps cant see the value a tool provides them they are much less likely to use it.When a sales team has too many options, sometimes these tools can end up having an inverse effect on productivity. If a rep is spending more time trying to manage which tool to use and how to use it, its taking away from his time spent selling.How Management Can HelpMany managers think that once a tool is rolled out their job is done. However, I have found that there are two key factors in effectively rolling out a new tool.Effective and repetitive training: The best management teams continue to hold training for tools periodically after the initial release. This allows new reps to learn how to use them even if they werent there when the tool was first rolled out, and it serves as a refresher course for tenured employees to make sure they are being as efficient as possible.Use current reps as internal sellers: The best way to get users to buy in to the validity of a tool is to have a coworker sell them on it. If reps see their peers having success with a tool, they are much more likely to give it their full attention.Equipping sales reps with only a few tools that are highly effective is much better than handing them hundreds of tools that will never get touched.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 19 Aug 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/are_your_reps_overwhelmed_with_too_many_sales_tools</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-19T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Legal Contract Management: 4 Best Practices</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/legal_contract_management_4_best_practices</link>
        <description>In a previous post, we went over the biggest risks of manually managing all of your legal contracts. These risks can be severe, yet many businesses are still reliant on manual processes to manage their legal contracts. Today, we'll look at better options that are available for contract management. These best practices apply to companies of all sizes.</description>
        <content:encoded>In a previous post, we went over the biggest risks of manually managing all of your legal contracts. These risks can be severe, yet many businesses are still reliant on manual processes to manage their legal contracts. Today, we'll look at better options that are available for contract management. These best practices apply to companies of all sizes.Store all your legal contracts in a central repositoryBy having a specific place where every detail of your contracts are stored, you eliminate any chance of lost documents.Standardize your legal contract templates Use standard templates that are up_to_date for your business. These templates should be updated every quarter or so to make sure that all the regulations and clauses are up to date. Missing a regulation update is one of the risks we discussed, and can lead to some serious financial risks for your business.Standardize the contract negotiation process&amp;nbsp;Create a step_by_step process for the negotiating of a contract, and make sure you stick to that process. With this standardization, non_lawyers can follow the steps and handle standard agreements without too much help from a legal team member. Lawyers are usually very expensive talent within an organization, and you dont want to take up too much of their time performing tasks that can be done by others.Build compliance management in the contract processAdding a step to the contract process where all compliance regulations are checked and double_checked is a great way to mitigate risk. It may not seem imperative at the time, but this small step can save you a lot of money and headaches in the long run.By taking these steps, you are well on your way to creating a worry_free legal contract process. For more information on how manually managing legal contracts can affect your business, download our free ebook today. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 20 Aug 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/legal_contract_management_4_best_practices</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-20T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Why visibility into your contract process is essential</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_gain_visibility_into_your_contract_process</link>
        <description>I speak with a lot of customers who spend a LOT of time (and money) on outdated and ineffective contract processes. Most companies are managing their contracts manually. In fact, a recent survey found that 71.9% still are using a manual process to guide contracts through generation and approval.</description>
        <content:encoded>I speak with a lot of customers who spend a LOT of time (and money) on outdated and ineffective contract processes. Most companies are managing their contracts manually. In fact, a recent survey found that 71.9% still are using a manual process to guide contracts through generation and approval.Move fast, make mistakesEach new sales contract created by a rep at those companies is likely to expose them to some type of contractual risk. At the very least, you're going to rack up a high bill as your legal team spends hours combing through each of your contracts for litigation_inviting errors. There's no shortage of blind_spots in the modern contract process, and as deals become more complex with greater pressure to move quickly and effectively, visibility into the contract process is rapidly becoming a key interest of companies looking to invest in contract management solutions.&amp;nbsp;What's there to see in a contract process?&amp;nbsp;Maybe you're wondering what exactly makes a contract process so tricky. Consider the average journey of a contract in today's sales cycle:GenerateWhen a sales rep generates a new contract they might be working off your templates or building something from scratch. Worse: a combination of both. You'll want to see that your templates are being used and to what effect.&amp;nbsp;Negotiate&amp;nbsp;This is when things get especially tricky. The negotiation process is where you run the risk of missing important clauses and language introduced&amp;nbsp;throughout&amp;nbsp;the redlining cycles. Knowing who has had your contract and what edits they made is crucial to protect your company, but also ensure you're doing right by your customers.&amp;nbsp;ExecuteThis is where your contract becomes a reality. The final cat to herd. When you're waiting on the signature that finalizes the agreement between you and your customer, seconds can seem like days. As deals become more complex, the number of signatories will only grow. Knowing who is sitting on your deal enables you and your team to act accordingly to ensure your deal crosses the finish line.&amp;nbsp;OptimizeThere's a reason other than vanity that athletes spend a significant amount of time watching&amp;nbsp; past performances. It's impossible to learn without knowing your mistakes. Having a full view of your contract process lets you identify where you can improve and where you can optimize even further.&amp;nbsp;RenewThere's more to renewals than simply sending out a fresh contract to be signed. Sometimes contracts contain obligations that evolve over time. The first year might not include all_inclusive bike rides through Central Park with a celebrity of your choosing, but the second might. You don't want to lose customers and revenue because an existing contract was allowed to slip!&amp;nbsp;You will see clearly now&amp;nbsp;The are many benefits to having visibility into your contract process. You've worked hard to optimize your sales process. By understanding all of the above, you'll be able to better forecast your sales cycles. &amp;nbsp;43% of companies have lost deals due to an ineffective contract process.&amp;nbsp;The last thing you want to lose sight of during a sales process is the contract.&amp;nbsp;Image source:&amp;nbsp;Grgoire Lannoy&amp;nbsp;via Flickr</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 21 Aug 2015 20:26:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_gain_visibility_into_your_contract_process</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-21T20:26:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>An Implementation Managers Guide to Dreamforce 2015</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/an_implementation_managers_guide_to_dreamforce_2015</link>
        <description>If you&amp;rsquo;re preparing to attend Dreamforce for the first time this September, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed, or maybe just unsure of what to expect. With three years of Dreamforce under my belt, I can tell you there are definitely some things you should know to get the most out of your experience. But above everything else, get excited, because you&amp;rsquo;re about to embark on four days of gaining insight, exploring opportunities and just having fun.</description>
        <content:encoded>If youre preparing to attend Dreamforce for the first time this September, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed, or maybe just unsure of what to expect. With three years of Dreamforce under my belt, I can tell you there are definitely some things you should know to get the most out of your experience. But above everything else, get excited, because youre about to embark on four days of gaining insight, exploring opportunities and just having fun.What You Cant Miss:You will have a chance to hear keynotes from influential people whove made a big impact in the world. Ive seen people like Hillary Clinton, Colin Powell, Marissa Meyer and Neil Diamond talk about everything from politics to music. The speeches usually have nothing to do with Salesforce, but its valuable insight about life and success. If you can stick around on that Friday, catch the Q &amp;amp; A with Salesforce executives Marc Benioff and Parker Harris. Theyll answer random, strange questions from the audience, and I find them hilarious. I keep track of my years at Dreamforce based on the number of bands Ive seen there. Youre pretty much guaranteed to see a big_name, with past acts like Bruno Mars, Green Day and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.Look for a Mix of Sessions:My favorite part of Dreamforce is networking and connecting with customers Ive only been able to talk with on the phone. At SpringCM, I manage a team that works with customers and partners to implement our platform, so its important for me to build on those conversations. I like to check out partner sessions to see what theyre up to and if we can leverage them for SpringCM. In all these sessions youll likely find something that fits to your role. I deal with workflow with my customers, so I make sure to attend the Visual Flow session, which is close to what SpringCM uses, and I gain a lot of insight from how Salesforce handles workflow. I even found value in watching competitor sessions for the same reason. Its all about seeing how other products and ideas match up to SpringCM.A Word From the Wise:Of course, there are a couple issues that go along with the crowds at Dreamforce 2015. Over a hundred thousand people will be descending on San francisco at once. Be prepared to wait in line. That goes for just about everything from grabbing a coffee to hitting the restroom. My advice to you is to plan ahead. If you want to eat at a restaurant that has real napkins, make reservations!You can tailor your experience in order to get the most out of it. There is so much to explore at Dreamforce 2015 and within the surrounding City of San Francisco. For more options, download our ebook or click the image below. Enjoy your time at Dreamforce 2015! </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 25 Aug 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/an_implementation_managers_guide_to_dreamforce_2015</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-25T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>4 Ways a Contract Management Solution Can Benefit Your Legal Department</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/4_ways_a_contract_management_solution_can_benefit_your_legal_department</link>
        <description>It&amp;rsquo;s a common question we get from legal departments: how can we benefit from a contract management solution? The thought of investing in another software could feel like just another expense. Considering the alternatives, you could hire another employee to manually deal with the contract process, but that&amp;rsquo;s even more expensive. When you look at the manual process side_by_side with contract management software, you&amp;rsquo;ll see the benefits don&amp;rsquo;t only include cost. Here are four ways your legal department can benefit from a contract management solution:</description>
        <content:encoded>Its a common question we get from legal departments: how can we benefit from a contract management solution? The thought of investing in another software could feel like just another expense. Considering the alternatives, you could hire another employee to manually deal with the contract process, but thats even more expensive. When you look at the manual process side_by_side with contract management software, youll see the benefits dont only include cost. Here are four ways your legal department can benefit from a contract management solution:Order and Efficiency: A manual, home_grown contract management system can get crowded and confusing quickly. When a legal department has thousands of contracts to keep track of, it can be difficult to remember automatic renewals. When different people are adding to the contract, it is difficult to keep people on the same page. A contract management solution keeps everyone in the loop and provides maximum transparency. It also provides a system of reminders, so you can keep track of contract renewals.Reduced Risk: A contract management solution eliminates any human error from the process. No more template mix_ups, missed details, and no more waiting around to see if a client has opened the contract. Mistakes can cost you money, and sometimes even clients.Save Time and Money: With a solution in place, you dramatically decrease the time to sign contracts, freeing up your legal team to focus on negotiations instead of waiting around.Standardize the Contract Negotiation Process: You dont have to be a lawyer to negotiate a contract. A contract management solution provides a step_by_step process to handle standard agreements. A lawyers time is expensive, use it for what you absolutely need!A contract management software doesnt only solve common problems, but it produces a return on investments for legal departments both large and small. Theres more to learn about contract management solutions and how it can benefit your legal department. Download our new ebook for free today. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 27 Aug 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/4_ways_a_contract_management_solution_can_benefit_your_legal_department</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-27T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Contract Questions: How to Stop Them Before They Come to You</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_questions_how_to_stop_them_before_they_come_to_you</link>
        <description>As Chief Revenue Officer here at SpringCM, my responsibility is to strategize with the management team, and provide sales leadership and direction. My day_to_day is a little less fancy. I look at it like this: I listen to the voice of the customer and make sure every department of SpringCM understands what our customers are saying.I also deal with different types of contracts on a daily basis. Since we&amp;rsquo;re selling to Salesforce customers of all shapes and sizes, we are both a transactional selling environment and a complex, enterprise sales environment.I love that.We have transactional deals where the contract questions can come right at the beginning of a sales cycle; and intense, prolonged contract negotiations with some of the largest companies in the world.</description>
        <content:encoded>As Chief Revenue Officer here at SpringCM, my responsibility is to strategize with the management team, and provide sales leadership and direction. My day_to_day is a little less fancy. I look at it like this: I listen to the voice of the customer and make sure every department of SpringCM understands what our customers are saying.I also deal with different types of contracts on a daily basis. Since were selling to Salesforce customers of all shapes and sizes, we are both a transactional selling environment and a complex, enterprise sales environment.I love that.We have transactional deals where the contract questions can come right at the beginning of a sales cycle; and intense, prolonged contract negotiations with some of the largest companies in the world.The Most Common Contract QuestionsContract questions run the gamut and come from people in various roles. In smaller, nimble companies, especially the tech sector, the questions tend to come from the business unit owner  VP Sales, VP Sales Ops, Legal, or perhaps the General Counsel. For larger enterprises, questions tend to come from the sourcing or procurement organization.Since ours is a SaaS transaction, the most common question I get is about using SpringCM vs. customer paper. We feel its imperative that we use &quot;SpringCM paper&quot; rather than &quot;customer paper,&quot; primarily so we can have consistency across our customer base, and because we believe all customers should be treated equally.The reality of life is that many customers feel the same way about using their paper, and the larger the company, the more often the question about whose paper will be used comes up. &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Other contract questions I tend to get are related to:SecurityClause library and template creationCentral repositoryTracking the status of contractsHow to Put an End to Contract QuestionsImplementing a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) system will enable you to get your arms around bottlenecks that slow down your contract process. Youll be able to anticipate questions before they come to you and provide resources to answer those questions.Getting a bit more granular, I recommend executing two features within your CLM. The first is pretty easy to do, and the second&amp;nbsp;is definitely more advanced:Clause Library:&amp;nbsp;Sometimes referred to as a playbook, a clause library enables sellers to search for and select pre_approved clauses that answer the common contract questions, and automatically insert them into contract templates. As you can imagine, this really speeds up the process. Sellers or sales managers can handle the basic contract questions without the need to track down VPs or the legal team.Contract Process Analytics: This recommendation has the greatest impact. Imagine a world where you could spot trends in contract workflow, including a close look at the number of FTEs involved in any given process, the average stage duration in days, the slowest workflows, and performance comparisons of individual employees involved in the process. Contract process analytics will enable you to do all that and more.As an executive, fielding contract questions is nearly inevitable. By arming your team with the proper processes and tools, youll gain precious time that will enable you to drive more revenue and grow your business.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 28 Aug 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/contract_questions_how_to_stop_them_before_they_come_to_you</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Aug-28T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A UX Designers Guide to Dreamforce 2015</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_ux_designers_guide_to_dreamforce_2015</link>
        <description>At Dreamforce 2015, you&amp;rsquo;ll be immersed with over 100,000 people, at more than 1,500 educational sessions. As a user experience designer, it&amp;rsquo;s important to make sure you&amp;rsquo;re getting the most out of your experience. My job at SpringCM is constantly requiring me to get out there and interact with people, whether it&amp;rsquo;s gauging the customer&amp;rsquo;s reaction to our product or tapping into partnering companies for ideas. Think of Dreamforce as a marathon opportunity to do all these things. Here&amp;rsquo;s how to get the most out of Dreamforce 2015:</description>
        <content:encoded>At Dreamforce 2015, youll be immersed with over 100,000 people, at more than 1,500 educational sessions. As a user experience designer, its important to make sure youre getting the most out of your experience. My job at SpringCM is constantly requiring me to get out there and interact with people, whether its gauging the customers reaction to our product or tapping into partnering companies for ideas. Think of Dreamforce as a marathon opportunity to do all these things. Heres how to get the most out of Dreamforce 2015:Get Out and Make FriendsThe best part about Dreamforce is the energy. Everyone is out there with a similar goal: to create something amazing and change the tech game. Its an excellent opportunity to bond with people in your company, but also to network with people on the outside and find inspiration. I always check in with SpringCM partners to see what theyre working on and how it could affect what I do.Recommendations for DesignersAs a UX Designer, of course I want to attend sessions relevant to me. Here are some things I look for in the sessions:Wave Analytics: I fell in love with this Salesforce product last year. Its a reporting analytics tool that is very relevant to a UX Designer. Id recommend going to any session related to it.Lightening: This is the building block for all the apps under Salesforce. It pieces together every detail. I think its components are the design wave of the future.Sales Cloud Roadmap: These sessions tell you everything coming up in the Salesforce Sales Cloud. My role plays a big part in closing deals, so it's good to stay informed about how that experience is growing and evolving inside of their product.Peter Coffee: Hes the VP for Strategic Research at Salesforce, who gives a good talk about where the industry is headed. Theres a huge benefit in knowing where trends are going.Dreamforce 2015 Pro Tips:Plan ahead: Last year, there were so many sessions I wanted to attend that were back_to_back, but across the city from one another.Dress functionally: Bring gym shoes, wear layers and have a backpack. Youll need to be mobile to hit all the spots you want.Hit the town: Make sure you dont overbook yourself and get out to explore San Francisco. I would recommend a hike to Lands End, a park along the shoreline with beautiful views. If you dont want to walk as far, check out Philz Coffee, which is local staple.Be on top of your free lunch: Lunch will be at a set time, but the line takes forever. Sneak out 5 minutes early to beat the crowd!You have my suggestions, now go out and make Dreamforce 2015 your own! Plan out your sessions and check out what else is out there waiting for you in San Francisco. Download our guide by clicking here or the image below. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 01 Sep 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_ux_designers_guide_to_dreamforce_2015</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-01T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>3 Tips to get your contract signed this quarter</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_reasons_your_sales_contract_isnt_signed</link>
        <description>We&amp;rsquo;ve all been there. The 11th hour. You&amp;rsquo;ve been guiding a big deal through its final stages to close, employing the maniacal focus they teach you in secret sales dojos around the globe. Everything you could do to ensure this deal closes in this quarter, you&amp;rsquo;ve done.</description>
        <content:encoded>Weve all been there. The 11th hour. Youve been guiding a big deal through its final stages to close, employing the maniacal focus they teach you in secret sales dojos around the globe. Everything you could do to ensure this deal closes in this quarter, youve done.But now youre waiting, watching as the clock ticks away another second between you and the version of yourself where youve hit your quota. Where is the contract? Who had it last? And did you call the plumber about that weird noise in wall that happens every time you flush?The Usual SuspectsConsider some of the main causes of bottlenecks in the contract process:Clunky and manual contract generation&amp;nbsp;Poorly defined approval processesLack of visibility into location of the contractThat weird noise in your wallDemanding and inconsistent redlining&amp;nbsp;Any of these factors could end up being the difference between a Q4 deal and a Q1 deal.&amp;nbsp;What can you do?&amp;nbsp;No matter what stage of the contract process you and your customer are in, there's plenty of opportunities for sales documents to stall or go missing. As the sales rep, you're the person responsible for creating and distributing the contract.After that, though, the responsibility falls to the powers_that_be in your company and at your customer's company. And there's nothing worse for morale than high expectations with little to no control over the process necessary to reach your goal.&amp;nbsp;Without a contract management solution in place, you'll need to employ brute force methods to get your contract signed. Here are some tips for avoiding the 11th hour and getting your contract signed this quarter.&amp;nbsp;1. Create Contract TemplatesEven if your company doesn't take sales contract compliance seriously yet_ not to mention the amount of time you spend pulling together new contracts from scratch_ you still should. We'd encourage you to work with your legal department or ops team when developing these templates. Obviously, the more complicated your deals, the more templates you'll have to create, BUT think about 11th_hour You. Do it for her.&amp;nbsp;2. Track your contract (to the best of your ability)We're sorry to say it, but you might have to open up Excel for this one. Keep a running list of all relevant points of contact in all your current deals. When you know a contract is with one of these individuals, highlight that name in a color of your choosing. As you secure the right signatures, you can then switch the color so you know who is left and who has made your life a little better. This is pretty simple, but it's surprisingly effective for tracking your contract through the signing process.&amp;nbsp;3. Tag your emails&amp;nbsp;You're still relying on basic email for this contract stuff? It's like your company hates you or something. Instead of losing your quota in endless threads, it's time to clean up your inbox by implementing a tagging and folder system. As you send out each new sales contract, create a new folder for that email thread and keep adding new threads as they (inevitably) appear. You might still fry your brain clicking through emails, but at least you're less likely to send the right contract to the wrong company.&amp;nbsp;The reality of contract managementNone of these tips sound particularly helpful, do they? That's because they're not particularly good tips for the contract problem many companies are facing. A whopping 71.3% of companies are not leveraging automation in their contract process. That is a lot of reps relying on outdated, manual methods to ensure deals close quickly and without exposing the company to unnecessary legal risk.&amp;nbsp;You've invested in your sales process, your content marketing _ heck, you probably even have a Keurig in your office _ but what's missing from this equation that can help you see revenue actually realized?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Image source:&amp;nbsp;Alan Cleaver&amp;nbsp;via Flickr&amp;nbsp;</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 02 Sep 2015 12:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_reasons_your_sales_contract_isnt_signed</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-02T12:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Automated vs. Manual Contract Management: Which is Best for Your Company?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/weighing_automated_with_manual_contract_management</link>
        <description>When I am helping customers determine which contract management configuration is right for them, I hear a lot of reasons why companies still manage contracts manually. As I work &amp;nbsp;with customers to find a solution to their contract problems, I often find that manual processes were never their first choice.&amp;nbsp;</description>
        <content:encoded>When I am helping customers determine which contract management configuration is right for them, I hear a lot of reasons why companies still manage contracts manually. As I work &amp;nbsp;with customers to find a solution to their contract problems, I often find that manual processes were never their first choice.&amp;nbsp;A Common Misconception about Contract AutomationIn my experience, a common reason for manual contract management is that the &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;current solution is &amp;nbsp;outdated. Its a software that isnt t cloud ready, and has no integration with Salesforce. It ends up making the job harder. So rather than using that software, the customer finds it easier to do everything manually.Customers want control over the contract process. Thats why I offer the idea of an automated contract process. There is one major misconception of automated solutions: despite giving you more control, it will slow you down. But in reality, the opposite result occurs. &amp;nbsp;An automated contract management process increases productivity and visibility, while decreasing risk.&amp;nbsp;Risks to Manually Managing Contracts:Human error _ &amp;nbsp;A single misplaced word can change the entire meaning within a contract. A mistake within a contract can result in a costly mistake thats only more costly to fix.Rogue discounting _ when a Sales Rep is left to their own devices, they can get carried away. With no structure to discounting, money can be left on the table.Wasting time _ The more deals, the more revenue for your company. Unfortunately, too much time is invested in building each contract from the ground up.Benefits to an Automated Contract Solution:Efficient contract generation tools _ no more wasting time building each template. More time opens up room for more deals.&amp;nbsp;Tracking capabilities &amp;nbsp;The status and location of a contract are visible to everyone.Automatic reminders for deadlines and renewalsIdentify where a contract is being held up so you can address it.Signature and post_sig processes _ go paperless with e_signatures, fast_tracking documents with the click of the mouse, instead of faxing or scanning.&amp;nbsp;At the end of the day, an automated solution will drive revenue up and risks down. Discover more about the risks of manually managing contracts by clicking here or the image below. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 03 Sep 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/weighing_automated_with_manual_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-03T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Whats Holding Up Your Contract Process?</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_s_holding_up_your_contract_process</link>
        <description>A company could be dealing with tens of thousands of contracts at a time. Imagine relying on only a handful of people to manage those contracts.As an Account Executive at SpringCM, I often get to speak with those people, and I&amp;rsquo;ve heard the horror stories involved with managing those contracts manually.</description>
