Optimizing Outlet Visits for Sales Reps
Optimizing Outlet Visits for Sales Reps
eazle — Sales Representative x Heineken
eazle — Sales Representative x Heineken
My role
My role
Product designer (Design Lead)
Product designer (Design Lead)
The team
The team
PO's, Domain experts
PO's, Domain experts
Duration
Duration
8 months
8 months
Product context
eazle is a field sales platform used by Heineken sales representatives to manage customer relationships and commercial activities across their territories. The platform supports a wide range of activities, from visit planning and outlet execution to customer engagement and sales performance management.
My contribution
My contribution
Lead Product Designer, responsible for translating business goals, user needs, and field sales insights into the design direction, concepts, workflows, and interfaces for the outlet visit experience within eazle. My role included concept development, UX and UI design, prototyping, and validation with sales representatives.
Lead Product Designer, responsible for translating business goals, user needs, and field sales insights into the design direction, concepts, workflows, and interfaces for the outlet visit experience within eazle. My role included concept development, UX and UI design, prototyping, and validation with sales representatives.
Challenge
Heineken was evolving the role of its sales representatives from traditional salespeople to trusted business advisors. Rather than focusing solely on selling products, sales reps were increasingly expected to help customers grow their business through data-driven insights, recommendations, and strategic guidance. However, the tools and workflows available to them were primarily designed to support operational execution, not consultative customer conversations. This created a gap between the role sales reps were expected to play and the support available to them in the field.
Design direction
Throughout the project, outlet visits emerged as a high-impact opportunity for supporting Heineken's transition towards a more consultative sales approach. By helping sales reps prepare more effectively, prioritize opportunities, and access relevant insights, the platform could enable more meaningful customer conversations and greater business value.
Challenge
Heineken was evolving the role of its sales representatives from traditional salespeople to trusted business advisors. Rather than focusing solely on selling products, sales reps were increasingly expected to help customers grow their business through data-driven insights, recommendations, and strategic guidance. However, the tools and workflows available to them were primarily designed to support operational execution, not consultative customer conversations. This created a gap between the role sales reps were expected to play and the support available to them in the field.
Design direction
Throughout the project, outlet visits emerged as a high-impact opportunity for supporting Heineken's transition towards a more consultative sales approach. By helping sales reps prepare more effectively, prioritize opportunities, and access relevant insights, the platform could enable more meaningful customer conversations and greater business value.
Design goal
Support the transition from sales representative to business advisor by helping salesreps prepare strategically, identify growth opportunities, and translate customer data into actionable recommendations during outlet visits.
Design goal
Support the transition from sales representative to business advisor by helping salesreps prepare strategically, identify growth opportunities, and translate customer data into actionable recommendations during outlet visits.
Discovery
To understand the challenges and opportunities within the sales representative role, I combined domain expertise, quantitative insights, and direct field research to uncover how sales reps work, make decisions, and create value throughout their daily activities.
Discovery
To understand the challenges and opportunities within the sales representative role, I combined domain expertise, quantitative insights, and direct field research to uncover how sales reps work, make decisions, and create value throughout their daily activities.
Research methods
Subject matter expert sessions
Collaborated with product owners and field sales experts to understand business objectives, operational processes, and recurring challenges faced by sales representatives.
Quantitative data analysis
Reviewed existing user feedback, pain points, and product data to identify recurring friction points and opportunity areas.
Field observation
Shadowed a sales representative during outlet visits to observe current processes, decision-making, customer interactions, and operational challenges in the field.
Sales representative interview
Combined with field observation, the interview provided additional context on decision-making, customer interactions, and opportunities for improving the visit experience.
User journey mapping
Mapped the end-to-end sales representative journey to visualize activities, pain points, opportunities, and moments of value creation.
Research methods
Subject matter expert sessions
Collaborated with product owners and field sales experts to understand business objectives, operational processes, and recurring challenges faced by sales representatives.
Quantitative data analysis
Reviewed existing user feedback, pain points, and product data to identify recurring friction points and opportunity areas.
Field observation
Shadowed a sales representative during outlet visits to observe current processes, decision-making, customer interactions, and operational challenges in the field.
Sales representative interview
Combined with field observation, the interview provided additional context on decision-making, customer interactions, and opportunities for improving the visit experience.
User journey mapping
Mapped the end-to-end sales representative journey to visualize activities, pain points, opportunities, and moments of value creation.
Findings
Findings
Despite having access to a wide range of customer, outlet, and performance data, sales representatives often relied on manual effort and personal experience to prepare for visits and identify opportunities. The findings revealed a clear need for more actionable insights, better prioritization, and faster access to relevant information.
Despite having access to a wide range of customer, outlet, and performance data, sales representatives often relied on manual effort and personal experience to prepare for visits and identify opportunities. The findings revealed a clear need for more actionable insights, better prioritization, and faster access to relevant information.
Key insights
Sales reps rely heavily on experience and intuition
Sales representatives often used personal experience to determine which outlets to visit and where to focus their efforts. Identifying the highest-value opportunities was time-consuming and inconsistent.
Customer data exists, but lacks actionability
Preparing for visits involved gathering information from multiple sources, making it difficult to quickly build a complete picture of a customer and their opportunities.
Visit preparation is fragmented and time-consuming
Sales representatives spent significant time navigating between systems, reports, and customer information before entering a visit, reducing time available for customer engagement.
Prioritization support is missing
While large amounts of customer and performance data were available, sales representatives lacked clear guidance on which outlets, opportunities, and actions would create the greatest business impact.
Sales reps need support becoming business advisors
The role was evolving beyond product selling, yet the available tools primarily supported operational execution rather than opportunity identification, strategic preparation, and customer advisory conversations.
Key insights
Sales reps rely heavily on experience and intuition
Sales representatives often used personal experience to determine which outlets to visit and where to focus their efforts. Identifying the highest-value opportunities was time-consuming and inconsistent.
Customer data exists, but lacks actionability
Preparing for visits involved gathering information from multiple sources, making it difficult to quickly build a complete picture of a customer and their opportunities.
Visit preparation is fragmented and time-consuming
Sales representatives spent significant time navigating between systems, reports, and customer information before entering a visit, reducing time available for customer engagement.
Prioritization support is missing
While large amounts of customer and performance data were available, sales representatives lacked clear guidance on which outlets, opportunities, and actions would create the greatest business impact.
Sales reps need support becoming business advisors
The role was evolving beyond product selling, yet the available tools primarily supported operational execution rather than opportunity identification, strategic preparation, and customer advisory conversations.
Design sprint: Shaping the future outlet visit experience
Design sprint: Shaping the future outlet visit experience
To bridge the gap between business ambitions and field realities, we brought together cross-functional stakeholders and SMEs in a week-long design sprint. Using insights gathered during discovery, we explored how eazle could better support sales representatives in their evolving role. The sprint helped us align on key opportunity areas, generate concepts, and establish a design direction that later informed the future outlet visit experience.
To bridge the gap between business ambitions and field realities, we brought together cross-functional stakeholders and SMEs in a week-long design sprint. Using insights gathered during discovery, we explored how eazle could better support sales representatives in their evolving role. The sprint helped us align on key opportunity areas, generate concepts, and establish a design direction that later informed the future outlet visit experience.
Concept development & refinement
Translating concepts into tangible design directions
The concepts developed during the design sprint were translated into high-fidelity designs to make the future outlet visit experience tangible and easier to evaluate. Through review sessions with SMEs and feedback discussions with sales representatives, we assessed how well each direction supported visit preparation, prioritization, and customer conversations. The resulting insights helped refine the experience and strengthen the final design direction.
Reimagining the outlet visit experience
Opportunity-driven prioritization
Customer data is translated into tailored recommendations and growth opportunities.
Actionable sales opportunities
Customer data is translated into tailored recommendations and growth opportunities.
Integrated visit preparation
Relevant customer, outlet, and performance insights are consolidated into a single preparation flow.
Guided customer conversations
Sales reps receive contextual support that helps them move from selling products to delivering business advice.
Validating the future sales representative experience
To evaluate the proposed direction, we tested the concept with sales representatives across multiple operating companies and product owners with extensive field sales expertise. Participants completed realistic outlet visit scenarios covering visit preparation, customer conversations, and visit reporting. Validation combined moderated feedback sessions and unmoderated concept testing, allowing us to assess usability, relevance, and perceived value across different markets and user contexts. The sessions helped validate the overall direction while uncovering opportunities to improve clarity, flexibility, and the actionability of customer insights.
Validation results
Visit preparation became more focused
Sales representatives quickly understood which outlets required attention and why. The visit overview helped them prepare more efficiently and build a clear understanding of customer context before entering a visit.
Data-driven recommendations were valued
Users responded positively to tailored sales opportunities and appreciated having recommendations linked to customer goals, performance data, and growth potential. The concept helped shift conversations from product selling to business advice.
Context increases confidence
Sales representatives wanted greater transparency into why recommendations were generated. Supporting recommendations with customer data, historical performance, and business rationale increased trust and confidence during customer conversations.
Flexibility remains essential
While users appreciated guidance and prioritization, they still wanted the flexibility to adjust visit plans, record custom notes, and adapt conversations based on customer needs.
Validating the future sales representative experience
To evaluate the proposed direction, we tested the concept with sales representatives across multiple operating companies and product owners with extensive field sales expertise. Participants completed realistic outlet visit scenarios covering visit preparation, customer conversations, and visit reporting. Validation combined moderated feedback sessions and unmoderated concept testing, allowing us to assess usability, relevance, and perceived value across different markets and user contexts. The sessions helped validate the overall direction while uncovering opportunities to improve clarity, flexibility, and the actionability of customer insights.
Validation results
Visit preparation became more focused
Sales representatives quickly understood which outlets required attention and why. The visit overview helped them prepare more efficiently and build a clear understanding of customer context before entering a visit.
Data-driven recommendations were valued
Users responded positively to tailored sales opportunities and appreciated having recommendations linked to customer goals, performance data, and growth potential. The concept helped shift conversations from product selling to business advice.
Context increases confidence
Sales representatives wanted greater transparency into why recommendations were generated. Supporting recommendations with customer data, historical performance, and business rationale increased trust and confidence during customer conversations.
Flexibility remains essential
While users appreciated guidance and prioritization, they still wanted the flexibility to adjust visit plans, record custom notes, and adapt conversations based on customer needs.
Quote from a salesrep
"All the information felt relevant and valuable for sales conversations. It focused on the key insights I needed without overwhelming me. There are a few improvements that could be made, such as adding financial performance indicators, but overall it's a great tool with a simple and easy-to-use interface."
Outcome and Impact
The redesigned task management experience enabled users to plan their work more efficiently, maintain focus throughout the day, and complete tasks with greater confidence. By reducing visual noise and clarifying task states, the product lowered cognitive load and minimızed time spent organızing work, eading to higher engagement with core features and a stronger sense of control over daily workflows.
Outcome and Impact
The redesigned task management experience enabled users to plan their work more efficiently, maintain focus throughout the day, and complete tasks with greater confidence. By reducing visual noise and clarifying task states, the product lowered cognitive load and minimızed time spent organızing work, eading to higher engagement with core features and a stronger sense of control over daily workflows.