Let’s face it, we’re overloaded with information, tips, and tricks on how choosing the best sales software could benefit your outside sales employees. But, is anyone brave enough to talk about the negative effects this could have on company sales if you don’t get it right?
When considering the nature of the job, it’s important to give thought to the physicality of it and join that with the pressure of having data-heavy responsibilities that cannot be ignored. This makes having a suitable, highly-functional mobile CRM platform a must. If you choose the wrong outside sales CRM, it could impact your business negatively.
When You Choose the Wrong Outside Sales Software
Opting to skimp on field sales software might save you a few dollars, but it’s going to land you in hot water in the long run. So, what are the consequences?
1. Poor Mobile Optimization
Thinking that you’ve bought the best CRM software, but haven’t given thought to the fact that it’s web-based, creates the first problem.
Imagine being introduced to and trained on this great software, most of the time demoed on a web-based platform. Then, when you’re out in the field and you try to access it via your mobile device, it suddenly doesn’t work as well and has limited functionality. This can make processes much slower and hinder your sales performance.
2. Limited Customization
Simply put, a one-size-fits-all approach is not going to cut it. Assuming that an off-the-shelf CRM is going to work, or better yet “just find a way to make it work”, will surely come back to haunt you.
The sales targets and needs of every company vary greatly so these considerations need to be top of mind when thinking about which software will work in your favor.
Client needs differ and, therefore, customization needs to be specific to these needs. Otherwise, your CRM won’t be as effective.
3. Integrations Are A Struggle
If getting to the other side of the river requires a bridge then, in the world of outside sales, integration is just that. The wrong outside sales software may not allow for the integrations you need to simplify your sales processes.
You need software that will integrate seamlessly with all the platforms you use so that you can easily access data. If the software you choose does not enable integrations, your team will most likely be prone to manual errors and duplicate data.
These errors can take a lot of time to find and correct, which only wastes your company’s resources. This is why it is so important to put a lot of thought into your choice of outside sales software.
4. Hard to Find Data or Information
There’s little else more frustrating than having to scour through what, at that time, would feel like a million sources just to find the data or information you need for a customer or to close a lead.
In fact, sales representatives spend only 35% of their time selling, while the rest is spent on admin and other non-revenue-generating tasks.
So, ask yourself the following question, “Is your team spending more time finding information or actually making sales?”. If the answer is the latter, you might have made the wrong decision when it comes to your outside sales software and it’s time to move to a better mobile CRM system. Having an effective mobile CRM will help your outside sales team to find the information they need on-the-go.
5. You May Get Stuck Doing Tasks That Should Be Automated
Sales enablement involves a lot of manual labor. This means that, without the luxury of automation, you’ll still need to send emails manually, update lead records, and log activities.
It doesn’t stop there. Don’t forget all the client research, such as finding their job title, looking up their contact details, and then having to write notes on a call that took place. These could all be automated, and the right software should be able to do this.
Digitizing the sales process with effective outside sales software frees outside salespeople from unnecessary pen and paper admin – making the whole sales process much more efficient.
6. It Won’t Enhance Productivity
Seeing as the wrong software may not allow for integrations or automation, it won’t improve productivity for outside sales reps. Again, consider how much time your team actually spends selling, instead of being snowed under in time-consuming tasks.
The ability to be productive requires focusing on important tasks, while tedious processes are taken care of through automation.
The right outside sales CRM should allow you to find and manage data easily. For example, the sales team should be able to easily access important product and pricing information from the finance team or warehouse managers.
Having all your different processes functioning together in one system helps to maximize productivity.
7. Limited Security
Is security top of mind? Because it should be. When thinking of the amount of sensitive customer data you’re dealing with, failing to invest in security could have major implications. If the right infrastructure, systems and processes aren’t in place, your data could risk falling into the wrong hands, which could result in litigation by your customers and stiff penalties. An example from earlier this year was hotel chain Marriot’s data breach that impacted up to 5.2 million hotel guests who used their company’s loyalty application.
The outside sales CRM needs to be able to generate an audit trail and if it doesn’t, then you may not have chosen a suitable product. It should also be up to date with the latest security standards.
8. Poor Communication
Last, but certainly not least, unsuitable sales software won’t facilitate good communication. Communication and the simple transfer of information between sales reps, managers, the finance team, and the warehouse managers help to ensure things run smoothly.
Limited communication can result in misunderstandings and mistakes that could affect your customers negatively.
Having open channels in place gives managers insight into outside sales team activities so that they can monitor progress.
The Bottom Line
Choosing the right CRM software will take time and consideration. It’s not about plugging holes with tools as the need arises, but rather about finding a tool that takes into account the needs of your outside sales employees, as well as your company. For example, Skynamo offers a mobile CRM platform that can encompass all your varying needs.
We believe that field sales CRM software should be a solution to aid businesses. It shouldn’t be a tool that adds to the complications and frustrations. If your sales rep app is creating more problems than solutions, then it may be time to make a wiser choice.
