Whitepaper SFA

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How to select your SFA ? Sales Force Automation application is not always as easy to use as promised and many organizations are investing in it for the wrong reasons. In this material, explore the key elements to be taken into consideration when choosing a Sales Force Automation application.

Transcript of Whitepaper SFA

How to select your SFA?

Sales Force Automation application

is not always as easy to use as

promised and many organizations

are investing in it for the wrong

reasons. In this material, explore the

key elements to be taken into

consideration when choosing a Sales

Force Automation application.

Sales ForceAutomationpromise

The goal of the Sales Force Automation application is to

provide the sales professionals with the information they

need to work on the go via devices like smartphones and

tablets.

The sales force can enable the order retrieval, the tracking

and control of inventory, order flows, customer

management, sales forecast as well as employees’

performance assessment without a desktop on-site.

How do you know that you pick the rightSales Force Automation appTake, for example, a typical head of sales department of a The team leader researched mobile applications that

telecom company. His daily activity is dominated by could do both. Five months later, the sales team had the

manually reporting and uploading documents for the desired tool which conducted to the boost of sales

team he is supervising. Several hours are used to provide productivity.

the needed tools for his team. On the other hand, the We may say that our hero has been wise with his members of the team have to stay updated with the purchase. He invested in a Sales Force Automation pipeline and news. However, many of them can’t keep application with the specific goal of solving a department pace with the challenging rhythm. issue.

After experiencing sales decreases and overwhelmed Not every organization has a similar Sales Force employees, they decided it was mandatory to streamline Automation success story. Despite the potential of SFA, the process while offering visibility to the salespeople and there can be pain points such as sales team perception improving the decision making processes. which may find it more of a burden than a benefit.

Sales Force Automation: A failed promise? The goal of Sales Force Automation

application is to provide the sales

professionals with the information they

need to work on the go via devices like

smartphones and tablets.

The sales force can process orders,

access customer information, monitor

inventory and do other tasks without a

desktop on-site.

In reality, it is proven that Sales Force Automation boosts

revenue and improves workflows, if used adequately. You

need top management commitment since implementing a

SFA tool is a high impact movement. You don’t have to

acquire and implement it just for the sake of doing it.

Business Applications Division of TotalSoft recommends

you 7 tested tips & tricks for guaranteed success:

MOVE SLOWLY: test the app on key sales team

members before deploying it to the whole group.

MODELATE THE REAL WORLD: You can simulate a day

in the life of a sales-person in order to really test its

efficiency and users’ needs.

DEEP DIVE: Spend enough time on researching before

selecting a short list.

LOOK FOR SIMPLICITY: Make sure that the app is

easy to use for the sales team. If a salesperson has to

go through 10 clicks to get information, the app won't

be used.

INVOLVE MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS: Do not decide

only with the IT department. Mobile sales force

automation requires buy-in from top executives and

the sales team.

ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK: If sales reps have a problem

using the technology, they have to communicate that

to IT.

LOOK FOR PROFESSIONALS: Do not be driven by

price criteria, look mostly for a professional

implementation team, since this will generate your

organization’s success.

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Usefuladvices

Expert opinion

Free demo The Business Applications Division of TotalSoft is

providing a Sales Force Automation app that

addresses your sales team’s need for information

by providing the sales forces on the field with all

the required info, anytime, anywhere.

The app is an important tool for management

and team members as well. The management

team can access orders, deliveries, invoices,

credit limits, special offers and team’s tasks. The

app covers the full sales lifecycle from the

reporting part up to the price lists updates, while

benefiting from 3G/Wi-Fi synchronization.

Robert DeSisto, vice president of Gartner Research, said

the strategy of traditional sales force automation vendors

has been simply to take their desktop product and offer it

in a mobile version.

"That doesn't solve the problem. When that happens, the

sales force is unlikely to use the app because it is designed

around the system's objectives, not the objectives of the

sales team. Instead, apps need to be designed around

specific tasks, such as inventory tracking or calling up a

report”, DeSisto said.

Another report prepared by Accenture makes a similar

affirmation. Sales leaders face three distinct challenges

according to the report:

a company strategy on how mobile tools will be used;

keeping up with the rapidly changing pace of

technology;

the use of mobile tools to promote the best possible

experience for the sales team and the customers, not

just for the sake of using them.

The Accenture report describes a phenomenon known as

shiny new object syndrome. Organizations get excited by

new technology and jump in too quickly without

adequately defining how the technology will provide value

and influence their customers’ experience.

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What makesTotalSoft

app unique

Developed on iOS technology, the app can be installed both on

iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad tablets. Among features available by

iOS SDK (software development kit), TotalSoft’s mobile solutions

are currently using:

Multi-touch

Push notifications

Over-the-air sync (3G/WIFI)

Multitasking

Last, but not the least, the vast implementation experience and

international exposure. This way, you benefit from highly

experienced implementation consultants and professional

personnel willing to share the best practices within the industry

with you.

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Would you like to see a demo?

Send an email at

[email protected]

?SFA app is developed on latest technology and

can focus on any business area, regardless of

its size, activity field or structure.

The use of the leading sales methodologies

such as Miller Heiman, SPI and TAS right within

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is another unique

feature.

The added value comes from the fact that it

can be integrated with any CRM or ERP.