At Figaro Classifieds, commissions represents a significant part of Key Account Manager, Account Manager, Business Developer remuneration, which is why it's vital to ensure its reliability, transparency and visibility.

However, before equipping themselves with the commission management tool created by Qobra, they were encountering several problems concerning commissions.

We therefore decided to interview Romain Darbon (Business Manager) and Ingrid Henri (Account Manager) to find out more and understand how Qobra enables them to manage commissions simply, and turn it into a real lever for performance, motivation and loyalty.

1. Challenges

Like many companies, Figaro Classifieds used Excel spreadsheets to calculate and manage employee commissions before moving to Qobra. 

An ill-suited solution that posed several major problems:

• Frequent calculation errors
• Considerable loss of time (manual calculation of commissions, back and forth between different stakeholders, data updating, reporting, payroll...).
• Lack of visibility

Daily calculation errors

Romain Darbon (Business Manager)

"The first problem was that the calculations were done manually. And when you say manual calculation, you inevitably mean you're dealing with daily sources of error."

Time lost due to double-checking 

Ingrid Henri (Account Manager)

"There was this double check, so we would ask our manager. And of course, on the side, we had to keep track of a whole Excel file, making sure we'd entered everything in the CRM and that everything had been validated."

Recurring lack of visibility

Romain Darbon (Business Manager)

"The second problem we had was the lack of visibility for our employees. In fact, they were constantly coming to me to say 'Where am I? How far along am I? The second sub-issue, which is somewhat related, is "How much more do I need to do, to reach so much more?"."

2. Solutions

Romain Darbon (Business Manager) and Ingrid Henri (Account Manager) explained how Qobra helps them meet the various challenges they face when it comes to commissions.

A tailored solution and quality onboarding

Romain Darbon (Business Manager)

"What was really decisive was the discussions we had with Qobra. Qobra immediately grasped our problems, they understood our way of working very well. Qobra immediately proposed a solution that was adapted to our needs." 

Saving time at every level

Romain Darbon (Business Manager)

"I've actually saved time on the whole process. Because our commissions, once they're set up, they're valid, and we renew them from quarter to quarter. I've also saved time on calculations. Before, I used to do everything by hand on my little Excel file, with my formulas and so on. Now I don't have to! All I have to do is look at the result, which is very useful for payroll. We used to have several managers sending different file formats to the accounts department. Today, we have a single format, an export with clear, net, precise amounts for well-defined remunerations. I think I earned about 3 to 4 hours a month, easily!"

Ingrid Henri (Account Manager)

"Half a day a month! You always need to report to your manager where you have questions to ask him about your figure. With Qobra, in one click, you have all the information on the dashboard."

Real-time visibility

Ingrid Henri (Account Manager)

"Qobra is like having a thinking piggy bank because we have reminders every time and apps that help us know where we are in our sales. With Qobra, you can see in real time what's been validated, what you're going to receive and what you're going to earn at the end of the month. It's simple, and that's what's important today when you're in sales!"

A strategic and motivating tool

Romain Darbon (Business Manager)

"Qobra allows me on a daily basis to really know where we stand. It also lets me manage budgets, have a real strategy around commissions, whether it's for challenges, or even evolving our commission principles."

Romain Darbon (Business Manager)

"Where Qobra has really been relevant for us is mainly in the closing phases, getting an additional contract, a few thousand euros more, and having the visibility of what it brings to the end user. It's a real plus! I can even quantify it, since we've been using the Qobra tool, we must have made a 10% to 15% gain in additional results."

Ingrid Henri (Account Manager)

"There are notifications as soon as you enter a contract, "Congratulations!" notifications with references and high-impact images! You're obliged to smile and say to yourself, 'Oh, okay, I've got a number, and that's going to motivate me afterwards'. For me, it's a bit like a coach, except that it's a virtual coach."

Qobra

With its commission calculation and management solution for sales, business operations, finance and HR teams, Qobra helps companies make commissions:

• The number 1 lever for motivation and sales performance
• An essential element of attractiveness and loyalty
• This is a considerable time-saver for the teams responsible for managing and calculating commissions.

Customers: +100 companies of all sizes and in all sectors (Doctolib, Payfit, Spendesk, Go1, Make, CoachHub, SeLoger, Figaro, Agicap, etc.).

Users: +10,000 users (Finance, Revenue Operations, Sales Operations, HR, Sales, etc.).

Countries: France, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Czech Republic.