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Partner onboard & quota management
Let distributors onboard their resellers and manage their quota.
Overview
As a new cloud service platform at Bytedance, we sought partners to aid in expanding the market in Southeast Asia. To facilitate this, we built a PRM system from scratch to efficiently manage relationships and quotas. Ultimately, we successfully onboarded 30+ partners, resulting in a revenue of 1M.
Duration
Design (1 month)
Iteration (2 weeks)
Team
Solo designer work with frontend*5, backend*1, pm*2
Challenge
I was unexpectedly assigned to this project, which was already delayed by several weeks. Building a PRM system involves handling complex divisions like partner admin and partner central, necessitating data transfer with SFDC, console, and financial cloud. Additionally, collaboration with the Chinese team was essential for obtaining and verifying data. Completing this project from scratch in a short period posed a significant challenge for me.
Goal
- Let distributors onboard their resellers.
- Enable distributors to set and modify quotas for resellers.
- Provide real-time notifications when their quota is approaching or has been reached.
How does the PRM work?
1. 3-tier partner relationship (distributor > reseller > end customer)
Discounts vary at each level, with higher levels receiving more significant discounts. Quotas must be allocated to lower levels, and purchases can only use quotas.
2. Quota allocated mechanism
Upper-level individuals have the authority to modify the quota allocation for lower levels. Additionally, they can perform backfill operations to settle payments.
3. Distributor onboard reseller
Distributors are required to take ownership of onboarding resellers, and the data will undergo systematic verification at each level.
The process
How did I start with the project?
I should clearly understand the project goal and background, the necessity of data and features, and the value the project brings to the company. So I chose to quickly sketch on paper to figure them out.
Check the flow with PMs
After understood the logic, I reached out to PMS in person to double-check the logic and pointed out the flows with issues.
1. Verify if the account registered before
Instead of checking all the processes, we checked the result only, which can help streamline the process and use less effort to complete the verification.
2. PMs manually check
We found we still needed some manual work, and we included the RD team in the discussion. Ultimately, we can scan and check the database to verify.
Result (before & after)
After refining the key point, we can see the time and effort will be less spent than before.
Wireflow
With tight time constraints, we focused exclusively on wireframing which provided enough of a direction for us to communicate the design to the necessary stakeholders and still hit our deadline.
Quick iteration
We did some quick testing for feedback during the exploration stage, based on internal customer feedback we tried to refine some UIs.
1. Check record successfully then input reseller info
Popup (X)
1. Large changes in popup size may be less user-friendly.
2. Limited display space in the middle scroll area.
Drawer (V)
1. Minimal size adjustments.
2. Suitable for filling in multiple contents.
2. Information hierarchy
Dashboard at left (X)
1. Ineffective utilization of chart space.
2. Large numeric amounts and multilingual issues with i18n.
Dashboard on top (V)
1. Overview should be visible at first glance.
2. Information placed in the universal area won't be affected by tab switching.
Empowering stakeholders:
The impact of our PRM system
1. Let distributor onboard reseller
On partner central, the distributor can check the reseller's account ID in the record. Afterward, they can input the reseller's information, allowing the CN team to verify it.
The further info will be verified by CN team
2. Distributor setting up reseller quota
Once the reseller achieves official status, the distributor is responsible for allocating a quota to the reseller's account, enabling them to make purchases and sales using the allocated quota.
Distributor sets up the quota for reseller
3. Adjust quota and settle payments
Distributors can modify quotas based on the varied usage of resellers and settle payments to backfill the required amounts.
Preview can check all amounts easily
4. Quota depletion notification
Once the quota reaches zero or turns negative, the distributor will get a realtime notification.
We send notification via mail & internal system
Results & feedback
Result & feedback
After launching the PRM system, we got...
Big clients from Korea & Vietnam
Secured major clients from Korea and Vietnam who willingly placed their trust in us, signing up for a three-year contract.
Run the system smoothly
Ensuring the smooth operation of the system, the seamless usability reflects the dedication, collaboration, and technical prowess of each team member. Their commitment to delivering a user-friendly and efficient PRM system has significantly contributed to its successful implementation.
Project Learnings
Be flexible & transparent
I've learned the importance of maintaining flexibility. There were numerous unexpected problem occurred, and things didn't always follow the ideal process. In the new project, don't need to be afraid to ask for help.
What next?
- Complete more functional modules to boost business growth.
More works
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