        <content:encoded>A company could be dealing with tens of thousands of contracts at a time. Imagine relying on only a handful of people to manage those contracts.As an Account Executive at SpringCM, I often get to speak with those people, and Ive heard the horror stories involved with managing those contracts manually.Delayed Contracts Can Cost YouSomewhere along the road, a contract usually gets delayed. In these cases, someone has to pick up the phone and start calling around to find out where it is. In the meantime, valuable time is ticking away, pushing deals to the next quarter, or even the next year. If too much time passes, you could be forced to use an outdated version of a contract. All this frustration can chip away your companys reputation and put a contract in jeopardy.Identifying the DelayA recent survey shows 46% of professionals say it takes more than four weeks to complete a contract, with over 43% of their deals having stalled due to their contract process. Most people say their contract is delayed because they dont know where it is in the approval process. This usually stems from two common issues during the contract lifecycle:Contract Miscommunication _&amp;nbsp;Multiple people are handling a contract at any given time, theres bound to be a misunderstanding in the mix. Its often in the possession of someone who has no idea they have it, whether they missed the email or someone forgot to send it out.&amp;nbsp;Workflow bottleneck _ Countless things can go wrong while managing a contract manually, the problem is theres no way to identify what is holding up the process when there is no visibility into who last had the contract or made changes to it.Ensuring Visibility, Efficiency and AccountabilityAn automated contract management solution can alleviate these roadblocks with features meant to keep the process moving:Tracking ContractsThis is one of the main reasons I see clients go for an automated solution. A solution offers transparency so everyone involved in that contract knows where the contract is and the status of that contract.Notify SignatoriesWhen you know a contract is sitting in someones possession, you have the ability to nudge that person and provide direction to keep the process moving. To get ahead of any setback, you can set reminders to keep people on track.Audit TrailKeep people accountable with the ability to look at and extract the contract history at any time. This helps solve any discrepancies that could hold back the contract process.Whatever is holding up your contracts, a solution will identify the problem, speeding up your contract management process while reducing risks that cost a company money and its reputation. To learn more ways to improve your contract management process through automation, click here or the image below.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 04 Sep 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_s_holding_up_your_contract_process</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-04T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Software Engineers Guide to Dreamforce 2015</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_software_engineer_s_guide_to_dreamforce_2015</link>
        <description>Dreamforce 2015 is only a week away and for the software engineers who are going for the first time; you might not know what to expect. When I attended Dreamforce for the first time three years ago, I was completely overwhelmed. But to be around people that share the same energy and enthusiasm in the tech industry was incredible.</description>
        <content:encoded>Dreamforce 2015 is only a week away and for the software engineers who are going for the first time; you might not know what to expect. When I attended Dreamforce for the first time three years ago, I was completely overwhelmed. But to be around people that share the same energy and enthusiasm in the tech industry was incredible.There is so much to see and to learn, but in so little time. On top of the learning opportunities, youll need to balance that with some fun. I recommend planning and prioritizing your trip.Steps to Strategize Your SessionsPopular sessions can fill up fast, but try to go anyways, even if the session is closed. Most sessions have a stand_by line and oftentimes you can take the spot from someone who didnt show up.&amp;nbsp;Pick two sessions for each time slot. That way, if the session youre in isnt what you thought or ends early, you can catch another session.&amp;nbsp;You should pick sessions that will benefit your job with your company, but also pick what piques your personal interests. Here are some sessions that have me excited for Dreamforce 2015:&amp;nbsp;Hands_on Training: These sessions are a great way to get a head start on new products. Its essentially free training. There are two particular sessions Im excited about this year:Coding S1 mobile apps with Lightning ComponentsBuilding effective dashboards in the Analytics CloudLightening App Builder: Salesforce recently rebuilt their user interface with Lightning, this session will help me to learn about all the changes and how it will affect my role as a Senior Director of Software Engineering at SpringCM.Microservice_Based Architecture on the Salesforce Platform: This is a discussion around a way of developing a deploying applications that follows the motto of doing one thing and doing it well.Developer Keynote: This is where they introduce new technology in detail thats coming soon to the platform. This year its Adam Seligman, SVP for Developer Relations at Salesforce.&amp;nbsp;Dont Forget to PartyYou dont have to be all business at Dreamforce 2015. Its also a great opportunity to explore a world_class city, network with like_minded people, and catch some entertainment. There are parties at night that are great for meeting people and big names perform on stage every year at Dreamforce. This year youll get the chance to see the Foo Fighters perform live, among other acts.Theres more to explore at Dreamforce 2015 and in the City of San Francisco. Download our guide by clicking here or the image below.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 07 Sep 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_software_engineer_s_guide_to_dreamforce_2015</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-07T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>SpringCM &amp; SteelBrick Partner to Simplify Workflow with Speed And Accuracy</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/springcm_steelbrick_partner_to_simplify_workflow_with_speed_and_accuracy</link>
        <description>Sales teams want to engage with their customers, rather than waste time in the process of creating new quotes, proposals and contracts. It&amp;rsquo;s not easy when sales reps have to manage high volumes of all those documents at the same time. A couple of weeks ago, we announced that we&amp;rsquo;ve combined our software with the CPQ applications of SteelBrick to further improve workflow for our customers.</description>
        <content:encoded>Sales teams want to engage with their customers, rather than waste time in the process of creating new quotes, proposals and contracts. Its not easy when sales reps have to manage high volumes of all those documents at the same time. A couple of weeks ago, we announced that weve combined our software with the CPQ applications of SteelBrick to further improve workflow for our customers.In case you missed it, here are the details:SpringCM File It for SteelBrick, is an all_in_one package built to seamlessly integrate with Salesforce to manage contract process from quote to close. This allows our customers to manage contracts and other documents directly from the familiar Salesforce user interface.The features include:Secure Central RepositoryStore, organize and access all documents, including quotes, proposals and contracts from any Salesforce object.Enhanced Search CapabilitiesFull text search across any content type, including microsoft word or PDF, returns exactly what youre looking for with no configuration required.Third_Party Paper CompatibilityEasily work from third_party paper or capture inbound customer paperwork with options to upload, drag and drop, scan or send through inbound email.Redline &amp;amp; CompareMark up, version and compare documents to identify and report differences as redlines.What does this enhanced SpringCM and SteelBrick partnership mean for our customers?It builds on the commitment SpringCM and SteelBrick already have for our customers, helping you close deals with speed and accuracy. Bottom line: SpringCM File It for SteelBrick further helps customers optimize their workflow while maximizing ROI.Learn more about the partnership, read the full press release here. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 08 Sep 2015 21:30:33 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/springcm_steelbrick_partner_to_simplify_workflow_with_speed_and_accuracy</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-08T21:30:33Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>10 Tips to Survive Your First Day at Dreamforce 2015</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/10_tips_to_survive_your_first_day_at_dreamforce_2015</link>
        <description>Tens of thousands of people are preparing to flock to San Francisco for Dreamforce 2015. If this is your first time, you&amp;rsquo;re probably feeling a little overwhelmed, and you&amp;rsquo;re not alone. But you should be excited, because you&amp;rsquo;re about to embark on an exciting week. We&amp;rsquo;ve put together 10 tips to help you survive your first day at Dreamforce 2015, and to set you up for a successful week:</description>
        <content:encoded>Tens of thousands of people are preparing to flock to San Francisco for Dreamforce 2015. If this is your first time, youre probably feeling a little overwhelmed, and youre not alone. But you should be excited, because youre about to embark on an exciting week. Weve put together 10 tips to help you survive your first day at Dreamforce 2015, and to set you up for a successful week:Dress Functionally: There is a lot to see at Dreamforce 2015, in a short period of time. To get to everything you want, be mobile. Bring gym shoes. wear layers and bring a backpack.Stay hydrated:&amp;nbsp;Youll need fuel to get the most out of Dreamforce 2015. Remember to bring a refillable water bottle. Since California is experiencing a drought, water_intensive products will be minimized and plastic water bottles are banned.Map your meals: Breakfast and lunch will be provided to Dreamforce attendees, and food will be available at official evening events. Lines for those meals will be long, so get ahead of the crowds, even if it means leaving a session 5 minutes early. If youre going out to eat one evening, make reservations!Pre_register your sessions: Dreamforce 2015 has more than 1,500 sessions, and some are more popular than others. Its very likely thats at least one of your cant miss session are on that popular list. Pre_register for the sessions you want to attend. If youve registered for Dreamforce 2015, youve hopefully received an email with details on how to reserve your sessions.&amp;nbsp;Double_book yourself: When you register for your sessions, its a good idea to sign up for two sessions for each time slot. No, youre not expected to be in two places at once, but if one of those sessions is not what you thought, or a session ends early, you can catch another session.&amp;nbsp;Take a chance on a booked session: You might find yourself in a position where one of your most wanted sessions is booked. Try to go anyways. Most sessions have a standby line, where you can get in if someone else doesnt show or cancels their seat.&amp;nbsp;Choose something other than Salesforce: If youre not already, you will be overwhelmed by the volume and variety of sessions you can attend. Most of these sessions revolve around Salesforce, and of course, you should attend sessions that match your specialty. You should also pick something outside that scope. &amp;nbsp;Ideas are generated when you think outside the box, you never know what you might discover, or who you might meet.&amp;nbsp;Give yourself time: Be prepared to wait in lines, especially in between sessions at cafes or lunch stations, for shuttle buses from hotels, and even to get your badge during registration. It will take you longer than you think to get around and events can be spread a far distance. Leave early to get ahead of lines and allow yourself time to walk to places.Explore San Francisco: In all the craziness, dont forget that youre in a world_class city. Be sure to get out and explore. If youre new to the area, map your route ahead of time. Walking is a good idea, since the roads will be packed with Dreamforce attendees. But if youre going a longer distance, Muni, San Franciscos public transportation system, can take you just about anywhere in the city. Uber is also recommended for the hard_to_get_to places.&amp;nbsp;Put yourself out there: At Dreamforce 2015, youre not just listening to great minds at the podium, great minds are sitting right next to you too. Bring your business cards. Use breaks and meal times to network with people. There are Dreamforce after_hour events almost every night. These are great opportunities to share ideas and make new friends. Without planning ahead, you might end up just going to bed _ which is such a waste.If you like our tips, have more to add, or just want to say hi stop by the SpringCM booth at N1031 and let us know! For more on what to do at Dreamforce 2015 and in the City of San Francisco, download our guide.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 09 Sep 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/10_tips_to_survive_your_first_day_at_dreamforce_2015</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-09T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>A Day in the Life: Corporate Lawyers in the Contract Process</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/a_day_in_the_life_corporate_lawyers_in_the_contract_process</link>
        <description>Corporate attorneys are under a lot of pressure. It&amp;rsquo;s even fair to say the success of a company could rest on their shoulders. Companies of all industries and sizes rely on legal teams to vet their contracts, and to identify and reduce any risks that go along with a deal.Those risks are found in the language of the contract. A single word can twist the meaning of a deal, and could cost a company more money, or make it difficult to hold the other side accountable in the deal.</description>
        <content:encoded>Corporate attorneys are under a lot of pressure. Its even fair to say the success of a company could rest on their shoulders. Companies of all industries and sizes rely on legal teams to vet their contracts, and to identify and reduce any risks that go along with a deal.Those risks are found in the language of the contract. A single word can twist the meaning of a deal, and could cost a company more money, or make it difficult to hold the other side accountable in the deal.Typical Contract Duties for Attorneys:Creating contracts: the most common method is to pull an old document, and rework the language with the current details of the contract. Lawyers do this in order to save time, so theyre not completely reinventing the wheel with each contract.Redlining: the back and forth process between both parties in the contract, making edits and changing details, then sending it over for review.Gathering signatures: the most common way of tracking whether signatures have been obtained is through spreadsheets or word documents.Now, if you can imagine going through these processes with 20,000 _ 40,000 contracts (the average contract volume for Fortune 1000 companies), you get a better idea of just how busy your legal team can be.I think that the biggest challenge is just getting it perfect and not having flaws that look amateur later. _ &amp;nbsp;Five year attorney, top 100 law firmWe all want to do our job well, to build the trust and respect of our colleagues. Your legal team is thinking the same way, but with the entire company in mind. Legal teams want to complete contracts on deadline to meet revenue goals and advance their company.We interviewed attorneys from across the country for insight on how they manage contracts, their frustrations, and how they think contract management can be improved. A common pain for all interviewees is that the process is too slow.In the effort to speed things up, work processes can become sloppy, as one attorney put it. A lot of teams resort to cutting and pasting edits into contracts, and keeping multiple versions of a contract in various places. The process becomes counterproductive to attorneys mission, opening the window to human error that can hurt your company.Improve Workflow with a Contract Management SolutionMany legal teams are investing in a contract management solution. Attorneys say the main reason is it speeds up the contract process while remaining thorough and accurate:Central Repository: all documents are stored in one place, accessible to anyone with permission.Contract Generation: create contract templates, and clause libraries to minimize repetition and save time.Negotiating Tools: redline changes and comments can be made directly on the contract, eliminating the need for multiple versions. Notifications keep both parties on the same page, alerting to when an edit has been made to the contract.Easy Signatures: Fast approval with e_Signature, no more emailing, faxing or scanning documents that need signatures.Attorneys had a lot more insight into the contract management process. In our latest ebook, Attorney Round Table: Managing the Contract Process for Optimal Results, attorneys share more about their experiences managing contracts and how an automated solution has improved their process. To download the ebook, click here or the image below. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 10 Sep 2015 15:02:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/a_day_in_the_life_corporate_lawyers_in_the_contract_process</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-10T15:02:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>SpringCM Teams Up With Docusign to Help Streamline Sales and Legal Operations</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/springcm_teams_up_with_docusign_to_help_streamline_sales_and_legal_operations</link>
