The challenge of sales administration

Sales people often complain about lack of time. Yet much of their time is taken up by administrative tasks. Imagine if these tasks could be automated, freeing up precious time to focus on what's most important: selling and interacting with customers.

The latest Salesforce study from 2023 shows that today's sales professionals spend only 28% of their time on selling (compared with 34% in 2018). Sales reps often find themselves swamped by administrative activities: data entry, drawing up quotes, contract management... These steps, while necessary, add little value to the sales process and take sales reps away from their core business.

Today, many companies still rely on outdated methods to manage these tasks. For example, the manual creation of offers in PowerPoint, contracts in Word, or quotations in Excel. These processes are not only time-consuming, but also error-prone.

On the customer side, this process is just as tedious. Receiving a document by e-mail, printing it out, signing it and sending it back is a time-consuming and inconvenient process, especially at a time when the length of the sales cycle has a direct impact on the signature rate.

• Time wasted: Sales staff lose valuable time manually filling in customer details in documents.
• Data quality: The use of static models increases the risk of errors and inconsistencies in documents.
• Slowing down the sales cycle: Waiting times extend the sales cycle, giving prospects time to reconsider their decision.
• Team demotivation: Nobody enjoys doing tasks on a daily basis for which they don't see the point.

The use of sales administration automation tools today enables sales reps to free themselves from time-consuming tasks without changing their sales processes or tools.

The main features are :

Sending electronic bids :

Sales staff select products, define prices, and send an offer in just a few clicks, on which customers can enter the information they need to make the sale: delivery, invoicing...

Automatic document generation Sales staff can automatically generate customized documents at the click of a button. These dynamic templates integrate all necessary information, from customer details to product specifications, all in a consistent, professional format.

Electronic signature Customers can sign documents electronically, securely and legally. This considerably speeds up the process of validating and finalizing sales.

Automation & API :

Enable seamless integration with other systems and software, facilitating a unified, efficient workflow. This improves internal collaboration and customer data management.

Automatic follow-ups: Automate prospect follow-up, ensuring constant and timely communication without additional manual effort. This increases the chances of conversion by keeping customers engaged.

Visit Control panels

Provides a real-time overview of sales performance, enabling rapid monitoring and analysis of trends and opportunities. This helps to make informed decisions and adjust sales strategies.

• Time savings: Significant reduction in time spent on administrative tasks.
• Improved data quality: Fewer errors thanks to automation.
• Acceleration of the sales cycle: Less waiting, more efficiency in closing deals.

By integrating these tools into your sales process, you offer your customers a more fluid, modern and environmentally-friendly experience. What's more, by freeing your sales teams from administrative constraints, you enable them to concentrate on what they do best: understanding customer needs and developing solid business relationships.

source : https://www.salesforce.com/blog/15-sales-statistics/