Gong > Case Studies > Reality-Based Forecasts: Faster, Smarter, More Aligned with Gong at Handshake

Reality-Based Forecasts: Faster, Smarter, More Aligned with Gong at Handshake

Technology Category

Sensors - Infrared Sensors

Applicable Industries

Oil & Gas

Applicable Functions

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Demand Planning & Forecasting
Time Sensitive Networking

About The Customer

Handshake, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, is the largest career network for early talent, aimed at democratizing opportunity and transforming the college recruiting experience. Founded in 2014, the company has over 200 employees and operates in the software development industry. Parth Thaker, the Sr. Director of Sales at Handshake, was instrumental in implementing Gong at the company. He was already a fan of Gong from his previous employer and was eager to bring its benefits to Handshake. Parth's goal was to ensure that his team received optimal support from the business, managers, and leaders, and was set up to deliver predictable results while maintaining a work/life balance.

The Challenge

Before the implementation of Gong, Handshake’s forecast information was scattered across various systems, making it difficult to get a comprehensive view of the sales pipeline. Each opportunity had to be individually assessed, which was a time-consuming process. The lack of a unified system led to inefficiencies and inconsistencies in the sales process. The sales team was spending a significant amount of time on low-value tasks such as searching for data in multiple tools and maintaining pipeline hygiene. Poor pipeline hygiene was a common issue, with reps having to open dozens of opportunities, click through multiple fields within each opportunity, change a few bits of information, and save. This process had to be repeated for each opportunity, making it painstakingly slow and inefficient.

The Solution

Gong was introduced as a solution to streamline Handshake's sales process and improve efficiency. Gong Forecast plus Deal Insights provided a holistic view of the sales pipeline within 15 minutes, significantly reducing the time spent on forecasting. With Gong, all forecast information was consolidated into one system, eliminating the need to search for data across disparate systems. This not only saved time but also reduced the chances of human error. Gong also provided full transparency into deals and opportunities for both existing and new reps, enabling early identification of deal risks. Furthermore, Gong Insights provided feedback on how to mitigate possible deal loss. An enhanced Gong Forecast allowed the Handshake team to manage their pipeline directly out of Gong, freeing up more time for selling.

Operational Impact

The implementation of Gong at Handshake led to significant operational improvements. The sales process became more efficient, with less time spent on low-value tasks and more time dedicated to high-impact sales activities. The team was able to move smarter, faster, and be more aligned throughout the entire sales process. Gong became an integral part of Handshake's operations, providing full transparency into deals and opportunities. This allowed for early identification of deal risks and provided insights on how to mitigate potential deal loss. The improved pipeline hygiene saved time and reduced errors, leading to a more predictable and scalable sales process. Furthermore, the reduction in time spent on forecasting activities allowed for more time to be spent on selling, coaching, and team alignment.

Quantitative Benefit