Account Plan Overview

ClosePlan Account Plan creates a common language across your team with Account Plans that adapt to your strategic approach to account planning. 

Account Plans have two sections:

Scorecard helps Sales to qualify and build strategic approaches to entire Accounts in an intuitive way.

Whitespace shows the Products and Metrics that define your relationship with your customer Accounts.

 

Accessing Your Account Plan

Access to ClosePlan Account Plan is easy through the Account Plan tab on your Salesforce Account page.

See the general accessibility description here.

 

Scorecard Layout & Navigation

The following describes the relevant components and related navigation of Account Plan. Detailed descriptions of functions are described below.

Example Account Plan with unanswered questions:

Answered Layout:

  1. Score Summary Bar - Displays the score as defined by the Account Plan

  2. View Dashboard Button - Brings you to the Dashboard

  3. Collapse / Expand All - Collapses or expands all categories

  4. Toggle Full-Screen mode - Toggles to and from full screen view

  5. Back - Returns to Account Plan List

  6. Scored Question - Question with a numeric value answer

  7. Notes - Indicates that a note has been added to the question

  8. Text Question - Question with a text answer

  9. Added Task - Salesforce Task added to a Question

  10. Unanswered Question - To provide an answer, click on the question 

  11. Picklist Question - Question with an answer provided by a picklist from an Account Field. Answers provided in the Account plan will synch back to the Account

  12. Yes/No Question with single select answer - Indicates Yes answer and related score

  13. Selected Answer Question - A multiple choice question that can be answered by one or by multiple selected answers based on settings. The colors are set in the template.

 

Working with Scorecard Questions

Account Plan Scorecards consist of individual questions that may contain additional information. These are presented in Question Mode.

There are different types of questions that have predefined scores based on the selected answers.

 

Question Mode Window

The Question Mode window allows Users to answer questions and contains the following sections:

 

Account Plan Scorecard Question Types

Account Plan Scorecards are based on Templates, consisting of various question types.

The following question types are available:

Each Question Type provides a different behavior as described below:

 

Text Answer

Text Answer Questions are used when the requirement is for a text answer only. Answers are posted as plain text. 

Text Answer Questions are scored with a predefined score value if an answer is provided. If no answer is provided the value is 0 points.

 

Scoring Answer

Unlike other types of questions where the answer score is predefined, Score Questions are based on the User’s subjective decisions under min/max limit. 

 

Selected Answers

Selected Answer questions have predefined answers. The answers are scored and added to the overall score.

Selected Answer questions work in one of two modes:

Single select:

Multi select

 

Yes-No

Yes-No questions are designed to provide simple Yes or No answers to the related question. If Yes is selected, the predefined score will be added to the overall score, otherwise the value will be zero.

 

Yes-No with Text Answer

Yes-No with Text Answer allows for a Yes answer with a plain text comment.  If Yes is selected, the predefined score will be added to the overall score, otherwise the value will be zero.

          

 

Yes-No with Answers

Yes-No with Answers permit a Yes or No answer with additional information. If Yes is selected, you will be prompted to select an answer from a created list. If No is selected, the answer list will be disabled and will not appear. The score is added to the overall total if the question is answered Yes, and an answer is selected from the list.

 

Account Field Question

Account field questions allow Users to select answers from predefined fields propagated from the Account.  

 

Account Field with Text Answer

Account field questions with Text Answers allows Users to select answers from predefined fields propagated from the Account with an option to add text.

 

Taking Notes

 

Help for Questions

Access Help content for further information provided by your company settings. If there is no Help tab, Help was not provided or is not enabled. 

 

Account Plan Actions (Tasks)

Account Plan questions have Actions (Salesforce Tasks) which can be created by Users.    

Creating a Salesforce Task

          

         

Viewing / Editing / Deleting Tasks

 

      

 Change the Status in the Task window:

 Result of completed task:

 

Whitespace Layout and Navigation

The following describes the relevant components and related navigation of Account Plan Whitespace. Detailed descriptions of functions are described below.

Whitespace Layout with example Template deployed:

Whitespace Layout with Business Units defined in Template

  1. Add Item - Adds selected Product Line or Metric as defined in the Template

  2. Toggle Full-Screen mode - Toggles to and from full screen view.

  3. Back - Returns to Account Plan List

  4. Business Unit - Added individually from the ‘Add Item’ button in Whitespace work area

  5. Product Lines - Product Lines are created in the Template and their status is defined in the Account Plan

  6. Product Line Status - Indicates the status of the Product Line relative to the Business Unit (Open, Deployed, Competition, Competitor)

  7. Metrics - Metrics are created in the Template and defined in the Account Plan

  8. Menu Button - Edit information or Delete the Business Unit

Adding Items to the Account Plan Whitespace

Business Unit - Enter each relevant Business Unit name of the Account.

Product Lines - Select the status of each Product Line (Default value is ‘Open’)

Metrics - Enter the Metric values. 

Click Save

Example of Whitespace with information entered:

Edit Product Line Status and Metrics from the Whitespace page

Product line Status

 

Metrics

Double click directly on the Metric value to edit

Troubleshooting Account Plan issues:

Permission to view is blocked

Issue is incomplete - DD

When adding and configuring Account Plan to existing Accounts, ClosePlan Support or the System Administrator must redistribute Permissions and reconfigure Permission Sets to allow access.

Error Screen:

IMAGE NEEDED

Solution: Go to ClosePlan Admin > User Manager > click on ‘Redistribute Permissions’ and 'Configure'

Nonexistent Fields

Error Message: Whitespace Map is referencing field which does not exist: XSBF_ProductA__c. Please contact your administrator

Solution: If a new field has been imported in an Account Plan, it is present but must be updated.

Error screen:

Solution: Go to ClosePlan Admin > Custom Attributes > Click the '…' button >

Result: