Effective Sales Force Automation System for Customer Relationship Management
By Prasad Varadhan

Typically all organizations like to have good and excellent relationship with customers. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system helps to achieve all processes related to customer through Automated Mechanism and ensures that the customers, as key stake holders, are always kept happy. Though there is always a human factor in customer relations, most of the process-oriented procedures can be made automated through CRM.

Sales Force Automation (SFA), being the core element of CRM, helps to document all processes of a sale. All communications with a customer is tracked with the help of Contact Management System (CMS). The customer contacted resolutions or decisions are taken for further process, follow up and the reason for the communication are the key elements of the CMS. Avoiding redundancy in terms of entry into the system or storage is the crux of any automated system. Most customers get offended if the same procedure, process or data keyed in is repeated. One of the key attributes or output of the SFA is to identify prospective customers or customers who are in the same line of business.

In short, the SFA helps to forecast sales, order entry and processing (OMS), acquire product-related knowledge or impart the same.

With e-enabled facilities, customers now have the facility or knowledge to model the product according to the current requirements in the market. All Consumer Goods industries use this version to model their requirements in the field of Mobile, Automobile, Household goods and even in Hardware (General).

In general, any automated systems require all the functions/modules of the enterprise to equip them with the new system and have a good knowledge of it. One of the key issues in implementing SFA or any other product structure like ERP or CRM is to raise the employers to that grade of accepting and optimal usage of these technologies. If this is not clearly achieved, then it results in absolute miscommunication across the enterprise, thereby resulting in conflicts and chaos. Also the system put in place would then be questioned.

No wonder a customer's satisfaction is the key success to a business and is more important to integrate all the functions of the enterprise to meet the customer requirements and demands at a faster, cost-effective way.

Introduction

Sales process and its activities form the essential function of any organization. Hence it is highly critical that the salesperson's work is reduced in redundant entries and reporting daily activity through paper and so on helps in improving productivity.

Anybody who presents a will for using SFA has the following reasons for his justification:

 

 

 

• E-form usage for reduced time

   

  Information is available on demand any time and any where

   

   

• Mailer of reports to higher management avoids wastage of time, presence and creates an environment for paperless office

   

   

   

• Since data is available any time, the response time for customer queries is usually in seconds or minutes, helps in conversion of an order and customer happiness and securing our credentials

   

   

   

• Since more conversions of prospects into actual customers can happen, the spirit of the employers tends to get a heavy boost and work towards the organizational goals and vision, thus improving healthy environment across the enterprise

   

   

   

• Imparting knowledge on the product takes less time and any salesperson will have thorough knowledge of the product in quick time and be ready to face the requirements, thus enabling for increased sales of the product

   

  In the long run, SFA helps in increased revenue and more sales by virtue of previous history (Kind of AI)

   

   

• The proportionate ratio of selling time vs. non-selling time is reduced

   

   

   

• Middle Management, especially sales manager, will have all reports in time with easier to understand tools like Graphs and Charts. It will also help him to prepare himself in advance for any future requirement

   

   

   

• Control over the Sales process can be re-engineered quickly and effectively to meet the market requirement

   

  Since information is available, creation of sales collaterals takes lesser time and time of educating is also reduced

   

   

• Getting more knowledge on research segments such as Industry change producing forces (dynamics), new challenges from products/competitors are easily analyzed and help to come out with key Management DSS

   

   

   

• Easy identification of the classification or category of customers (from Most satisfied to Most problematic)

   

   

   

• Key reports including salesperson's performance, revenue by each salesperson, sales area, product, customer, customer segment and even revenue per call is clearly identified

   

   

   

• Helps to maintain healthy relations with other functions especially Finance and Marketing

   

   

   

• Product Promotion Team (Marketing) gets more knowledge on the product, industry, industry segments, economic viability of the industry, identification of the potential customers to target, existing satisfied customers for recommendations (references), competition in terms of product and competitors and the need for new products

   

   

   

• Auditing your customers' experience of your brand in full Tactical Benefits Sales force automation systems can also create competitive advantage in:

   

  Productivity increases by enabling the sales team to work more efficiently by managing their time

   

   

• Increased productivity of sales team has effect in three tangent benefits for the organization in terms of reducing cost, more revenue and market share

   

   

   

• Up-to-date information in the hands of management for faster decisions

   

   

   

• Customer Satisfaction

 

Tactical Benefits

Sales force automation systems can also create competitive advantage in:

· Productivity increases by enabling the sales team to work more efficiently by managing their time

· Increased productivity of sales team has effect in three tangent benefits for the organization in terms of reducing cost, more revenue and market share

· Up-to-date information in the hands of management for faster decisions

· Customer Satisfaction

Summary:

With new CRM products it is a clear mandate that every good organization as to enable SFA as part of their standard practice , which will enable them to retain existing customers, New Customer Enablement and of course bring in more revenue to the organization. This article intends to bring in the fundementals of SFA from a layman perspective.