        <description>Pushing paper is a time consuming and expensive way to do business. Mailing, faxing and scanning documents can slow your business down and can open the door to mistakes. That&amp;rsquo;s why this week we&amp;rsquo;ve announced a new partnership with DocuSign, to help customers move from manual paper processes to digital documentations.</description>
        <content:encoded>Pushing paper is a time consuming and expensive way to do business. Mailing, faxing and scanning documents can slow your business down and can open the door to mistakes. Thats why this week weve announced a new partnership with DocuSign, to help customers move from manual paper processes to digital documentations.Break the Paper Chains, Improve WorkflowDocuSigns Digital Transaction Management Platform (DTM) allows customers to send and sign documents with eSignature, legally moving documents quickly and securely. Combined with SpringCMs automated contract management solution, customers can sign and and route contracts with a click of a mouse.Heres how this innovation will enhance workflow for customers:Realize revenue faster  close deals faster by signing and approving one contract in the cloud.Improve sales rep productivity  sales reps can focus on selling and serving customers instead of chasing paper.Automate back_end document processing  automatically pull and update information in existing business systems to eliminate manual rekeying of data and associated errors.Reduce costs  eliminate the need to print, fax, scan, or overnight documents.Increase customer satisfaction  sign a contract anytime, anywhere, on any device.What Comes With eSignature?A physical pen and paper are still being held as the standard in many industries today, largely in part to misconceptions over the legitimacy of an electronic signature. However eSignature, in many ways, is more secure than manual signatures:Legal _ for over 15 years, electronic signatures have been a legal way to do business (ESIGN, 2000, and UETA, 1999).Proven&amp;nbsp;_ with eSignature, the date and time of each signature is stamped into the data of that document.Attributed&amp;nbsp;_ The signee is verified through an email address and challenge questions.Contract management is ripe for innovation. SpringCMs integration with DocuSign will allow customers to reap the benefits of going 100% digital, as part of their long_term commitment to deliver the best business solutions.Read more about the partnership in the full press release.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 11 Sep 2015 19:17:05 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/springcm_teams_up_with_docusign_to_help_streamline_sales_and_legal_operations</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-11T19:17:05Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Keeping Sales and Legal Aligned, to Keep Your Pipeline Moving</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/keeping_sales_and_legal_aligned_to_keep_your_pipeline_moving</link>
        <description>At SpringCM, we&amp;rsquo;re constantly dealing with contracts and the people who need them. Contract management can be both a blessing and a curse between departments: they can facilitate good communication and make sure everyone is on the same page working toward the same goals, but the goals of each department can differ wildly.</description>
        <content:encoded>At SpringCM, were constantly dealing with contracts and the people who need them. Contract management can be both a blessing and a curse between departments: they can facilitate good communication and make sure everyone is on the same page working toward the same goals, but the goals of each department can differ wildly.Nowhere is this more true than between the legal and sales departments.Understanding Each Other's NeedsIf youre an attorney dealing with sales contracts, you know how hard it can be to get timely responses and signatures to make a sales deadline. Conversely, if youre in sales, you know how hard it can be to get your contracts through legal. On both sides, the entire process is fraught with risk: delays increase the chances of losing a deal and if the process is rushed, there could be errors in finalization.We recently spoke to dozens of attorneys across the country and all of them were concerned about similar issues:Compensation for a job done wellThis is where Sales and Legal are sometimes at loggerheads. Sales can be impatient to push through their contracts (theyre paid once the dotted line is signed). Legal is there to examine all the fine print and integrate all the information into a binding contract. You could say sales is the dog chasing and fetching the ball, while legal is the leash. Sales is compensated for meeting revenue goals in the quarter _ but they see legal as being incentivized to take their time. In legal, theres rarely compensation for getting deals done, but there is punishment for making errors. &amp;nbsp;Both understanding and respecting each other's roles is paramount to a smooth and accurate process. Neither can exist without the other.Rushing creates mistakesA lawyers job is all about attention to detail. One ambiguous sentence can change the meaning of a contract or worse, leave a company open to liability. Legal needs to be meticulous to make sure all the small pieces are correct. A transparent contract process is the safety net for everyone to make sure all the details are correct.Catching problems before they occurIf lawyers could have a crystal ball, they would be able to allay so many of the problems that arise in contract negotiations. Unfortunately, they cant see the future, and contracts can be complicated, which means they have to implement best practice every time to ensure all bases are covered, not to mention any unforeseen snags that can occur on both sides of negotiations.Sales and legal can get on the same page by implementing a central contract management solution that lets everybody involved knows the status of the contract; where it is, whats holding it up, and the estimated conclusion date. A contract management system can also trigger alerts to eliminate the need for an the anxious phone calls at the end of the quarter.Becoming a cooperative, deal_closing teamWith contract management solutions maturing, there is no reason that legal and sales shouldnt be completely aligned and empowered to keep deals on the fast track to close. The head of sales, the general counsel, and anyone on their team that they designate can look at one contract object in a central place. They can see who has it at any given time, track the status of comments and approvals, and see where the delays are. When negotiations are complete, signatures are gathered in moments, and deals move faster. With contract management solutions, sales and legal become a single aligned team to get contracts completed accurately, before the end of the quarter.Earlier this year, we interviewed attorneys and have compiled an ebook that details the specific challenges and solutions in contract management, and ways to overcome this entrenched habits. &amp;nbsp;Download it by clicking here. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 14 Sep 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/keeping_sales_and_legal_aligned_to_keep_your_pipeline_moving</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-14T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>How to Be a Social Butterfly at #DF15</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_be_a_social_butterfly_at_df15</link>
        <description>Dreamforce 2015 is officially underway and San Francisco is buzzing with techies. On top of&amp;nbsp;the list of priorities for many attendees is to network and build new connections. &amp;nbsp;Social media will be your best friend this week at Dreamforce 2015. Be prepared to use all your channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram). With tens of thousands of people at the event, you&amp;rsquo;ll need some tips on putting yourself out there:</description>
        <content:encoded>Dreamforce 2015 is officially underway and San Francisco is buzzing with techies. On top of&amp;nbsp;the list of priorities for many attendees is to network and build new connections. &amp;nbsp;Social media will be your best friend this week at Dreamforce 2015. Be prepared to use all your channels (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram). With tens of thousands of people at the event, youll need some tips on putting yourself out there:#DF15#DF15 is the universal hashtag for the event. Use it with everything you post related to Dreamforce. Searching that hashtag is a great way to get real_time updates on events, parties, or tips to getting around the event. Its also a place where you can post useful information about Dreamforce. If youre being shared or retweeted, youre already networking and making connections.There are other useful hashtags that will help you through the week:#Salesforcelive_ theres so much going on at Dreamforce 2015 and you cant be in two places at once. Luckily keynotes and product demonstrations are streaming live on the Dreamforce site so you dont have to miss it.#Awesomeadmin_ &amp;nbsp;The Admin community is the heart and soul of Salesforce, so much that Thursday is Admin Day at Dreamforce 2015. You can get all the information on Admin Day celebrations through this hashtag.#DFhelp_ If you have any questions about whats happening at Dreamforce 2015, there is a live engagement center monitoring this hashtag, and prepared to answer any of your questions. Just tweet your question with this hashtag.Start a ConversationTwitter is the best way to interact with people at Dreamforce 2015. Make sure you know the twitter handles for keynote speakers or a new connection. You can use those to ask questions and start a conversation.Heres two must_follow twitter handles while youre at Dreamforce 2015:@benioff: Marc Benioff, the CEO and founder of Salesforce. He is constantly posting interesting events happening at Dreamforce 2015.@lvojvodich: Lynn Vojvodich is the CMO of Salesforce and is great at keeping people up to date through twitter.Stay in TouchDreamforce should never really end. Its important to keep in touch with your new connects and reap the benefits of that new relationship. New connections are a doorway to new business opportunities that could advance you and your company. If you learned something useful at Dreamforce, share it! Use social media or a blog to share your insights and continue making new connections.Go to PartiesLastly, dont forget to put your device down and talk face_to_face with people at Dreamforce 2015. There are sponsored parties every night during the week. This is a great opportunity to to meet people the old_fashion way. For a complete list of parties at Dreamforce, download the Partyforce app on your mobile device. You can RSVP to parties though that app as well.Your week at Dreamforce has only begun, and you have so much to do and so many to meet. Take advantage of this opportunity to expand your network and increase the potential of you and your company. Now go forth and be social!&amp;nbsp; </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 15 Sep 2015 23:38:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/how_to_be_a_social_butterfly_at_df15</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-15T23:38:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Dreamforce 2015: 5 Ways to Look Like a Big Fish with Small Business Service</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/dreamforce_2015_5_ways_to_look_like_a_big_fish_with_small_business_service</link>
        <description>Dreamforce 2015 is offering hundreds of sessions to help employees and businesses maximize their productivity, even for the smaller businesses out there. One in particular is giving new and smaller businesses the key to be successful against established, larger businesses.According to Bloomberg, 8 in 10 business fail within their first 18 months. There are obvious challenges to competing with an established competitor.Most of those challenges have to do with how you appear to the customer:</description>
        <content:encoded>Dreamforce 2015 is offering hundreds of sessions to help employees and businesses maximize their productivity, even for the smaller businesses out there. One in particular is giving new and smaller businesses the key to be successful against established, larger businesses.According to Bloomberg, 8 in 10 business fail within their first 18 months. There are obvious challenges to competing with an established competitor.Most of those challenges have to do with how you appear to the customer:Bigger Budgets: Large companies can outspend you on every aspect of customer marketing.Risk_Averse Customers: People tend to stay with a known company, even if they dont like it. To them, its better than someone unknown.High Expectations: Customers will always have high expectations for product services and support, especially for new companies.The Blowfish EffectYou can remedy these challenges using a tactic call The Blowfish Effect, making your company appear larger than it really is. Here are 5 ways to magnify your business to customers:1. Offer Self Service_ 90% of customers check a company website when their looking for answers. So your website needs to have those answers. That way, youre offering 24/7 service to the customer. &amp;nbsp;Best practice: constantly update your website, add a system where the customer can rate their experience, and have a process for globalization by supporting many languages within your website.&amp;nbsp;2. Be Responsive_Every interaction you have with customers is an opportunity to build loyalty. Address every channel (phone, email and social media).&amp;nbsp;Best practice: use an integrated solution; that way you have everyones information in one place and nothing gets lost.3. Be Fast_&amp;nbsp;A quick response is always a top customer priority. You can out_maneuver big companies that are bogged down by bureaucracy and clunky systems. Automate any repetitive systems using tools like macros or contract management solution.&amp;nbsp;Best practice: train everyone within your company on that tool to remain consistent with customers.4. Be Personal_ this is an opportunity to offer luxury service and build stronger relationships with customers. This also involves integrating systems that put all your customer information in one secure place. Make sure that information is shared with every department in the company to remain consistent. Best practice: give everyone access to that support tool. 5. Be Unique_ Customers often assume companies with strong brands are big. &amp;nbsp;This is a low_cost opportunity to build a memorable brand. Best practice: combine your automated responses with personalization by reaching out in person.Remember, customer service can help you compete, build awareness and trust.Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog. _ Mark TwainAs mentioned before, this is one of hundreds of sessions happening at Dreamforce 2015. Tune in to the SpringCM Blog tomorrow for another session spotlight. Attendees at Dreamforce 2015, dont forget, you can explore Dreamforce and the surrounding City of San Francisco by downloading our city guide here, or click the image below.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 16 Sep 2015 22:13:42 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/dreamforce_2015_5_ways_to_look_like_a_big_fish_with_small_business_service</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-16T22:13:42Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Dreamforce 2015: Industry Insights from Satya Nadella</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/dreamforce_2015_industry_insights_from_satya_nadella</link>
