The market is becoming increasingly competitive. The ever-growing demand for products and services has kept businesses on their toes for some time now. The need for an effective solution that will tackle such difficulties is on high-demand as well.
That’s why various companies leverage modern technology to come up with such solutions. So far, automation has proven to be one of the most effective methods, especially when it comes to creating a more efficient sales process.
A lot of people view automation as something that will replace humans as workers. In reality, automation is there to make them more productive and more efficient at doing their job. A sales process is, indeed, demanding and somewhat complicated. That’s why a bit of automation can be a great asset. With that in mind, here’s a sales automation guide for a more efficient sales process.
Automating customer service
A large portion of the sales process involves interacting with consumers on a daily basis. Sales representatives must nurture leads and convince them to convert using various strategies. This is all well and fine until your business starts to grow and starts favoring a larger consumer base.
At that point, it becomes increasingly difficult to handle every possible lead. That said, every customer counts in the business world. Therefore, you can start by automating customer service. The ideal digital strategy would be to implement a chatbot.
Chatbots are AI-powered (Artificial Intelligence) computer programs that leverage machine learning and deep learning capabilities to mimic human behavior. They’ve proven to be more than efficient at providing exceptional customer service.
It’s estimated that 85% of customer service and support interactions will be performed by a chatbot. Chatbots can serve multiple customers at once, and they can operate 24/7. That said, they don’t need any sick leave or vacation days.
Data analytics and reporting automation
Consumer information is of vital importance to any company. The sales process is not just about acquiring new customers but also about retaining them. That’s why it’s important to have as much information about customers as possible. Collecting relevant data is, therefore, part of the sales process. However, valuable information must be extracted from that data.
To improve the sales process, you must identify your strong and weak points so that you can eliminate bad practices. Once again, automation can be of great help in this process. Instead of relying on sales employees to track data and enter it into spreadsheets, you can simply replace traditional landlines with more efficient VoIP phone systems.
VoIP isn’t just an Internet phone. This system can integrate with other platforms, such as a CRM, for instance, and automate data analytics and reporting. That way, any interaction with customers, be that via email, phone, live chat etc., will be analyzed, and relevant information will be extracted.
Automating social media marketing
Another vital aspect of the sales process is social media marketing. Many companies leverage social media platforms for lead generation, content promotion, sales offers, contests and many more.
However, maintaining a strong presence on social media is demanding work, especially if you want to generate leads from your profiles. Social media marketing automation tools can make this process seamless. Here are a few things automation can do for you on social media:
- Schedule posts on social media channels
- Tailor messages to your audience at peak levels
- Automate responses
- Analyze performance in real-time
- Schedule content publishing
- Track conversations and mentions in real-time
In short, automation can make your social media campaigns more successful by helping you make the right decisions at the right moment, while allowing you to focus your attention on other aspects of the sales process.
Automating your email campaign
Even though many experts argue about whether or not email is becoming obsolete, this channel is still a crucial element in the sales process. The majority of companies still leverage email campaigns for lead generation and lead nurturing.
That said, 72% of consumers online prefer to receive promotional material via email than over social media. In addition, email marketing ROI can reach up to 122%, which is four times higher than any other marketing channel today. However, maintaining an email campaign can be a daunting task, especially if you have a large number of contacts.
Email automation can ease up the process and make it more efficient. With automation, you can easily reach out to more leads and improve your chances of converting them. The key is to create a solid strategy that will lead prospects down your sales funnel without being too aggressive.
Improving and automating your workflow
A sales team must perform exceptionally well if they want to ensure more sales. That means that their workflow must be seamless. That said, many daily tasks are mundane and repetitive. Moreover, that can take up a lot of time, since they have to be performed manually.
This can only burden your sales team further. With automation and proper tools, you can automate most of the tasks within a workflow. This will help your sales team immensely and allow them to focus on more important aspects of the sales process. Here are a few benefits of automating the sales workflow:
- Policy compliance observance
- Reduced approval cycles
- Reduced human error
- Reduced manual handling
- Improved visibility and transparency
- Greater employee satisfaction
- Improved workload management
- Continuous improvement
- Improved efficiency, productivity, audibility, accountability and accuracy
You can automate almost anything in the sales process. For example, you can automate quote approvals, product discounts, proposal approvals, pricing discounts and many more.
In today’s competitive market, automation can be a great advantage for any company. This is especially true when it comes to improving your sales process. By automating some of the vital aspects of the sales process, you can greatly improve your company’s profitability and bottom line, and that is crucial in today’s competitive environment.
