GROUP ONE

MEMBERS:
1. OGIDAN ABIOLA 1604050002
2. AKOMOLAFE BOLAJI 1504050010
3. VINCENT JOY 1504050008
4. DUGERI STEPPHEN C160405010
5. FALUFOSI SOGO C110403414

LECTURER IN CHARGE : DR ADEIGBE

THE PURPOSES SALES FORCE AUTOMATION(SFA) IN

Lead Management:

When an organization uses any SFA software, all critical information about prospective leads is
stored on a centralized server. With the help of an SFA app, sales managers can keep track of all
their potential leads automatically. The leads can also be ranked based on how urgent they are.
The overall value of the deal, estimated probability to close, and other factors are taken into
account when ranking leads. Sales managers can use this information to allocate their sales
resources accordingly for each prospect depending on its ranking. This can help to close a deal in
lesser time.

Contact Management:

Sales force automation keeps a complete record of customer information, including updated
contact information, purchase history and past customer interactions. This makes it easier for
customer relationship executives to handle any customer queries. Since all information is
available at one place, they are better prepared to address any issue or complaint. For the sales
agents, having access to past purchase records helps them to understand a client’s likes and
preferences. This guides them to make a more convincing pitch when making a new sale.

Schedule Management:

Since a SFA platform stores all the clients’ contact information, field sales agents can use a
mobile SFA app to schedule and manage their client meetings. If a business organization custom
makes their SFA app from an app development company in Kolkata, they can choose to add a
fully integrated electronic calendar within the app. Sales agents set appointment reminders on the
calendar, flag contacts for future follow up, and more. This also allows sales managers to
monitor their field agents. Since the meetings are scheduled on the SFA app, they are updated
about what meetings are happening with which client.

Order Tracking:

With sales force automation, all the processed orders and deliveries can be tracked in real time,
ensuring that customers receive their products and services in a timely manner. By keeping track
of this, sales managers can identify vital purchase trends, understand customer needs and
preferences, and implement more effective up-sell and cross-sell strategies.

Sales Forecasting:

An SFA app also forecasts sales trends. It helps sales managers to identify future sales revenue
opportunities. It gives direction to the sales team to handle the current sales scenario and
provides guidelines to the marketing team to strategize campaigns and actions as per the need of
the hour.

Save Time

In addition, the sales team has immediate access to order information, and can proactively alert
customers to an order's arrival or delay. And, if a customer calls with a question about their
order, this information is at the salesperson's fingertips, a step that saves time, improves the
entire customer experience and increases the value of the sales professional in the eyes of the
customer.

Improve Customer Service

Who hasn't been forced to repeat a complaint or question about an order? SFA systems are an
integral component of customer relationship management software and collectively eliminate
this common source of customer dissatisfaction by creating a centralized repository of each
client's information. CRM systems integrate marketing, sales and customer support activities for
a holistic view of the customer relationship.

If a salesperson is out of the office or no longer with the company, there is also a much lower
ramp-up time for the new rep. Your customer - and your sales employee - are off the phone
faster, allowing your sales team to spend more time up-selling or reaching out to prospects, and
improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Increase Revenue

Freeing salespeople up from mundane support chores empowers them to make more
sales calls, be they in-person or over the phone. Of course, enabling sales reps to reach
more prospects generates more income for the company and the individual, increasing
employee satisfaction as well as profits. Management and sales staff also can monitor
accounts to determine which customers deliver the most profits or buy the widest
breadth of products. Equipped with this information, a sales department can create a
targeted effort based on matching the most relevant products or services based on a
customer's accurate purchasing history.

In addition, giving more employees - such as those in service and support - the ability to
see customers' order history can create the opportunity to up-sell or cross-sell during
communication with a client. Sales automation software also empower executives to
create more accurate sales forecasts based on real-time figures, thereby preventing
unexpected surprises at the end of a quarter or fiscal year.

Opportunity Management

During these extremely competitive times, businesses are keeping a close eye on their
sales rivals. SFA systems routinely include competitive intelligence functions which let
companies monitor their competitors' activities in order to spot - and act on –
competitive threats and opportunities. Information from online queries or web site visits
are funneled into the SFA solution for speedy follow-up and an increased chance of
conversion.

SFA applications also include tools that allow salespeople to track potential customers,
their executives and activities, as well as any meetings and possible matches between
your offerings and prospects' needs. Unlike clunky spreadsheets or databases, SFA
software eliminates the need for duplicated data entry, out-of-date files and time-
consuming file-sharing. And the application lets salespeople and managers analyze the
productivity of each phone call or visit.

Sales managers also can integrate marketing materials, research reports or data from
other disparate sources into the SFA technology to better-equip salespeople. The
software also can include information on upcoming products or new services.

Manage Sales Teams

Instead of tallying sales-call sheets each day or week, sales managers have immediate
access to each salesperson's activities, opportunities, sales figures, customer
complaints and other metrics used for measuring success and sales revenue. As a
result, management can act quickly when necessary, based on real-time information.

SFA software equips the sales manager with the tools necessary to develop sales reps'
territories, without running the risk of too much - or too little - coverage in a given area.
Often, SFA applications integrate easily with mapping applications or web sites, giving
pin-point accuracy all over the globe. As the customer base evolves, managers easily
can realign or redesign territories to fully use the software’s capabilities in the most
meaningful and profitable manner.
These business software solutions also allow managers to select the optimal individual
to follow-up on a particular lead, based on geography, expertise or availability. By
immediately connecting prospect and salesperson, a lead is more likely to become
engaged, and ultimately result in a sale. And salespeople know there is a lead-
allocation method for in-bound calls or emails. SFA software also helps managers stay
abreast of problematic areas, such as an under-performing representative, and make
proactive adjustments early in the process – while such adjustments can still be
influential in fixing the problem.

With a direct and measurable impact on revenue and commissions, SFA software could
be just as important to your company's ongoing success as hiring a team made up of
knowledgeable, personable salespeople.
REFRENCE

www.crmsearch.com/fivereasonsforsfa.php