Verizon BUSS 2.0
Imagining an innovative & robust sales tool for incredible bulk volume quote-building and catalog management
Project Overview
About the project
Verizon has a nationally recognizable brand and an incredible marketing team - they've always been pretty capable of designing their own products and experiences. However, they're very aware that data-intense or complex software experiences are just not their forté. In addition to that they have no internal resources to conduct unbiased research.
This was the motivation behind our first engagement together - their internal sales tools have become a terribly inefficient mess and all attempts to design a solution have failed to yield any successful results. We don't have to design the whole thing today, but if we can paint an attractive picture of what this product might look like and give its stakeholders adequate research to justify building it, then we will have been successful in cementing our role as their "guaranteed success" strategic design partner.
The Challenge
"Sales reps are drowning in spreadsheets and manual processes. Building bulk quotes takes hours, catalog management is chaotic, and errors cost us millions annually."
- Manual quote building taking 4-6 hours per order
- Catalog inconsistencies across regions
- High error rate in bulk volume pricing
Research & Discovery
There wasn't a clear problem statement from the client, just that there were big structural issues. So stakeholder interviews seemed like a great place to start to gather information directly from those most impacted. We conducted 14 interview sessions with more than 20 stakeholders and identified 12 types of users. These were then distilled down into 3 personas who represented clear user paths we could design for.
Interview matrix mapping stakeholder roles to key functions and pain points
Affinity mapping from 14 stakeholder interview sessions across 12 user types
User ecosystem showing the relationships between personas and key workflows
In-depth conversations with stakeholders across the organization
Diverse roles from sales reps to product managers
Distilled into clear user paths we could design for
Conceptualization & Strategy
Francis
Sales / B2B
Problem Statement
"Francis is a sales executive specializing in B2B sales. He wants to build stronger relationships with Verizon customers. Francis wants to get to know customers more and see what sticks."
Top Challenges
- Partner content is outdated because it's manually updated
- Sales enablement is a single BuSS homepage which is difficult to locate
- BuSS isn't compatible with MyBiz instance
- Outdated SKUs that aren't useful or sellable anymore
Shae
Product / Business Solutions
Problem Statement
"Shae is a Solutions Designer for small to midsize business products. She wants a better way to find products and manage the solutions she's creating."
Top Challenges
- Finding products across multiple BuSS catalogs
- No good way to customize bundles to meet changing needs
- BuSS solutions aren't searchable or indexed well
Carmen
Channel / Manager
Problem Statement
"Carmen is a senior manager for the BuSS who needs a better way to manage pricing and discounts across catalogs and bundles."
Top Challenges
- All discounts are handled manually, no rule-based opportunities
- Takes 6-12 months to add partners to the platform
- No way to group packages for sales
- Partner APIs frequently fail and outdated
Through the course of developing these Personas, we identified key workflows that any redesigned system would need to address. Among them: On-boarding new vendors, products, and product bundles. Educating salespeople on the products that they're expected to sell. Giving salespeople access to tools to help them optimize sales opportunities. Building and tracking quotes.
Reimagining the Sales Experience
We envisioned a unified platform that would transform bulk quote building from a tedious manual process into an intelligent, guided workflow. The key was balancing power and simplicity - giving sales reps advanced capabilities without overwhelming complexity.
- Smart catalog search with ML-powered recommendations
- Bulk operations with intelligent validation
- Real-time pricing calculations and margin visibility
- Centralized catalog management with version control
Hover over nodes to see details • Click persona labels to filter • Node size indicates priority
Exploration & Iteration
Through multiple rounds of wireframing and prototyping, we tested different approaches to the quote builder interface, focusing on reducing cognitive load while maintaining power user capabilities.
Project Navigation
Early explorations of the information architecture and navigation hierarchy.
Quote Builder
Conceptual sketches for the drag-and-drop quote building interface.
Quote Management Workflow
Defining the lifecycle of a quote from draft to approval.
Cart-Based Approach
Familiar e-commerce pattern but felt too consumer-focused for enterprise sales.
Guided Builder
Step-by-step guidance with advanced mode toggle for power users.
Spreadsheet View
Power users loved it but new reps found it overwhelming and error-prone.
Key Design Decisions
Progressive Disclosure
Advanced features hidden by default but easily accessible for power users through keyboard shortcuts and toggle switches.
Intelligent Validation
Real-time pricing updates as configuration changes, eliminating the 'calculate' button.
The Design Solution
The final design creates a seamless experience that guides new users while empowering experienced reps. Smart defaults, bulk operations, and real-time validation transform quote building from hours to minutes.
A personalized home for sales reps, providing instant visibility into pipeline health, daily tasks, and prioritized leads to drive efficiency.
Quote Builder
Intelligent product search, bulk add capabilities, and real-time pricing with margin calculations.
Catalog Manager
Centralized product database with version control, regional pricing, and bulk update tools.
Analytics Dashboard
Sales performance metrics, quote conversion tracking, and product popularity insights.
Reflection & Impact
This project demonstrated the power of deep user research and iterative design. By understanding the real workflows and pain points of sales teams, we created a solution that didn't just digitize existing processes - it fundamentally reimagined how bulk sales could work. The success of this engagement established a long-term partnership with Verizon for future enterprise tool design.
These design choices were borne out by early test data of prototypes: