Implementation and results
A dedicated Dropbox team built an AMPL optimization model handling up to 10,000 variables and solved for territory assignments within a practical and efficient timeframe, even for the largest sales regions.
Deployment and Impact
By seamlessly integrating with Dropbox’s existing systems, AMPL automates sales territory optimization. This user-friendly approach empowers sales leaders to leverage data-driven account assignments, ensuring balanced workloads and prioritizing high-potential accounts for maximum sales impact.
INDUSTRY
Cloud Storage & Software as a Service (SaaS)
WORKFLOWS OPTIMIZED BY AMPL
Sales Territory Optimization
INTEGRATIONS
AMPL Optimization Model Embedded in Dropbox Systems
KEYWORDS
Sales territory optimization
Cloud storage
Account assignment
Workload balancing
Scalable optimization
Cloud storage platforms like Dropbox offer a secure and scalable solution for storing, accessing, and collaborating on files. Dropbox, a pioneer in this domain, boasts over 500 million users, generating a daily influx of 1.2 billion uploaded files. This ever-expanding user base, coupled with a diverse clientele that includes both individual and large business accounts, necessitates a robust and efficient sales force to maintain and grow their market share.
Dropbox, a leading cloud storage provider with over 500 million users, thrives on a robust sales force managing a vast clientele. With millions of accounts, including both individual users and large businesses, assigning the right sales representatives to the right accounts is crucial for maximizing sales effectiveness. This case study explores how Dropbox leveraged AMPL, a powerful optimization software, to achieve a more strategic and efficient sales territory optimization process.
Traditionally, Dropbox relied on a combination of manual and spreadsheet-based methods for sales rep assignment. These approaches presented significant limitations:
Manual assignment often resulted in uneven distribution of accounts, with some representatives having significantly higher or lower workloads than others.
Ensuring priority accounts received dedicated attention could be difficult with manual methods.
Dropbox recognized the need for a more automated and data-driven approach to sales territory optimization. AMPL emerged as the ideal solution due to its distinct advantages:
AMPL's intuitive interface allowed Dropbox's in-house analysts to develop an optimization model without relying on external programming expertise.
AMPL's optimization engine delivers solutions rapidly, even for complex scenarios with a large number of accounts and variables.
AMPL is built to handle large datasets, ensuring scalability as Dropbox's user base continues to grow.
The implementation of AMPL involved a strategic two-phase approach:
A dedicated team of three Dropbox analysts successfully built the optimization model within AMPL.
The model utilizes a mixed-integer linear solver to optimize account allocation. For the largest regions, the model considers approximately 10,000 zero-one variables, representing the assignment of each account to a specific representative. Despite this complexity, solutions are achieved within a practical and efficient timeframe.
AMPL seamlessly integrates within Dropbox’s existing systems:
Customer data is extracted directly from Salesforce.
A Python toolbox based on scikit-learn is used to calculate customer scores, reflecting account value and potential.
A dedicated AMPL script reads the customer score data for optimization.
The optimized assignment results are exported to an Excel spreadsheet for easy access by sales leaders.
This user-friendly deployment approach empowers 5-10 key sales leaders to directly utilize the optimized sales territories assigned by AMPL. The impact is undeniable:
AMPL ensures fair and balanced workload distribution across the sales force, maximizing rep productivity.
Higher-scoring accounts receive dedicated attention from top-performing sales representatives, driving increased sales potential.
Inspired by Dropbox’s success? AMPL can transform your sales operations by optimizing territory assignments and maximizing sales force effectiveness. Whether you’re facing challenges with unbalanced workloads, prioritizing key accounts, or managing a rapidly growing customer base, AMPL’s powerful capabilities can deliver significant results. Book a free demo today to see AMPL in action and discover how it can help you achieve optimal sales territory design, boost rep productivity, and drive increased sales. Alternatively, start your free trial to experience the power of AMPL firsthand!
Dropbox’s success with AMPL paves the way for further exploration of optimization opportunities within their sales operations. This case study serves as a testament to AMPL’s ability to empower businesses like Dropbox to achieve significant improvements in sales territory optimization, ultimately leading to a more effective and data-driven sales force.
INDUSTRY
Cloud Storage & Software as a Service (SaaS)
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