Majority of modern businesses employ the so-called online sales force automation (SFA) software. Such platforms help sales reps speed up their day-to-day tasks and grow revenue with minimum efforts. One of the most popular SFA solutions is bpm’online CRM. It offers sales managers a wide range of tools and solutions aimed at management of the whole sales cycle and delivering of exceptional customer experience. If you are interested in bpm’online, please, read more about this service on https://www.bpmonline.com/crm/sales-force-automation.
Sometimes implementation of such systems is not as easy as it seems. One of the most serious difficulties companies face when using these solutions is getting sincere acceptance of the service among the company’s sales reps. All members of your team should have a large stake in implementing of the chosen solution, otherwise it will come amiss.
Why Do We Face Problems When Using Online Sales Force Automation?
Actually, the very nature of SFA and CRM systems is based on changes. They are focused on consumer relationships, which are more ground-breaking and changeable than standard IT projects. Such platforms demand total re-engineering of business processes in every aspect. Therefore, when implementing online sales force automation systems, companies need to take a new look at their daily tasks and solutions. As a rule, all these changes produce negative reactions from sales managers – incredulity, rejection, and even uncovered opposition to the implemented solutions.
Everyone knows how difficult it is for businesses to earn customer loyalty and make consumers buy certain products. SFA systems have a number of features necessary for customer acquisition and pickup in sales. Getting clients’ buy-in is a real problem. SFA systems, which have been implemented for over twenty years already, have obtained a number of change control techniques that are able to generate this highly sought buy-in. They all stand upon the company’s management – their desire to implement the service and encourage the sales department. When sales reps feel the strong support of their top management they are on a firm ground with the new platform. But if the top level management does not advocate your choice of CRM service your prospects of successful implementation are quite slim. That’s why it’s the company’s management who have to approve the SFA software before the salesmen start employing it.
How to Get Accustomed to Online Sales Force Automation Platforms
In order to become an experienced user of SFA software, follow the given pieces of advice:
- Take cue from your stakeholders. The management of your business, as well as salesmen and representatives of the call center of customer support – all the members of the team should be actively involved in the project. Your task is to make use of their contribution in order to identify and prioritize the company’s needs and to choose the best CRM solution. Pay special attention to focus groups, questionnaires and interviews. They will help you identify the pressure points in the pipeline and customer management system and choose the best ways of solution.
- Satisfy the stakeholders’ requirements. When implementing a new online sales force automation platform, do your best not to disappoint the customers. For this purpose, make sure all people who are going to use the service are thoroughly trained in the new system. As a rule, it takes multiple training events to teach everyone, from the managers to salespeople. Help everyone who need it – otherwise you won’t be able to use all the benefits of the chosen software and succeed in this field.
- Sell it internally. Do not forget that any product – no matter how perfect it is – cannot sell itself. It is you who should pass it out by means of showing potential buyers its advantages. The sales reps should see the way the CRM system helps them encash more products and facilitate their paperwork. The management must obtain a full picture of all the processes of the customer journey and get comprehensive sales forecasting tools.
- Implement online sales force automation step-by-step. Do not rush to implement all the tools and solutions of the chosen service at once. Since most of these platforms are phased it’s usually much better to ‘seize the low hanging fruit’, than to ‘climb up to the top of the tree’. First, build progressive support of your team, and only then turn to details and additional functions. The key task for you is to define the weak sides of the system and correct them as quickly as possible.
- Celebrate successes. As soon as you follow the above mentioned pieces of advice, you will be able to celebrate a successful achievement of interim targets. Do not forget to share these results with the members of the team: they must know that your CRM platform is really the best solution for your business. Celebrating small successes you will break down their resistance. Very soon, your team will realize how easy and effective their work has become since you’d implemented the chosen SFA software.