        <description>As part of one of the major keynotes at Dreamforce 2015 this week, Wired Magazine&amp;rsquo;s Jessi Hempel sat down for a Q&amp;amp;A sessIon with Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella. While he demoed a slew of new apps coming out of his company, he also shared personal insight into the tech industry and how it should be serving the greater community.Here are some of the highlights from that interview:</description>
        <content:encoded>As part of one of the major keynotes at Dreamforce 2015 this week, Wired Magazines Jessi Hempel sat down for a Q&amp;amp;A sessIon with Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella. While he demoed a slew of new apps coming out of his company, he also shared personal insight into the tech industry and how it should be serving the greater community.Here are some of the highlights from that interview:On Loving Your WorkWe all spend far too much much time at work for it not to have a deeper meaning. Its the notion of finding your own purpose in work, your own soul. &amp;nbsp;Collectively the company has a soul because its made out of people. For 40 years our mission has been to empower people an organizations to achieve more. Thats why Im here.The Culture of CompaniesThe culture of a place is what defines them. You can look at a company and say wow, they do good things, but you have to look underneath that and understand the culture because thats what is achieving its greatness. To me, culture has to have enduring values. For us as a company, its a learning living culture. Weve anchored on the notion of growth mindset. That every day is going to be better than the previous day at the company.Diversity in CompaniesDiversity is an existential need for Microsoft. We work with people of all economic strata, gender and race, so we must represent that. Theres no way to achieve anything if we dont have a diverse workforce. So its a high priority. We talk about it all the time as a leadership team, and integrate it into everything we do. And the culture has to grow that mindset of diversity.&quot;The Company MissionThere are three big ambitions that my company has. The first being reinventing productivity and business process. Economies and societies make progress based on how productive they are. to me its doing our part in terms of digital tech that can drive success. The second is to build out the intelligent cloud, one of the real benefit of digital tech is to harness the data asset and the ability to make it intelligently empower all of the activity around us. lastly its to make computing more personal and more natural, thats what were doing with Windows 10. Over the next 10 years computing will only be more ambient.On ProductivityIts for each one of us to get more out of every moment of our life. In all this abundance, computing everywhere and data everywhere, whats scarce is time. I think about how can software or self_services come together to give me back my time so I can enjoy both work and life. Thats what we want to get done using individual tools and group tools.Nadella shared a lot more about the importance of cross platforms working together and what his company is doing to give back to the community. You can watch the whole keynote here.Theres more in store at Dreamforce 2015, stay tuned for more highlights. For Dreamforce_goers this year, there still time to see what San Francisco has to offer. Click here or the image below to download our city guide.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 18 Sep 2015 00:18:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/dreamforce_2015_industry_insights_from_satya_nadella</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-18T00:18:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Dreamforce 2015: Highlights from the week</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/dreamforce_2015_highlights_from_the_week</link>
        <description>Dreamforce 2015 is coming to a close, but most people will be leaving San Francisco with new leads, partners and friends (and maybe some new music to check out). With hundreds of sessions, tens of thousands of people, and a slew of inspiring keynotes, it would&amp;rsquo;ve been impossible to get to everything, so don&amp;rsquo;t feel too bad.So in case you missed them, let&amp;rsquo;s take a look back at some of the highlights from the week:</description>
        <content:encoded>Dreamforce 2015 is coming to a close, but most people will be leaving San Francisco with new leads, partners and friends (and maybe some new music to check out). With hundreds of sessions, tens of thousands of people, and a slew of inspiring keynotes, it wouldve been impossible to get to everything, so dont feel too bad.So in case you missed them, lets take a look back at some of the highlights from the week:Dreamforce KeynoteThe new Lightning and Thunder were the big announcements, With new features in Lightning set to roll out in Winter 16. Some of those new features include:Activity Feed_ Allows users to see what just happened in an account and what needs to be done next.Contextual Hovers_ See everything going on with a customer without going to different pages in the application.Opportunity Board_ This new feature gives you the complete picture across all of your deals. You can drag_and_drop deals from stage to stage like digital sticky notes.Customizable Dashboards_ Dashboards are available with up to nine columns. This was one of the top most requested customer features on IdeaExchange.Also announced was Thunder, the new Internet of Things platform, which allows Salesforce to process and act on data from any Internet of Things device.The keynote also included a surprise opening performance by Stevie Wonder, another performance by legendary Japanese Rocker Yoshiki. Satya Nadella, head of Microsoft, also sat down for a fireside chat and demoed some new apps coming out of his company.Product KeynotesThursday was the big day for product keynotes. Some of the highlights include:Service Cloud_ A new look along with new flexibility is coming to the Lightning Service Console thanks to a customizable highlights panel.Salesforce IQ for Salescloud_ This will allow users to connect their email inbox to Salesforce data and allow users to see information on prospects and contacts without leaving their inbox. Right now its supported on iOS, Android and Chrome.Non_profit Products Roadmap_ the new Version 3 of the Nonprofit Starter Pack provides users with better grant and deadline management, allocations and email notifications. These new additions came from community requests and input.Thursday Night ConcertI would be remiss not to mention the performances by Gary Clark Jr., The Killers, and The Foo Fighters at Pier 70. The center stage (for the Foo Fighters) hit capacity over an hour before the performance, but Dreamforce goers were about to enjoy the music from the many jumbotrons in the very_colorfully lit industrial setting. Dave Grohl (the Foo Fighters lead singer) had fun with the audience, calling it the largest office party hes ever been to, and he still rocked out, even with a cast on his leg.As jam_packed as Dreamforce 2015 was with people, sessions and keynotes, attendees will be going home with an arsenal of knowledge and inspiration that can advance their company and them as individuals.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Fri, 18 Sep 2015 22:05:42 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/dreamforce_2015_highlights_from_the_week</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-18T22:05:42Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Best Booths from Dreamforce 2015</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/6_of_the_best_booths_from_dreamforce_2015</link>
        <description>Another Dreamforce has come and gone, and now that we have time to digest everything that happened last week, we&amp;rsquo;re taking a look back at the best booths on the floor at Dreamforce 2015.For every booth, it was the same goal: attract the eye of visitors roaming the floor, get them to stop at your booth, and make it worth their while.&amp;nbsp;Everybody had their own tactics, but if you really wanted people to stick around, it look more than an attractive, persuasive person behind your booth.Here&amp;rsquo;s our list of the top 5 booths at Dreamforce 2015, and the unique ways they lured people in:</description>
        <content:encoded>Another Dreamforce has come and gone, and now that we have time to digest everything that happened last week, were taking a look back at the best booths on the floor at Dreamforce 2015.For every booth, it was the same goal: attract the eye of visitors roaming the floor, get them to stop at your booth, and make it worth their while.&amp;nbsp;Everybody had their own tactics, but if you really wanted people to stick around, it look more than an attractive, persuasive person behind your booth.Heres our list of the top 5 booths at Dreamforce 2015, and the unique ways they lured people in:#5. SteelBrickSteelbrick must be named here just for the sheer size of their booth. Situated by the floor entrance, you couldnt miss walking by the SteelBrick booth. Plus, starting a conversation with them could mean sitting down in their V.I.P. lounge. Who wouldnt want to do that?#4. ConversicaExpensive giveaways were a sure way to keep people coming back to your booth, especially when youre giving away a tablet almost every hour. Conversica had more than 20 Lenovo tablets to give away, at the top of each hour during peak times at Dreamforce. Odds for winning were as low at 1_20 at times, which had people more than willing to listen to their pitch as they awaited the next winner.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;#3. MulesoftWho knew so many people liked mules? Or at least toy mules. Conversica kept people coming back with giveaways, but MuleSoft made sure everyone walked away a winner. Visitors could play the slot game to win a prize as expensive as an Apple Watch, but at the very least youd walk away with a toy mule. As you can see, there was plenty of mule to go around.&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;#2.&amp;nbsp;The GroveThis booth knew that when it came to hand_outs, refreshments were the way to go. Attendees were attracted to this mediterranean grove_style booth with cold San Pellegrinos, and were welcome to second or thirds. You could even take a photo on their faux Italian beach while &amp;nbsp; sipping your grino. &amp;nbsp;#1. AcumenThis booth was like stepping (maybe not so far) into the future. Visitors could try out the Oculus goggles, where you put together an engine piece_by_piece in a 360_degree virtual reality. They also showed off their 3_D printing technology, making this a must_stop booth.&amp;nbsp; &amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;Honorable Mention:&amp;nbsp;SpringCMWe hate to boast, but the SpringCM booth took the cake when it came down to design. All the designs were drawn out by hand, with its meeting room even decked out for visitors. We had the whole package too; giving away stickers, Sharpies, umbrellas and city guides (not to mention the friendly booth workers who knew everything there is to know about contract management).Is there something we missed?While thats our take on the best booths at Dreamforce 2015, theres a lot open to opinion here. Is there a unique both we left out? What booth are you still thinking about form Dreamforce 2015? Leave a comment with the best booth you visited at Dreamforce 2015.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 21 Sep 2015 20:41:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/6_of_the_best_booths_from_dreamforce_2015</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-21T20:41:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Accelerating Revenue while Managing Risk</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/accelerating_revenue_while_managing_risk</link>
        <description>Management applies to so many elements of our working lives; from everyday communications to contracts and projects. Nowhere is there a higher impetus in contract management than that of managing risk. Those risks can include contracts falling through, being the wrong type of agreement or potential future risks should a contract be drawn hastily and without enough attention to detail.While there is always the push to forge ahead with contracts to increase revenue, risk always lurks in the background, waiting for a blind spot or a missed detail to rear its ugly head.Here are some of the pitfalls we&amp;rsquo;ve come across in the contract management process:</description>
        <content:encoded>Management applies to so many elements of our working lives; from everyday communications to contracts and projects. Nowhere is there a higher impetus in contract management than that of managing risk. Those risks can include contracts falling through, being the wrong type of agreement or potential future risks should a contract be drawn hastily and without enough attention to detail.While there is always the push to forge ahead with contracts to increase revenue, risk always lurks in the background, waiting for a blind spot or a missed detail to rear its ugly head.Here are some of the pitfalls weve come across in the contract management process:No Clear GoalsWhat is the contract trying to achieve? What are the commitments of the process? Lack of clarity can not only increase risk, it can affect your bottom line. Having legal involved in the process from the beginning can avoid pitfalls such as the creation of the wrong type of contract or the wrong framework to engage all the parties involved. Clarity means a common direction, goals and accountabilities.Misaligned InterestsIn a survey of its 35,000 members, the International Association of Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) found that many negotiations focus on the likelihood of things going wrong rather than the likely causes of failure. Parties tend to prefer contracts that can move and breathe _ but its paramount these relaxed documents are still mitigating risk. By addressing potential causes of failure in the planning process, these challenges can be mitigated, creating a contract that is both flexible and workable for all stakeholders.Ineffective Contract ManagementA survey by Scottish commercial law firm, Brodies LLP, showed that more than 65% of businesses increased their risk by missing deadlines, using outdated commercial agreements, or being forced into expensive litigation through poor contract management. Without a strong contract management system, your business is facing the same risks, making it more difficult to keep track of business_critical agreements. Again, good tracking is good management.Check, and check againThe Brodies LLP survey also showed monitoring of agreements can become lax over time.94% of respondents believe their organization manages contract risk very or reasonably well, yet almost half of those said they only reviewed the terms once a year or less frequently. 10% said they did not even know when the last review was. By not staying on top of contracts, you could be opening yourself to financial penalties, risk that legal obligations might be met or a weaker bargaining position in a redraw.Poor CommunicationIn IACCMs Future of Contracting study (2012), 59% of people surveyed saw departmental collaboration as the key to success. Between spreadsheets and redlining and endless slabs of paper, departmental collaboration can quickly become a nightmare. It is hugely important to create structures and systems that enable clear and transparent communication as well as clear accountabilities between all the involved parties.Finding a SolutionUltimately, sound contract management is the most effective way to move quickly and smoothly to a mutually beneficial conclusion, while managing risk. We have found all these pitfalls can be mitigated by the implementation of a solid CMS, creating the clarity, attention to detail and effective management, minimizing the risks and accelerating revenue.The legal department is the first (and often only) line of defense against risk in the contract management process. To learn more about contract management and mitigating risks, download our latest ebook, Attorney Roundtable: Managing the Contract Process for Optimal Results.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 22 Sep 2015 16:00:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/accelerating_revenue_while_managing_risk</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-22T16:00:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Whats getting in the way of closing that contract? </title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_s_getting_in_the_way_of_closing_that_contract</link>
        <description>&amp;ldquo;Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives.&amp;rdquo; &amp;nbsp;_ Industrialist Andrew CarnegieThe common organizational objective when completing a sales contract is clear: &amp;nbsp;Everyone wants to bring it home accurately, and in a timely manner. &amp;nbsp;But effectively working together to achieve that goal isn&amp;rsquo;t always easy. &amp;nbsp;Today, most contracts are still managed in a manual process. Working together toward a goal, with many people involved, can be a complex problem. While digital communication is expected to make the work easier, it can add yet another layer of complication to overcome.</description>
        <content:encoded>Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. &amp;nbsp;_ Industrialist Andrew CarnegieThe common organizational objective when completing a sales contract is clear: &amp;nbsp;Everyone wants to bring it home accurately, and in a timely manner. &amp;nbsp;But effectively working together to achieve that goal isnt always easy. &amp;nbsp;Today, most contracts are still managed in a manual process. Working together toward a goal, with many people involved, can be a complex problem. While digital communication is expected to make the work easier, it can add yet another layer of complication to overcome.&amp;nbsp;How to make systems work for everyoneWe recently surveyed attorneys across the country and they told us that when the right processes and tools arent in place, organizations often default to believing that the problem rests in people and their personality. This results in blame and irritation, for example; this persons not pulling their weight, another isnt paying attention, the partner is always out of town on a business development trip, so_and_so is so busy they often dont look at documents until the very end.These conflicts build up over time, and can lead to animosity and a negative work environment.This conflict stems from a lack of organization. Its not that people dont want to be supportive or aligned, its that its often hard to keep track of what they need to be doing when. An automated system can create a better work environment.So, how do we bypass personalities to create a well oiled process? Heres what we have found to work:Manage tasks, not peopleWhile there are always going to be personality clashes and different ideas about how to get a job done, youre better served when you manage processes, not the people or their personalities. Processes and tools increase transparency and accountability _ and this allows you to manage deliverables, rather than the people themselves.Manage expectations&amp;nbsp;A clear process manages expectations, both those of the customer and internal team members, which also reduces interpersonal stress. An automated contract management system can help with this immensely. You will be able to see clearly what is required and when. Its hard to argue with a piece of paper and a deadline!Create clear lines of communicationIf you stick with manual processes, additional conflicts can arise when communication happens in email or on the phone. Things can get overlooked, verbal communication can be misconstrued, or a casual conversation can lead to forgotten details. Having a clear set of steps inside a single system can take you from discovery to closing, while leaving little room for confusion. At the end of the day, effective communication is what gets those contracts closed with ease.With a sound contract management system with clear workflows, guidelines and deadlines, personality becomes a much smaller part of the process. &amp;nbsp;A strong system with concrete tools in place creates the framework for effective teamwork _ so whatever the organizational goal, it can be painlessly achieved.Attorneys we interviewed had a lot more to say about the contract management process, and how it can be improved with automation. Click here or the image below to download Attorney Round Table: Managing the Contract Process for Optimal Results.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 23 Sep 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_s_getting_in_the_way_of_closing_that_contract</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-23T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Whats Keeping Sales Teams From Closing Deals Fast</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/what_s_keeping_sales_teams_from_closing_deals_fast</link>
        <description>Sales representatives in any industry share one common goal: to understand the customer's problem, then deliver a solution in a timely manner. All sales reps can agree that they measure their success based on their customer&amp;rsquo;s success.So when you&amp;rsquo;re not closing deals on time, sales reps begin to feel like they are not doing their job.A slow contract process can also hurt the company as a whole, forcing deals into the next month, quarter or year. The extra time and effort dealing with slow contracts would be better used engaging with more customers and moving onto more deals.</description>
        <content:encoded>Sales representatives in any industry share one common goal: to understand the customer's problem, then deliver a solution in a timely manner. All sales reps can agree that they measure their success based on their customers success.So when youre not closing deals on time, sales reps begin to feel like they are not doing their job.A slow contract process can also hurt the company as a whole, forcing deals into the next month, quarter or year. The extra time and effort dealing with slow contracts would be better used engaging with more customers and moving onto more deals.&amp;nbsp;The Root Problem: Manual Contract ManagementThe bottlenecks in the contract process all stem from one thing: manually managing contracts.As a contract bounces back and forth between the vendor and the customer, its being looked at by different people and departments on both sides. During this exchange, its common for things to get lost, causing confusion and stalling the process.Here are some of the top contract hang_ups that are keeping sales teams from delivering the best customer experience:Where is it?A common delay in the contract process occurs when a contract sits idle in someone's possession. It may have been sent to them for review or signature, but it might not be top priority for them, or they are not even aware they have it. This requires people to dig back into whos already had the contract to find out who has it now.Multiple VersionsWhen a contract is being received, edited and sent back, its typically done on a program like Microsoft Word. In these cases, a new version of this contract is being made each time its edited. These versions are often then saved on a desktop or hard drive. Its easy for someone to send out the wrong version of a contract. When one department has a different version than the other, confusion occurs and again the process is stalled.Relying on PaperA lot of business is still being done on paper, under a false assumption that paper and ink are more legitimate. This requires sales reps to fax or scan and email contracts to be received, then printed out. This process repeats itself every time a contract is edited, wasting time and taking the focus off of the content of the deal.A Solution in Contract AutomationWhile these bottlenecks can be addressed individually in many ways, an automated contract management solution can solve all these issues. Here are features in automation that can speed up the contract process:Tracking &amp;amp; Notifications _ A track function will tell everyone involved where the contract is at any given time. Its a transparent way to find out the status of the contract and what action needs to be taken. If you notice someone has had it for a while, you have the ability to notify that person and move them along.&amp;nbsp;A Central Repository _ Having the contract housed in one place during the negotiation phase is much better than emailing or faxing changes to one another. Both parties will go to the same place to make edits to the deal, eliminating the need to use paper and the potential for having multiple versions.&amp;nbsp;A sales representative appreciates knowing they are doing everything they can to optimize their customer experience. Delivering a fair deal on time is pinnacle to not only being a successful sales rep, but for elevating your company to more opportunities.Youve heard what sales teams have to go through when manually managing contracts, but legal teams are also frustrated with the slow process.We spoke with attorneys from around the country about how they manage contracts and how the process can be improved with automation. To learn more, download our latest ebook: Attorney Round Table: Managing the Contract Process for Optimal Results.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 24 Sep 2015 18:49:55 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/what_s_keeping_sales_teams_from_closing_deals_fast</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-24T18:49:55Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Four Ways an Automated Contract Process Helps Your Legal Department Mitigate Risk</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/four_ways_an_automatedcontract_process_helps_your_legal_department_mitigate_risk</link>
        <description>In a recent survey, general counsel identified two concerns as their primary focus for the coming year: (1) managing regulatory risk, and (2) ensuring value for their legal spend. Both are important, but the first one is critical, as no GC wants to be associated with massive fines or a damaged reputation for failing to follow regulatory requirements. To begin to manage risk, you must first efficiently find it, and make decisions to effectively control it.Risk can come from a myriad of sources, including ever_changing regulatory requirements (particularly for multinational companies), organizational changes (such as acquisitions, spin offs or reorganizations), litigation, and contractual provisions within legacy agreements. Each of these sources of risk can be intertwined, with a great example being a material regulatory change necessitating enterprise_wide contractual review, analysis and modification.</description>
        <content:encoded>In a recent survey, general counsel identified two concerns as their primary focus for the coming year: (1) managing regulatory risk, and (2) ensuring value for their legal spend. Both are important, but the first one is critical, as no GC wants to be associated with massive fines or a damaged reputation for failing to follow regulatory requirements. To begin to manage risk, you must first efficiently find it, and make decisions to effectively control it.Risk can come from a myriad of sources, including ever_changing regulatory requirements (particularly for multinational companies), organizational changes (such as acquisitions, spin offs or reorganizations), litigation, and contractual provisions within legacy agreements. Each of these sources of risk can be intertwined, with a great example being a material regulatory change necessitating enterprise_wide contractual review, analysis and modification.A primary role of any legal department is to work to identify these evolving risks, evaluate them against the specific requirements of their organization, and then to advise stakeholders as to best practices and viable solutions.Implementing an automated contract discovery and analytics process will help your legal department mitigate risk. Here is how a strong and well_planned process can accomplish this:1. Getting your arms around your legacyIn order to identify risk, your legal department needs to know where to look for it. As organizations change and grow, many realize that they need to start with the basics of just finding their existing agreements and knowing what is in them to assess the cumulative risk. This can be a very daunting task without the right tools and processes. How do you pinpoint specific risks within each of these agreements and their provisions? How quickly can you accomplish this and at what cost _ including legal staff down time to put out these fires?An automated solution can address these challenges, providing transparency into the process while keeping things moving by:Finding your agreementsKeeping your agreements in a central repositoryMaking your agreements searchable and easy to findAutomatically extract key provisionsRecognizing that every organization has different needs, a successful solution is designed to be flexible to meet those needs. You can customize it to identify specific information, and making the tool responsive to your language, your provisions and your risk.If and when a regulation changes, you will not only be able to search your agreements for specific provisions impacted by those changes, you will have confidence that you can quickly and efficiently address any regulatory requests. The Seal approach ensures the ongoing management of contracts, not just one_time reviews.2. Keeps your arms around your workflow&amp;nbsp;Once you find your agreements and have confidence that you understand what is in them, a strong contract management system can ensure ongoing efficiency and insight. The key to success for this system is not only selecting the right system but also ensuring that the right information is migrated into that system.3. Holds on tight to your formsWith a contract management solution, you eliminate the need to create a new template for each contract, saving time and money while further eliminating risks that come along with using an old template.Contracts can then be routed to all the necessary parties, allowing everyone to work off of one document, while tracking any changes made to the document.4. Makes sure your right hand knows what your left hand is doingOnce you have a contract management system in place, it is essential that it works in collaboration with your other systems. A successful CLM system will integrate into the existing systems throughout your company to ensure that the information in your contract management system is up to date and risks can be adequately managed.When choosing a system, consider whether the system can successfully integrate into the applications your business users are working in every day, including CRM, ERP, eProcurement, CPQ, Revenue Management, and many other types of common applications. &amp;nbsp;By integrating these systems, your organization can easily get the right information to the right people at the right time, and generate comprehensive reports to meet the needs of your business units, management, auditors, and regulators.Besides improving efficiency, it can enhance visibility into your business practices to allow you to analyze and manage your risks and help your organization make better business decisions.An automated solution is a practical way to mitigate risks while speeding up the contract process. You can read more about what lawyers are saying about contract management and how it can be improved by downloading our ebook, Attorney Roundtable; Managing the Contract Process for Optimal Results.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 28 Sep 2015 13:30:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/four_ways_an_automatedcontract_process_helps_your_legal_department_mitigate_risk</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-28T13:30:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Allowing Legal to Negotiate Contracts Faster, While Controlling Risks</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/allowing_legal_to_negotiate_contracts_faster_while_controlling_risks</link>
