Define Action Plan Templates and Plan Visits

Create an Action Plan Template

With promotions, products, planograms, and assets placed in stores, and the KPIs defined to help with compliance, the next step for Gustavo is to create action items for field reps. This is a job that sales managers may find monotonous because the list of merchandising or pre-sales activities remains almost the same for the same type of retail stores. Consumer Goods Cloud helps sales managers by providing a template that is reusable. Gustavo can define the template to capture the tasks that must be performed by field reps and then assign the template to multiple store visits with a few clicks.

Alpine Group uses two action plan templates primarily for NTO stores. One that’s used for pre-sales activities, and another for the merchandising activities.

We’ve already added these action plan templates in your special org. To learn how to create an action plan template, see Create an Action Plan Template.

Here's how you can find the action plan templates in your org.

1. Click , and find and select Action Plan Templates.
   
2. Select the All Action Plan Templates list view.
   
   

Now that the action plan template is in place, it’s time to add the assessment task definitions to it and publish the template. But first, Gustavo must create the assessment task definitions.

Create Task Definitions

Assessment task definitions are records that hold information such as name, description, category, and type of task. Consumer Goods Cloud helps with six predefined task definition types that cover most merchandising and pre-sales requirements. Assessment task definitions can be added to different action plan templates in different combinations to reuse for multiple visits.

• Inventory Check
  
• Planogram Check
  
• Promotion Check
  
• Place Order
  
• In-Store Survey
  
• Other
  

Use the task type Other to customize and tailor tasks specific to your business requirements.

So, what’s the difference between an assessment task definition and an assessment task? The same difference between you asking for an ice cream and you asking for a mint chocolate chip ice cream in a cone! An assessment task definition of type Inventory Check may be “Check of product count,” while the assessment task may be “Count of Alpine BigFoot Cherry Bars in the backroom.” A task uses the task definition and centers itself with the context of its status, visit, and other details.

Assessment task definitions can be associated with assessment indicator definitions. This provides the structure for any compliance check.

Gustavo quickly refreshes his memory by taking a look at the assessment task definitions and associated indicators already in place. We’ve already set these up in your org.

Gustavo now creates a new assessment task definition and associates the assessment indicator definition he created in the previous step to this definition.

1. Click , and find and select Assessment Task Definitions.
   
2. Click New.
   
3. For Name, enter Damaged product count check in warehouses and stores.
   
4. For Task Type, select Inventory Check.
   
5. Click Save.
   
6. On the Related tab of the record, click Add on the Assessment Indicator Definitions related list.
   
7. In the Assessment Indicator Definition field, search for and select Number of damaged goods or assets.
   
8. Click Save.
   

Now it is time for Gustavo to associate the assessment task definitions to the action plan templates.

1. Click , and find and select Action Plan Templates.
   
2. Select the Merchandising compliance for NTO stores record from the All Action Plan Templates list view.
   
3. In the Items tab, click Add Assessment Task Definition.
   
4. Search for and select task definition Compliance checks to ensure assets are not damaged and to provide timely servicing. Select the checkbox Is Required.
   
5. Click Save.
   
6. Click New on the header of the action plan template record, and click Assessment Task Definition.
   
7. Search for and select the task definition General compliance check for promotional activities. Select the checkbox Is Required.
   
8. Repeat steps 6-7 for the following:
   

• Product count check; Is Required
  
• Missing product and void checks; Is Required
  

9. Click Publish Template to finalize your selections.
   

Gustavo opens the Pre-Sales compliance for NTO stores action plan template, and follows the same steps to add the following assessment task definitions to it:

• Damaged product count check in warehouses and stores.
  
• General CSAT survey, Required.
  
• Capture orders for out-of-stock products, Required.
  

Create Visits

Gustavo has completed the bulk of his work. He’s set up everything that makes a visit successful and audits effective. It’s now time for him to create visits to the two retail stores and assign the visits to his trusted field reps.

For the purpose of this project, we want you to assign the visits to yourself as the admin user so that you can carry out the visit in the next step. In the real business scenario, sales managers would delegate this job to their field reps.

Here’s how he does that:

1. Click , and find and select Visits.
   
2. Click New.
   
3. Click the down arrow under Place, select Retail Store, then select the NTO Store - Bryant Street record.
   
4. For Visit Priority, select High.
   
5. For Account, search for and select Northern Trail Outfitters.
   
6. For Planned Start Time, select any day in the future for the Date.
   
7. For Special Instructions, enter Check how the competitor products are faring in the energy drinks category and note down their display prices.
8. Click the down arrow under Visitor, select User, then select yourself.
   
9. Click Save.
   

He creates another record:

1. Click , and find and select Visits.
   
2. Click New.
   
3. Click the down arrow under Place, select Retail Store, then select the NTO Warehouse - Bryant Street record.
   
4. For Visit Priority, select Medium.
   
5. For Account, select Northern Trail Outfitters.
   
6. For Planned Start Time, select any day in the future for the Date.
   
7. Click the down arrow under Visitor, select User, then select yourself.
   
8. Click Save.
   

Gustavo has successfully created two visits.

Associate Action Plan to a Visit

To put the final piece in the puzzle, Gustavo must associate an action plan to a visit to form the connection between the store, the visit, and the tasks to be performed. Remember, the stores are already connected with retail store KPIs, and the task definitions are connected with assessment indicator definitions. Do you see how everything fits together?

Here’s how Gustavo finishes his job:

1. Select the visit record for NTO Store- Bryant Street.
   
2. In the Action Plans card, click New Plan, and provide these details:
   

• Name: Plan for merchandising
• Action Plan Template: Merchandising compliance for NTO Stores
  
• Select Start Date as any day in the past.
  

3. Click Next.
   
4. Review the information related to associated assessment task definitions, and click Save.
   

Gustavo creates another action plan following the same steps for the visit record for the NTO Warehouse - Bryant Street. He uses the Pre-Sales compliance for NTO stores action plan template.

And now, Gustavo has come full circle. He created stores, and added products and assortments. He took care of promotions, planograms, surveys, and assets. He defined retail store KPIs, assessment indicator definitions, and assessment task definitions. Finally, he created visits and action plans. He can now do the same for all other stores and upcoming visits.