Field sales automation refers to the use of technology to capture field sales or service information in real time. No one doubts that office managers and supervisors should like field sales automation. By implementing an up-to-date field sales management solution, they get an opportunity to manage sales territories, schedule visits and assign tasks with just a few clicks, monitor field team activities in real time, and analyze field team performance using built-in analytic tools. Field sales automation solutions provide streamlined retail data workflow, allowing managers to effectively perform their daily routines, freeing up time to make strategic decisions.
When it comes to the adoption of a field sales automation solution by sales reps, a company may face a number of challenges, due to the need for employees to get used to the new order of things. Your field reps may not like the new way of retail execution due to the fear of changes and the unwillingness to be constantly monitored, or negative attitude to the whole idea of automation. Nevertheless all the issues must be solved as soon as possible; otherwise the whole idea of field sales automation is at risk.
The best way to overcome field team members’ resistance to field sales automation is to explain them how they can benefit from it. Below you’ll find some arguments that you can use to explain your field sales reps, why do they need a field sales mobile app to be installed on their tablets and smartphones.
- Mobile access to information – Field sales automation allows companies to built the unique retail data exchange system that provides field sales reps with the real-time access to all the necessary information from their mobile devices, including product catalog, price lists, history of previous visits, orders, returns, multimedia, files, presentations, schedule, customers, locations, contacts, and more. Having all the data in a mobile device means your sales reps will not have to carry a mountain of paper to perform retail visits.
- Getting tasks and reporting back automatically – Field sales automation solutions provide instant data exchange between field teams and the office. That means that all tasks assigned and retail visits scheduled, multimedia attached and notes, made by the managers in the office, become instantly visible in sales reps’ tablets and smartphones, so your they have absolutely no need to visit the office. Accordingly, all the information, collected by your field sales reps, including photos, electronic signatures, orders/returns and etc., is instantly available in the office.
- No More Paperwork – Field sales applications save a lot of time for sales reps due to automated data entry and mobile data collection forms, allowing concentrating on customers instead of paperwork. The up-to-date field sales applications allow BYOD implementation, so your sales reps can use their own mobile devices and be extremely confident with its features and the interface.
- Saving time for increased efficiency – Field force automation allows performing daily activities very quickly, saving time for communication with customers. Having more time to negotiate with customers is a key to increase in sales, improvement of customer relations, and better customer service.
To learn more about field sales automation or to get a comprehensive field sales automation software free of charge, register at www.visitbasis.com
To try our data collection software for free register at www.visitbasis.com and download the VisitBasis Retail Audit App FREE on Google Play or App Store. To learn more about how our field merchandising system works request a demo or check the links below to watch the demo videos.