        <description>A legal team&amp;rsquo;s role in the contract process is to hyperfocus on allocating risks and responsibilities within a contract. During that phase, there is a lot of back and forth communication between the legal team and the customer. That&amp;rsquo;s also where the contract process begins to slow down.A slow contract process forces a company to push deadlines back to the next month, quarter or year. This throws off the entire company&amp;rsquo;s expectations for revenue in that time period. When a contract sits idle, it&amp;rsquo;s essentially giving the customer more time to explore alternatives to your current contract.Of course everyone would like to see a contract quickly move through the negotiation process, closing the deal and moving on to the next one. &amp;nbsp;In fact, Aberdeen Group has estimated that 24% of registered, close date_committed opportunities unexpectedly slip into the next selling cycle. But the risk of a bad contract can be more detrimental than any benefit from closing the deal faster.There are ways legal teams can speed up their process, without sacrificing any time or effort in mitigating risks within the deal:</description>
        <content:encoded>A legal teams role in the contract process is to hyperfocus on allocating risks and responsibilities within a contract. During that phase, there is a lot of back and forth communication between the legal team and the customer. Thats also where the contract process begins to slow down.A slow contract process forces a company to push deadlines back to the next month, quarter or year. This throws off the entire companys expectations for revenue in that time period. When a contract sits idle, its essentially giving the customer more time to explore alternatives to your current contract.Of course everyone would like to see a contract quickly move through the negotiation process, closing the deal and moving on to the next one. &amp;nbsp;In fact, Aberdeen Group has estimated that 24% of registered, close date_committed opportunities unexpectedly slip into the next selling cycle. But the risk of a bad contract can be more detrimental than any benefit from closing the deal faster.There are ways legal teams can speed up their process, without sacrificing any time or effort in mitigating risks within the deal:Template GenerationA repetitive task that consumes a lot of time, even before the negotiation phase begins in earnest, is building the actual template for the contract. This usually begins with a blank document, then filling in the usual language, leaving blanks for areas needing tailored input.A solution that generates templates can eliminate re_keying information and lead you straight to negotiating the details with your customer.Clause LibraryA clause library can further build your contract template using appropriate legal language. It allows you to use pre_approved standard and alternative clauses in a contract. With this, legal teams can bypass repetitive parts of the negotiating and approval process, giving them more time and resources to focus on the other parts of the deal.A contract solution with a clause library will streamline the process across the board:Saving time  Reduce manual copying/pasting and the associated hours by using a standardized, centralized clause library tied directly to your contract templatesReducing risk  No longer worry about copying/pasting errors or the mistaken use of outdated clauses and termsOptimizing performance  Ensure that your company retains a position of power and that negotiations remain standard to policyThese two simple controls can dramatically increase efficiency while maintaining accuracy and compliance. In fact, businesses that automate the creation of contracts through templates, clause libraries and integration with CRM tools, like Salesforce, are able to realize productivity gains of more than 50% across legal and sales teams (source: Nucleus Research for &amp;nbsp;SpringCM).Is your team maximizing efficiency?SpringCM interviewed attorneys across the country about the contract management process. Learn about what others in the legal world are saying about contracts and how the process can be improved. Click here to download the ebook: Attorney Roundtable: Managing the Contract Process for Optimal Results. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 29 Sep 2015 16:21:45 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/allowing_legal_to_negotiate_contracts_faster_while_controlling_risks</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-29T16:21:45Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>5 Best Practices for Redlining Contracts</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/_temporary_slug_d267d10d_f760_4b52_8af4_61862c7de151</link>
        <description>The negotiating phase of a contract is often considered the most important. In a process known as redlining, both parties mark the contract to show additions, deletions, approvals, rejections or any other changes.This is a critical phase, because any wrong detail can twist the meaning of the contract and cost a company more than it was expecting. While it&amp;rsquo;s important to check and double check the details of a contract, it all must be done in a timely manner, to ensure customer satisfaction and allow sales teams to move on to other deals.Since there is little room for mistakes in this phase, here are 5 best practices for redlining contracts to ensure you are successfully mitigating risk in a timely manner:</description>
        <content:encoded>The negotiating phase of a contract is often considered the most important. In a process known as redlining, both parties mark the contract to show additions, deletions, approvals, rejections or any other changes.This is a critical phase, because any wrong detail can twist the meaning of the contract and cost a company more than it was expecting. While its important to check and double check the details of a contract, it all must be done in a timely manner, to ensure customer satisfaction and allow sales teams to move on to other deals.Since there is little room for mistakes in this phase, here are 5 best practices for redlining contracts to ensure you are successfully mitigating risk in a timely manner:1. Do Your ResearchEspecially for smaller businesses and startups, know what you are looking for in the deal. Research some of the changes you propose, so your proposals are rooted in fact and common practice. If this is your first go at redlining, look up other contracts in the same industry that are similar to find the norm. Contract templates are available to view online, and those can be used as a model for your contract.2. Be ConversationalWhen you are ready to begin negotiations, its important to have open, positive communication with the other party. Make a phone call to establish a human connection, and to reinforce how much you want to work together.While some communication on the smaller details in the contract can be done through email, make phone calls for the big points that need to be changed. When requesting or rejecting changes, start with something you like in the contract to keep things positive and still productive.Tip: A diplomatic approach helps establish a professional relationship with the other party, rather than relying on legalese to resolve conflicts.3. Hire a Legal TeamUnderstanding that it may be financially unrealistic for small businesses and startups, hiring a legal team can be the best way to mitigate risks. The legal world can be complicated, and negotiating without a lawyer can be like doing your own dental work. Knowing that lawyers are expensive, allocate the legal teams time carefully, keeping them off repetitive tasks and focused on the changing details of the contract.Tip: Having a solution that provides contract templates can save time when building the contact and to avoid re_keying details.4. Track ChangesWith changes to a contract being passed back and forth multiple times, its important to know what changes were done, when, and by who made them. A good tracking system will not delete any old or changed language on the contract, but allow for the viewer to see whats being deleted, added, along with comments or suggestions.Tip: Most people use systems like Microsoft Word to track changes, but a cloud_based solution can offer one place where every works, eliminating the need for emailing different versions of the contract.5. Keep it in One PlaceDuring the back and forth of the negotiation phase, edits are often saved onto the contract (e.g. a word document) then emailed to the other party. The problem is each time that document is saved and sent, a new version of that contract is made. If youre saving older versions somewhere else (e.g. a desktop) you run the risk of getting versions mixed up, and having a different version than everyone else.Consider this a foundation to successfully redlining a contract with the other party, ensuring a thorough review, while mitigating any risks within the contract.There are many ways to go about these tips, but an automated contract management solution offers these benefits, and more. Learn more about the risks of manual contract management. Click here or the image below to download our ebook.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 30 Sep 2015 19:07:51 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/_temporary_slug_d267d10d_f760_4b52_8af4_61862c7de151</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Sep-30T19:07:51Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>The Limitations of Spreadsheets in Contract Management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/the_limitations_of_spreadsheets_in_contract_management</link>
        <description>The contract lifecycle is inherently a long process, undergoing many changes along the way. The process can become complicated and more drawn out trying to keep up with contract changes and deadlines. What could make the biggest difference in staying on top of your contracts are the tools you&amp;rsquo;re using to manage them.Spreadsheets (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets) are a popular tool in business. In a recent survey, more than 26% say they use Excel to manage contracts. This is mainly because users don&amp;rsquo;t have to be a math wiz to build a budget and can easily build graphs to illustrate data.Now, what was once considered a revolutionary tool, is quickly falling behind in efficiency. When it comes to contract management, spreadsheets can have severe limitations for the process:</description>
        <content:encoded>The contract lifecycle is inherently a long process, undergoing many changes along the way. The process can become complicated and more drawn out trying to keep up with contract changes and deadlines. What could make the biggest difference in staying on top of your contracts are the tools youre using to manage them.Spreadsheets (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets) are a popular tool in business. In a recent survey, more than 26% say they use Excel to manage contracts. This is mainly because users dont have to be a math wiz to build a budget and can easily build graphs to illustrate data.Now, what was once considered a revolutionary tool, is quickly falling behind in efficiency. When it comes to contract management, spreadsheets can have severe limitations for the process:Doesnt flag crucial informationWhile spreadsheets can keep all your data in one place, they do not offer any alert to actions that need to be taken. Its important to stay on top of vital needs such as, approaching milestones, contract discrepancies or legal issues. Using spreadsheets, these deadlines can pass unnoticed, potentially stalling the contract and costing the company more money.Time and effortSure, you can avoid having to do math using spreadsheets, but you are still constantly inputting data. All of this can take time. In most spreadsheets, the user has to establish rules to do certain calculations, and those rules need to be changed often to accommodate negotiated prices, discounts or other exceptions.&amp;nbsp;If you dont change those rules in a timely manner, you risk using the wrong information in that contract.Easy to make mistakesSpeaking of risk, errors are still prevalent in spreadsheets. The data within a spreadsheet must be accurate in order to calculate the right result. Lets face it, were only human and someone is bound to punch in the wrong numbers at some point.Errors can slow a contract down, forcing a company to push closing the deal into the next month, quarter or year, thus impacted the companys projected revenue.Unorganized in the cloudEven new features added to popular spreadsheets are not enough to streamline the contract process. Most allow the user to share the spreadsheet, and grant multiple people access to the document at one time. The problem is there is no organization to this process.Without coordination, confusion can be created as to who is responsible for what, and the more people in that spreadsheet, the greater the risk for errors.Spreadsheets are part of the manual way of managing contracts. An automated solution can keep your contract up to date always, provide alerts, and allows for an organized and collaborative way to share data.You can learn more about the risks involved in manual contract management. Click here or the image below to download our ebook.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 01 Oct 2015 19:21:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/the_limitations_of_spreadsheets_in_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Oct-01T19:21:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Keeping Your Sales Team Competitive</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/keeping_your_sales_team_competitive</link>
        <description>When dealing with customers, it&amp;rsquo;s in the salesperson&amp;rsquo;s best interest to set themselves apart from other sales teams. As a Sales Representative myself, I&amp;rsquo;ve learned it&amp;rsquo;s often the timing in which we do business that can be the biggest differentiator with competitors.When a customer seeks out a product or a service, they want answers with a solution in a timely manner. If you are slow to deliver a contract to the customer, you risk losing that customer, possibly to a competitor who got everything together a little faster than you. A slow contract process can also cost your company revenue by keeping sales teams from moving on to the next deal.</description>
