The technology that we have now paved way to development of web-based applications that allow people to access the data they want even if they are outside or on a business travel. This sounds convenient for business people because this is exactly what you need. It is good news that sales force automation (SFA) is now also web based and has tons to features for your business.
Discover the difference between Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool and SFA and learn how they could complement each other for a better business sale. It will also be discussed here how SFA affects not only your business but also the sales force, which is the primary user of the tool. As part of your marketing team, does the sales agent feel comfortable regarding the use of SFA? This is an issue you will want to address to make sure that your SFA will not fail.
How Sales Force Automation Tool Is Used in Business
The SFA was introduced more than a decade ago, and it got a mixed reaction from the employees. Some of them see it as a tool to repress their ideas or software that allows managers to pry on their activities every minute of the day. As a result, managers are unsure whether using SFA would prove to be worthy or not.
To help you decide regarding this matter, we present to you the roles of SFA in a business.
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Keep Records That Could Open Opportunities
No matter how outstanding the sales agent is, he is also human, and you cannot expect him to remember every interaction with a potential client. Every communication with other people that transpired – be it on social media, phone call, email, or other means – is a good lead that could mean an increase in sales. The SFA serves as a system that manages all the important details about a potential client so that the sales team could focus on increasing the sales rather than doing tasks that could be performed by software.
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Sales Forecasting
Even the sales force automation tools free is capable of storing the sales-related information that you need to understand to trend in sales. With this data on hand, projection of your sales forecast in the future is easier and more reliable as it is based on an actual data that were gathered during the past transaction.
- It Allows Your Sales Force To Save Time
Contrary to what was widely believed at first, SFA is a tool that will help your sales team rather than control them. According to Cotteleer et al. of Business Harvard Review, the term SFA comes as a misnomer because it will not automate the sales team. The aim of this tool is to simplify the sales cycle and automate the necessary but time-consuming sales processes in such a way that the sales team will have more time for their other tasks that the computer cannot handle.
These are only some of the reasons why sales force automation tool is needed by businesses. If you want more information, you may check out the reviews of sales force automation tools published at CrowdReviews.com to get a grasp of what SFA can do to your business.
How SFA and CRM Tools Complement Each Other
It is not a surprise if you see someone who thinks that a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and SFA tool is the same. The two have different focus, but it is undeniable that the area of interest, where people under their respective teams work, usually overlaps, and it is difficult to put a clear demarcation on what is uniquely CRM and what is SFA.
A feedback from a client at CrowdReviews.com, for example, have indicated that it is a robust CRM when in fact it is SFA. This is not really a big concern as long as you know how to make the software work to your advantage. However, you must at least understand the basic functions of CRM and SFA to know how and when sales force automation tool could be complemented by CRM.
Automation of Sales Processes
Based on a research, only 39% of a sales agent’s time is spent on his specific role task, which is selling. Most of a sales agent’s time is spent on reading and answering emails, searching and gathering information, and internal collaboration and communication. This is where sales force automation tool comes in. The mundane tasks of sales agent is automated, so he could have more time doing what he is supposed to do. This is not to say that the other functions are not important. It is just that those tasks could be automated so why burden your sales team when a computer and software could handle all of those.
Data Could Transform to Sales
Now that the menial tasks of your sales force have been automated, does it automatically mean that your sales will increased? No. However, the role of SFA does not end in the automation. Like the CRM, it also has a database that your team could access to gain more insights on how to improve your company’s sales strategy. It is also in this regard where the CRM could help. The two have different focus, so the data that will be available on their respective system is about their own field.
The sales team could make use of the generated data of the CRM and analyze it to arrive with a better sales strategy, or they could use it to improve their sales. For example, the CRM could generate the data on which client called at what day and what time. Using this bit of information could help the sales team in their endeavor by analyzing the trends and patterns on what time and day looks good enough to make a call or send an email. Add this to the fact that the other tasks of the sales person have been automated; he is likely to be more focused on selling and devising strategies on how to improve his performance.
How SFA Affects the Sales Force
One obvious effect of sales force automation tools CRM to your sales team is to give them more time to do other tasks because of the automation of their other functions. However, this comes in two-fold. Automating the tasks of your sales team means you are expecting them to deliver more sales, and this is where the problem comes in.
It is common to encounter questions such as why my sales force automation system is failing because it really happens when your sales team is not ready for the SFA or are simply not in favor of its use. Sales force automation tools open source are usually designed according to the concept of the managers. Your work force on the other hand may have different view about it and could see it as additional task on their side. The automation may have lifted some mundane tasks off their hands only to be replaced by additional workload. Make sure that you and your sales force have a clear understanding and expectations with the use of SFA.
Sales Force Automation Tool as a Marketing Solution
People are commonly mistaken by thinking that marketing is all about sales because it is not. Sales is indeed a part of marketing, but it is only a part as there are other aspects of marketing like lead generation, management, promotions, and more. However, what sales force automation tool data could offer will benefit your marketing in general.
The consumer information that you could access could be interpreted and analyzed so that your marketing team will have a better lead on what the consumers want. Marketing offers services that answers to the client’s needs. All you have to do now is to get the data and have a proper analysis on it.
Benefits of Web-based Sales Force Automation Tool
Forget about bringing the bulky external hard drive of your company to access the data of your SFA system. As a web-based app, it means that anyone from your team could access their needed information anytime and anywhere.
Is your sales team out to meet a client and suddenly needs information from the SFA system? He does not need to return to the office or make a call to his colleagues because he himself could access it by using his mobile phone or laptop.
Cloud-based applications are abundant these days to offer ease of access to the users, a helpful feature especially to those who are always on the go. However, also take into consideration other factors like the response of your sales team and the specifications of the software. Best sales force automation tools could only be considered on top if it can do the job it promised. Due to the many SFA software out in the market, it is difficult to decide which one best suits your business. Fortunately, CrowdReviews.com offers unbiased reviews of sales force automation software that you could use as reference. Visit their site now to see what business owners like you think of the product and services that they have tried.
John Tovar
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