How Windstream scaled with a unified view of the customer

Highlights

• Traction Complete simplified Windstream Enterprise’s complex legacy data challenges by consolidating 4 million Salesforce records down to 500,000
• Used Complete Hierarchies to automate territory design, giving sales ops a scalable system and reps clarity on ownership
• Windstream Enterprise leveraged Complete Hierarchies to spot whitespace and account gaps, turning missed coverage into cross-sell and upsell opportunities

Overview

As an industry telecom leader, Windstream Enterprise (now Kinetic) focuses on delivering voice and data network communications through it’s unparalleled pure-cloud infrastructure.

With customers in 250,000+ U.S. locations, it supports customers with rapid scalability, maximizing uptime, cloud migration, and managing complex call volumes. Identifying innovative ways to deliver exceptional customer experience is built into its cloud software — and its DNA.

The Challenge

Messy, duplicated data from rapid growth

After a string of acquisitions and mergers, Windstream’s customer base ballooned. To keep pace, they needed confidence that Salesforce held accurate, integrated records across millions of accounts.

We had over 4 million customer records, and no way to accurately organize accounts or group service locations together.

Scott Ellsworth, VP of Sales Operations at Windstream

Instead, the system was riddled with duplicates, incomplete records, and scattered data.

Teams had to manually build and manage account hierarchies in Salesforce, a slow process that drained productivity. The lack of reliable account structures made it impossible to see how much business they were doing across corporate families or where potential expansion opportunities lay.

Sales teams struggled with territory chaos

Sales reps needed an informed view of the customer to understand existing relationships, spot upsell opportunities, and avoid stepping on each other’s deals. Instead, they wasted hours searching for contacts, piecing together company structures, and digging through duplicates.

Without accurate hierarchies, reps couldn’t tell which accounts already had coverage or where whitespace opportunities existed. Managing complex, evolving territories became nearly impossible. In some cases, four or five reps landed on the same account — creating conflict, slowing down deals, and making growth harder to achieve.

RevOps faced data overload with no clear path forward

Windstream’s Revenue Operations team needed accurate data to support new initiatives like launching a customer portal and building effective territory plans. They also had to ensure leadership could trust Salesforce reporting to guide strategic decisions.

But quality-checking six million records by hand would have taken years.

Messy, misaligned, and incomplete data overwhelmed the team and made reliable reporting unattainable. Every delay created risk — from missed renewals, to poor customer experiences, to lost revenue.

At Windstream’s scale, manual fixes weren’t an option. They needed a fast, automated solution that could keep pace with growth.

Solution

Cleaned and consolidated data at scale

Windstream implemented Complete Hierarchies to tackle its ballooning Salesforce database. The solution automatically connected parent-child relationships, cleaned up duplicate accounts, and aligned service locations under the right corporate structures.

We’ve become infinitely more effective… We went from 4 million records in the database down to a little over 500,000. It’s helping to drive strategy for every side of our business.

Scott Ellsworth, VP of Sales Operations at Windstream

By consolidating records from 4 million down to 500,000, Windstream eliminated clutter and improved accuracy across the CRM. This gave leadership a reliable data foundation for forecasting, territory design, and strategic planning — something they had never been able to achieve with manual processes.

Streamlined territory management for sales teams

Complete Hierarchies helped transformed how Windstream managed territories.

Instead of relying on spreadsheets and guesswork, the team created rules-based coverage that automatically reflected account structures and ownership.

Sales reps no longer spent hours digging through duplicates or debating account ownership. Complete Hierarchies streamlined assignment, flagged overlaps, and delivered a clear view of every customer relationship.

The shift freed reps to focus on revenue-driving activities — engaging prospects, strengthening relationships, and pursuing whitespace opportunities — instead of wrestling with messy data.

The world of sales operations is a tough environment. Any time you can find a tool that is intuitive to use, and solves some really major business problems, it’s really hard not to scream from the mountain tops about it.

Scott Ellsworth, VP of Sales Operations at Windstream

Unlocked strategic growth opportunities

What’s another reason this is worth shouting about? Knowing where Windstream was already doing business in turn pointed to where potential gaps were. Where sales reps weren’t engaged turned into an opportunity to cross-sell, up-sell, and deliver a well thought account-based sales and marketing approach.

At last, their team could rest easy knowing that decision-makers could now see who their biggest clients were. Sales could focus on selling more. Operations teams could rest easy knowing processes are fueling revenue. All while the Traction Complete team ensured Windstream had a trusted partner in place to keep their Salesforce data clean, connected, and working for the business.

The Final Word

Implementing Complete Hierarchies fundamentally shifted Windstream’s business by uncovering a single, unified view of their customer. Not only were they able to minimize manual efforts, they in turn maximized their untapped sales opportunities. This helped drive all aspects of the business, directly influencing revenue generation.

There’s not a single person on my team who doesn’t sing the praises of what a powerful tool [Complete Hierarchies] is. Not a single person. It is so intuitive. It is so easy to use.

Scott Ellsworth, VP of Sales Operations at Windstream