What was once viewed as a bittersweet development, is now turning into a gamechanger for entire sales teams. In a data-driven world, organizations in general and sales teams in particular have understood how Field Force Automation has complemented the feet on the ground with greater transparency, offering incentives for efficiency. Field Force Automation, which effectively is the digital capture of on field data for back end process, offers organizations and sales teams with accurate data points and statistics that aid in improving performance outcomes. With numerous advantages from an operational perspective, it has brought life to the worm graphs in reviews. Here is a deeper look at some of the more important benefits for sales teams.
#1 Resolution of issues, backed by real time data
A lack of data and conflicting interpretations often led to unresolved issues between sales teams and other operations teams or clients. With Field Force Automation, the scope for misrepresentation or wrong interpretation is eliminated. All data is captured and stored on a real-time basis, which permits retrieval at any point of time, thereby ironing out conflicts on the basis of factual information.
#2 Pre-empt recurrence of issues likely to fall in repetitive cycles
With the help of data captured on real time basis, it is possible for managers to understand issues that are highly likely to fall into repetitive cycles and initiate pre-emptive measures. This prevention and rectification helps operational teams to bring in greater efficiency by slashing down on time and effort spent on issues. Traditional reporting processes offer little scope for capturing of data in a manner that will offer information of use.
#3 KPIs and performance metrics
Milestones of teams that sweat it out on the fields with clients are typically tracked through KPIs and performance metrics. With Field Force Automation it is possible for all stakeholders to keep track of KPIs. This will provide teams with the right inputs to meet targets or to give that extra push to become star performers. This lends an edge to teams that used to earlier work on assumptions of achieved targets, which may actually be a lot different from recorded and accepted performance.
Field Force Automation frameworks – The features that make the difference
Daily Sales Report (DSR) Automation
This will probably count as one of the biggest differentiators from a sales executive perspective. Expected to submit reports at the end of every hectic day is highly likely to result in inadvertent errors. DSR Automation is the much-needed relief for entire teams sweating it out on the fields.
Real-time tracking and notifications
Managers earlier had the unenviable task of tracking field executives with calls, which may sometimes be ill-timed. With automated tracking, this empowers managers to draw up schedules in a more realistic and efficient manner.
Feedback mechanism
On the spot feedback mechanism offers invaluable information to managers which can then be used for de-briefing teams during review meetings. This feedback also helps in resolving issues that occur commonly.
Attendance and productivity management
Productivity needs to be the driving force, and administrative requirements such as attendance, sometimes comes in the way of productivity. By enabling virtual marking of attendance, that is verifiable, the effects help administration as well as the field executives, bringing in greater harmony.
Sales – IT integration
This is the giant leap of technology. While solutions existed on a different level earlier, the development of interfaces and flexible solutions have made it possible for Sales and IT to co-exist and script organizational success.
Field force automation