Sales force management systems are information systems used in marketing and management that assist automate some sales and sales force management functions. They are often combined with a marketing information system, in which case they are often called Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. Sales Force Automation Systems (SFA), usually a part of a company’s customer relationship management system, is a system that automatically records all the stages in a sales process. SFA includes a contact management system which tracks all contact that has been made with a given customer, the purpose of the contact, and any follow up that might be required. This ensures that sales efforts won’t be duplicated eliminating the risk of irksome customers.
SFA also includes a sales lead tracking system, which lists possible customers through paid phone lists, or customers of associated products. Other elements of an SFA system can include sales forecasting, order management and product knowledge. More developed SFA systems have features where customers can really model the product to meet their required needs through online product building systems. This is becoming more and more accepted in the automobile industry, where patrons can customize various features such as color and interior features such as leather vs. upholstered seats. An integral part of any SFA system is company wide mixing among different departments. If SFA systems aren’t adopted and properly integrated to all departments, there might be a lack of communication which could result in dissimilar departments contacting the same customer for the same purpose. In order to alleviate this risk, SFA must be fully incorporated in all departments that deal with customer service management.
SFA also includes a sales lead tracking system, which lists possible customers through paid phone lists, or customers of associated products. Other elements of an SFA system can include sales forecasting, order management and product knowledge. More developed SFA systems have features where customers can really model the product to meet their required needs through online product building systems. This is becoming more and more accepted in the automobile industry, where patrons can customize various features such as color and interior features such as leather vs. upholstered seats. An integral part of any SFA system is company wide mixing among different departments. If SFA systems aren’t adopted and properly integrated to all departments, there might be a lack of communication which could result in dissimilar departments contacting the same customer for the same purpose. In order to alleviate this risk, SFA must be fully incorporated in all departments that deal with customer service management.
No comments:
Post a Comment