Brazilian economic situation is portraited by instability, bringing together the tension and preoccupation over the companies’ sales outcomes. In order to follow the performance of the department and to reverse the difficulties in sales to positive scores, it is important to consider the use of technological tools, since joining information technology departments and sales is a means to make the processes easier and to encourage the professionals aiming a better performance and profitability in their businesses.
The main idea is having sales professionals connected full time. By using technological devices, it is easier to find solutions, accomplish their goals and finally reach success in their endeavors. The use of technology is a no-turning-back way for organizations all over the world and implementing it contributes to the control, measurement and analysis of the processes of a company. Even if there is a resistance from sales professionals towards technological innovations, the rejections must be renounced in order to give room to news in the processes, which can guarantee a competitive differential to the company.
Time optimization
Organizing all activities, encounters and business meetings is a great challenge. Controlling time in a proper or required way is complex. However, information technology professionals can aid sellers with this matter.
Management software helps storing data which must always be well organized and providing warnings in order not to let sellers be late or lost, also disturbing the procedures that will bring forth good results to the company. Thus, the employees who work with sales can keep a coherent timetable, preparing all weekly tasks earlier.
The use of technology can also allow the optimization of workflow, including agility in performing a sale once the seller may lose less time moving straight to the client, for example. E-mails and videoconference applications contribute to the contact with the clients in a faster and more efficient manner, as well.
Commercial control and Interaction with the client
It is necessary to know details about every client’s wishes and needs so that it is possible to perform a successful sale. Having in mind all this information about them it is almost impossible and the chances to let something relevant pass is considerably high. Therefore, the departments of information technology can act together to offer a better customer service.
Technology allows sellers to be more vigorous in following the customer’s process. The use of a CRM Software (Customer Relationship Management), for instance, will permit the organization of the high volume of data from the clients and will assist the sellers to interpret and better understand their wills. CRM makes it easier to register and update the information of prospects.
Besides that, the client-seller interaction can be made feasible by real time technology such as videoconference, instant messengers and even social networks, making the contact more customized and increasing the potential to satisfy the client.
Thus, the client-seller dialogue must be constant. Due to the facility of contact provided by these means, the client also notice a greater interest from the seller in daily demands, because the relations become more fluid and faster. In other words, IT is also able to contribute so the commercial relationship is more direct and trustworthy, and less invasive and persuasive.
Performance Measurement
Measuring the performance of sales professionals, their teams as a whole and indicators may be more objective by using appropriate technological tools. With them, it is possible to access all and any information during all day and in real time, allowing the follow-up of processes that involve the sales department of a company. They permit the professionals to be alert to all projects and their consequences.
A management software or even a CRM helps assessing the execution of projects, estimating the effectiveness of negotiations, the closure index and sales rejection, the average ticket of each seller, and the potential that each of them can increase the company revenues. IT is an ally to the sales team allowing not only the measurement of productivity and capacity of sellers, but also the presentation of outcomes in a clear and attractive way to the department. From these metrics, it is possible to evaluate the scenario of the organization, correct flaws, review goals, and understand the success from those which are materialized.
Market follow-up
Following the market from the products offered, the prices and differentials of competitors, it is essential for the company to keep itself competitive and make good decisions. The use of technology such as Big Data analysis permit the tracking of the market and the monitoring of competitiveness from a great data volume, trustworthy and well structured, which can impact in daily businesses.
Information Technology allows the sales department to constantly search for news and releases of products of their acting area, the way how consumers have been using a certain product and why they need it, the market tendencies, the product offers from competitors, and the influences in the pricing calculation, for example.
Technology has changed the way we relate with each other, how we consume, and even how companies deal with competitiveness, and with so well informed and engaged consumers.
Putting technological innovations away is closing one’s eyes to new opportunities, to a new company-client approach, and to the advance of their businesses. When IT tools are used by qualified hands, the chances for success increase considerably.
As we have seen before, the partnership between Information Technology companies and sales teams provide a better productivity of the sellers, increase in quality and fastness in consumer service, enhancement of valuable information flow to the sellers, optimization of processes, and encouragement of those ones involved.
What advantages information technology have been providing to the sales department at your company?
At VistaJet, Monitora’s partner, information technology has been supporting the expansion process of operations in the United States and China, besides giving support to the maintenance of client portfolio in Europe and Asia.
Through Outsourcing of software development and QA along with Monitora, VistaJet has created an integration between its CRM and its Flights and Aircrafts’ Operation Management Software, in order to optimize the customer service by offering a unique experience in every flight. Read more in the article from Business Review Europe and do not forget to share your own experience!