        <content:encoded>When dealing with customers, its in the salespersons best interest to set themselves apart from other sales teams. As a Sales Representative myself, Ive learned its often the timing in which we do business that can be the biggest differentiator with competitors.When a customer seeks out a product or a service, they want answers with a solution in a timely manner. If you are slow to deliver a contract to the customer, you risk losing that customer, possibly to a competitor who got everything together a little faster than you. A slow contract process can also cost your company revenue by keeping sales teams from moving on to the next deal.So how can a sales team maintain its customers by delivering contracts faster? By eliminating the bottlenecks.Here are two common bottlenecks slowing your sales team down:1. Building the Contract&amp;nbsp;Before true negotiations even take place, the seller is often building the contract itself. Each contact shares some of the same language, which means the seller has to re_key information that already exists in a CRM, which takes a lot of time.&amp;nbsp;2. Tracking the ContractOnce the contract is built, negotiations can begin. This involves the contract going back and forth between both parties, with changes being made to the document (also known as redlining).&amp;nbsp;This is where the contract can get lost. The contract can sit idle in someones possession, without knowing it is their turn to take action, or that it was even sent to them in the first place. This forces a sales rep to pick up the phone to find out who has the contract and who needs to act on it.Getting Ahead of Contract HangupsMost contract bottlenecks stem from manually managing contracts, or using multiple tools during the contract process. While you cant always predict when the contract process might slow down, there are steps you can take to get ahead of these issues:Document Generation _ this ability allows you to quickly and easily build perfect business documents. A document builder guides you through the process of building the contract, allowing you to select the appropriate clauses, terms, etc. Additionally, information for Salesforce.com can be automatically mapped and merged into your business document. This means less time creating the contract and more time interacting with the customer on the important details.&amp;nbsp;Status Updates &amp;amp; Tracking Tools _ A tracking ability will keep everyone involved in the loop over where the contract is and what action needs to be taken on it. If a contract is sitting idle in someones possession, you can notify that person to take action.A good track record on quickly delivering contracts is key to keeping a sales team competitive and unique to its customers. An automated contract solution includes these fixes, and much more to streamline the contract process.Now that youve heard what sales teams can do to manage contracts faster, learn more about what legal teams are doing to mitigate risks in a deal while keeping the contract process moving.We spoke with attorneys from around the country about how they manage contracts and how the process can be improved with automation. To learn more, download our latest ebook: Attorney Round Table: Managing the Contract Process for Optimal Results.</content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Mon, 05 Oct 2015 21:50:57 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/keeping_your_sales_team_competitive</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Oct-05T21:50:57Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Handling the Unpredictable in Contract Management</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/handling_the_unpredictable_in_contract_management</link>
        <description>Who isn&amp;rsquo;t in a hurry to close the deal? You might as well say who doesn&amp;rsquo;t want to lose a few pounds? To close a deal fast involves walking the fine line between paying attention to every detail, negotiating every clause, and attempting to mitigate all risks&amp;nbsp;while keeping the process moving and getting the contract signed as soon as possible.The problem is, sometimes there are factors in the process that are out of your control. Contract delays can have a real financial impact as well as impact personnel decisions and executive and sales compensation. Mainly, because it delays revenue recognition for businesses. You can&amp;rsquo;t recognize any revenue from that contract until it is signed. &amp;nbsp;When a contract is&amp;nbsp;pushed off to the next month or quarter, it affects&amp;nbsp;revenue reporting, compensation plans and prevents sales teams from moving on to the next deal.</description>
        <content:encoded>Who isnt in a hurry to close the deal? You might as well say who doesnt want to lose a few pounds? To close a deal fast involves walking the fine line between paying attention to every detail, negotiating every clause, and attempting to mitigate all risks&amp;nbsp;while keeping the process moving and getting the contract signed as soon as possible.The problem is, sometimes there are factors in the process that are out of your control. Contract delays can have a real financial impact as well as impact personnel decisions and executive and sales compensation. Mainly, because it delays revenue recognition for businesses. You cant recognize any revenue from that contract until it is signed. &amp;nbsp;When a contract is&amp;nbsp;pushed off to the next month or quarter, it affects&amp;nbsp;revenue reporting, compensation plans and prevents sales teams from moving on to the next deal.The UnpredictableThe longer a contract process gets dragged out, the more risks youre introducing. Common examples are:Change in PersonnelA person involved in the deal could leave their job, or suddenly go on vacation. It can take time delegating that responsibility to someone else, and bring them up to speed on the contract's status.Mergers and AcquisitionsGoals for a company can turn on a dime if they are potentially bought or acquiring someone else. In these situations companies call a timeout on unfinished deals until the situation is figured out. Sometimes the deal is abandoned altogether.Economic FactorsYou cant always predict a downturn in the economy. Take the 2008 market crash for example; in a matter of a week things turned bad and everything came to a halt.Often its one week that can make a difference in timing, and it would be a shame to know that had you moved quicker, the deal would have closed, and now its impossible to forecast if it will ever close.Getting Around the UnpredictableYour options are limited when dealing with situations that are out of your control, but there are ways to be prepared to minimize the risk that the unpredictable happens:Establish Inventory of Agreements of Both PartiesEven before sending around the contracts, take stock of expectations on both sides of the deal: We (seller) have these agreements (Master Agreement, SOW, Order Form, etc.). You (buyer) have what agreements on your side (NDA, Security Policy, Travel &amp;amp; Expense Reimbursement Policy, etc.).Before anyone races down a review and redline process, establish the entire list of agreements. Avoid conflicting language and establish who the viewer is on both sides. This will help you anticipate potential problems, and allow you to get ahead of them.Build a CalendarGet dates and deadlines on a calendar in advance. Assign who is doing what, so you know who to go to and when. Always set the next meeting date and time in advance and get calendars blocked out.Human Interaction is Important and Streamlines EverythingEmail might seem faster and more convenient to many, assuming youre just typing and pressing send. Its often easier to explain the rationale for particular clauses or paragraphs in an agreement (sender) and some redline changes (from receiver) over the phone, than over email, where each side has not been able to communicate their concerns. How often have you heard &quot;now that I understand the reasons, that clause is fine with us&quot;?Impart Knowledge About the Transaction to the AttorneysBefore each side begins, are the attorneys aware of i) the nature of the transaction or relationship; ii) the size of the deal; iii) what it is exactly that the buyer is buying (product or service, license or subscription). Let's face it, there is no such thing as one size fits all in most businesses. Helping the attorneys understand as much as possible streamlines their care abouts, resulting in less redlining, less uncertainty, and fewer turns of the key documents. &amp;nbsp;You cant always get ahead of every unpredictable situation in contract management. But you can employ some best practices to provide the best response to help keep the process moving.There is more to learn about keep speeding up the contract management process while thoroughly mitigating risks.&amp;nbsp;We spoke with attorneys from around the country about how they manage contracts and how the process can be improved with automation. To learn more, download our latest ebook: Attorney Round Table: Managing the Contract Process for Optimal Results. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Tue, 06 Oct 2015 19:55:00 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/handling_the_unpredictable_in_contract_management</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Oct-06T19:55:00Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Seeing into the Contract Process</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/seeing_into_the_contract_process</link>
        <description>The contract process can be riddled with complications that can slow down a deal: losing track of who has the document, miscommunications between departments during legal review, or other basic human errors.These types of bottlenecks can add up and delay the entire deal, putting off expected revenue for the company and keeping sales and legal teams from moving on to the next deal.When customers explain to me why they are looking to improve their contract management, it&amp;rsquo;s because they are looking for transparency into the process. When you can see into the contract process, the answers become more apparent as to how to solve the particular issue.</description>
        <content:encoded>The contract process can be riddled with complications that can slow down a deal: losing track of who has the document, miscommunications between departments during legal review, or other basic human errors.These types of bottlenecks can add up and delay the entire deal, putting off expected revenue for the company and keeping sales and legal teams from moving on to the next deal.When customers explain to me why they are looking to improve their contract management, its because they are looking for transparency into the process. When you can see into the contract process, the answers become more apparent as to how to solve the particular issue.&amp;nbsp;One Central WorkspaceThe key to a transparent contract process is to have one central location where the work is done. A cloud_based solution provides one place for all the changes made to the contract, including what actions have been taken and by whom. You can even customize who can see and edit the document. From there, the inner_workings of the contract process come into view:Find it Fast: When the contract gets passed to someone to take action, whether it is being put off or that person didnt know it was sent to them, its common for that contract to sit idle. Without a central repository that everyone can access, that contract seems lost in the void. With the contract housed in the cloud, anyone can go in see what action needs to be taken and notify the person responsible to act.&amp;nbsp;One Version: The problem with using email as a contract management tool is that as the contract is sent back and forth during review, a new version of the document is being made each time. The contract is often then saved to a desktop or company server. This puts you at risk of sending out the wrong version of the contract or having a different version than someone else.&amp;nbsp;With the contract housed in the cloud, there is no need to download the contract to make changes. You mitigate the risk of multiple versions by having one version that everyone works on. &amp;nbsp;A central workspace allows your company to retain control of the deal and reduces the chance of a late contract while maintaining visibility.Make a Phone CallAs I mentioned earlier, email can create confusion, especially when contracts are being negotiated. Its not uncommon for written words to be misunderstood, but verbal communication is absolute. Basic human interaction can provide insight into the emotions of the other party, making it easier to read and interpret the situation.Aside from transparency, putting a human face to your company will reap benefits in the long run, establishing a reputation for great customer service for the company and the individuals involved.The Root Problem: Manual Contract ManagementThe use of email, company servers and other practices that reduce transparency are typically associated with manual contract management. Manual processes equivalates to a figure it out as you go stye of contract management, opening the door to confusion and financial risk.You can learn more about the risks involved with manually managing contracts, and ways to streamline the contract process. Download our eBook, 4 Risks of Manually Managing Your Contracts. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Wed, 07 Oct 2015 21:56:39 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/seeing_into_the_contract_process</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Oct-07T21:56:39Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

    <item>
        <title>Survey Takeaway: Keys to a Successful Sales Team</title>
        <link>https://blog.springcm.com/survey_takeaway_keys_to_a_successful_sales_team</link>
        <description>Sales teams are constantly trying to set themselves apart from competitors as a way to capture the customer&amp;rsquo;s attention. A top_notch sales team is one that continuously exceeds expectations in customer service and the product itself. So what makes for a successful and competitive sales team?Steve W. Martin conducted a survey earlier this year, published in the Harvard Business Review, distinguishing what defines a high_performing sales team, in comparison to average or low_performing sales teams. Of the 786 sales professionals surveyed, 44% reported revenue growth over the past two years, identifying themselves as high_performing sales teams.Let&amp;rsquo;s take a deeper look at the characteristics of a high_performing sales team in regards to how sales teams can manage their contracts:</description>
        <content:encoded>Sales teams are constantly trying to set themselves apart from competitors as a way to capture the customers attention. A top_notch sales team is one that continuously exceeds expectations in customer service and the product itself. So what makes for a successful and competitive sales team?Steve W. Martin conducted a survey earlier this year, published in the Harvard Business Review, distinguishing what defines a high_performing sales team, in comparison to average or low_performing sales teams. Of the 786 sales professionals surveyed, 44% reported revenue growth over the past two years, identifying themselves as high_performing sales teams.Lets take a deeper look at the characteristics of a high_performing sales team in regards to how sales teams can manage their contracts:1. A Structured Sales Process50% of high_performing sales teams use automated or strictly monitored processes.48% of underperforming sales team had no formal structure, 29% of high performing sales teams had no formal structure.An automated sales process eliminates the need for close managerial monitoring _ essentially becoming the project supervisor for deals; creating notifications and reminders, building contract templates, tracking and status updates &amp;nbsp;which help streamline the contract process and close deals faster.2. Sales Teams are Held Accountable29% of high_performing sales teams are consistently measured against their quotas and are accountable for the results compared to 13% of underperforming sales teams.With an automated sales process, its easier to track what previous actions have been taken and by who. When it comes to contract management, a tracking feature informs the seller the current status of the contract, who has it and what action needs to be taken. Sellers can see what previous actions have been taken and by who, creating an audit trail of accountability.3. Consistently Raising Quotas75% of high_performing sales teams raised quotas from 2013 to 2014.&amp;nbsp;One of the main reasons sales teams adopt and automated contract solution is to eliminate bottlenecks in the contract process, to make the process faster, giving sales teams more time to engage with more customers. The key is to eliminate repetitive tasks that keep the seller away from interacting with the customer.For most sales teams, its a question of how to increase customer satisfaction while speeding up the process, allowing for teams to expand to more customers. When dealing with contracts, an automated contract management solution keeps sales teams focused on the customer.Its not just the sales team involved in the contract. An automated solution benefits other teams involved in the process. We spoke with attorneys from around the country about how they manage contracts and how the process can be improved with automation. To learn more, download our latest ebook: Attorney Round Table: Managing the Contract Process for Optimal Results. </content:encoded>
        <category>legal</category>
        <pubDate>
        Thu, 08 Oct 2015 20:41:31 GMT
        </pubDate>
        <guid>https://blog.springcm.com/survey_takeaway_keys_to_a_successful_sales_team</guid>
        <dc:date>
            2015-Oct-08T20:41:31Z
        </dc:date>
        <dc:creator>Team SpringCM</dc:creator>
    </item>

</channel>
</rss>