Ironclad increases win rates by 21% and boosts customer retention using the Gong Revenue AI Platform

A leader in legal technology, Ironclad operates in a fast-paced environment where their deal cycles range from weeks to a few months. Their revenue teams faced increasing pressure to scale, while also improving their pipeline health and visibility for leadership. With customer account sales teams having doubled in size and deal volumes rising, maintaining process clarity and reliable forecasting was a priority.

As teams and processes scaled though, they struggled with deal visibility, accurate forecasting, and streamlined client handoffs — all of which are essential to closing deals and renewing customers.

They implemented the Gong Revenue AI Platform, which transformed how Ironclad approaches their sales and customer success efforts. As a result, they now have better visibility into their pipeline, more accurate forecasts, and smoother team handoffs leading to stronger win rates and customer retention.

In Ironclad's fast-paced sales environment, maintaining visibility is non-negotiable. As Brooke Adair, General Manager of Sales at Ironclad, explained, "We're experiencing massive scaling, and even our smallest deals can be very complex.”

"Without Gong, it’s tough to keep track of who needs support and when." —Brooke Adair, General Manager of Sales at Ironclad

Today, Deal Boards are her go-to for understanding the health of her team’s most strategic opportunities. She uses Deal Boards to "quickly get up to speed and find flags," or when she needs an objective view before "parachuting into a deal."

Melanie Wong, General Manager of Commercial Sales at Ironclad, says “The best value I get from Gong is on renewals and tracking activities across such a large volume of open deals.” She uses the Deal Board to gain visibility into renewals in specific stages. “I’m using its red flags a lot,” she says, “which has been really helpful.I can connect with reps right away to take care of those flagged issues.”

Brooke’s also been using the AI Briefer feature to quickly confirm details, such as competitive mentions, and see whether reps discuss new products on discovery calls. She noted that "If enough reps don’t mention a new product on those calls, they probably don't feel comfortable with the pitch." That’s when she knows the team needs more support.

This real-time visibility surfaces her team’s broad needs during new product launches, and the AI Tracker analyzes specific behaviors for her.

"Gong allows me to trust, validate, and then scale, all while tracking where my team needs support." —Brooke Adair, General Manager of Sales at Ironclad

In high-velocity sales operations like Ironclad’s, where transactions are complex and cycles last 90–150 days, accurate forecasting is critical. With the Gong Revenue AI Platform, Ironclad has overhauled their approach to forecasting by providing their teams with real-time Deal Board and activity alerts.

"Gong flags deals that are stalled or lacking activity, which helps us keep our pipeline clean and our forecast accurate." —Brooke Adair, General Manager of Sales at Ironclad

By examining trends and activities, Ironclad now maximizes the efficiency of their forecast-related workflows as well as their resources. They’re able to ensure that every forecast is grounded in data.

The Gong Revenue AI Platform also clarified that time and stage aren’t always the key signal for Brooke’s team’s deals. As she says, “If the customer isn’t engaging, that’s what I care about.” It’s a strong predictor of when a deal will close, so stack ranking the team’s deals by activity has proven incredibly effective. It's paving the way for immediate successes and sustainable growth.

Ironclad counts on the Gong Revenue AI Platform to ensure seamless transitions between sales and renewals, so they can provide their customers with a unified and streamlined experience. In a growing organization where multiple teams handle different aspects of the customer lifecycle, alignment during handoffs is essential. "It needs to feel like one team," shared Melanie.

“If you’re new to an account, the first thing you do is go into Gong and read the account brief or use AI Ask Anything.” —Melanie Wong, General Manager of Commercial Sales

As Melanie points out, “Both features are extremely useful for prepping before you talk to anyone on the sales or implementation teams or the CSM who’s assigned to the account.” These capabilities are unique in terms of account transitions, as they guide handoffs in the right direction from the jump. Previously, this was a manual process and vital action items were easily missed during handoffs.

Ironclad’s Account Executives also use AI Briefer to get quick insights into the customer’s objectives, prior discussions, and the challenges that were addressed during the sales cycle. This AI-backed functionality enables new team members to ramp up faster and engage confidently, knowing that no critical details were overlooked.

The overall effect of Gong’s actionable insights is that continuity is ensured and it’s easier to build trust during organizational and customer-facing transitions. With a unified source of customer interaction data, Ironclad can maintain their high standards of customer engagement, even as they scale.

“Gong is a source of truth on behalf of our customers,” says Melanie.

Gong has proven itself an essential partner in Ironclad’s ongoing growth, helping them expand while improving their customer experience. As Brooke explained, “We are where we are as a company because we care about our customers more than anyone else.”

“Gong’s a critical part of bringing the voice of the customer to our entire company. It’s a key channel for putting customers at the center of all we do.” —Brooke Adair, General Manager of Sales at Ironclad

Ironclad has leveraged Gong to expertly manage and grow their new business and renewals, using real-time analytics to empower their reps and leaders to make informed decisions without compromising speed or quality. From identifying risks to tracking topic mentions and the adoption of new offerings, Gong has helped Ironclad achieve impressive results with confidence. As the company continues their upward trajectory, Gong remains a key component of their revenue team’s success.