The retail game is changing fast due to fundamental shifts in consumer behavior. To win the race of reaching new markets, brands are leveraging technology and expecting growth at a higher rate. This has also led to the evolution of the scope of sales order app or SFA software from paperless selling to intelligent selling. The field data is powering brands to take better data-backed decisions at each level of management.
Hence, if you are an FMCG brand already engaged with an SFA partner or at evaluation stages, following are the attributes that must be fulfilled by your choice of SFA solution or sales order booking app:
- Your partner should help in addressing Change Management
- Your sales order app should be able to integrate with other systems seamlessly
- Your partner must believe in Agility
- Your partner should have in-house Industry knowledge experts
- Your partner should have an effective feedback mechanism
Now let’s see what these requirements mean:
Your partner should help in addressing Change Management
The success of implementing the sales order booking app depends largely on the change management. But quite a few leaders assume people are ready for change and hence do not participate actively in preparing the employees for the coming changes. Leaders should understand that it is not just a transformation of the sales process but also of the mindset. A good partner will help you with an effective change management process for both pre and post-implementation.
Your sales order app should be able to integrate with other systems seamlessly
Your business technology systems must communicate with each other. And to remove any silos, your sales order should be easy to integrate with other tools such as the distributor management system. Your partner should have prebuilt integrations with important third-party applications, allowing you to streamline your tech stack. Integrations dismantle data silos and the problems that come with them.
Your partner must believe in Agility
Your partner must be able to deliver quickly to your requirements. Agile companies understand the system as a whole and keep experimenting based on continuous learning. They support an open communication style and yield to become experts.
Your partner should have in-house Industry knowledge experts
To develop an effective sales order app, your partner must have in-house industry experts who can understand your business requirements and transform them into technology. FieldAssist is proud of having industry experts who not only help in building the product but also help clients to grow their businesses.
Your partner should have an effective feedback mechanism
Every business has its unique problems and challenges. Hence it is paramount for your partner to have an effective feedback mechanism. There should be a dedicated channel to collect feedback. FieldAssist boasts of its customer success team who works with clients to collect feedback and deliver new and customized features to clients.
Along with these attributes about your partner, Your sales order app must-have features listed below.
The New way of placing an order – Digital Ordering
Your sales order app must allow your sales force to place orders using a smartphone. Your sales team must have real-time data on stock and delivery time allowing them to make better sales pitches. Your sales order app should provide flexibility with outlet and SKU wise ordering while also providing accurate stock information about each SKU in real-time.
A cost-effective and better way to showcase products – Digital Catalog
Your sales order app should have a digital catalog feature to allow your sales teams to showcase products using the digital catalog. This catalog should also be synced with the main server in real-time to instantly update any changes in product lists or specifications.
No Internet? No Worries.
Your sales order app should be able to work without the internet. Patchy internet should never compromise sales orders. Your sales reps should be able to capture details even when offline.
What is my PC today?
Your sales order app should provide indices such as productive calls, lines cut per outlet, beat efficiency, adherence to plans, and time spent at points of sale to help sales reps self-assess themselves and improve their performance.
What can I sell to this outlet?
Your sales order app should provide advanced predictive analytics to help your sales reps suggest orders based on ordering history of the point of sale. This will also help in saving time, therefore they can cover more outlets in lesser time.
Overall, you need more than just an app. What you should look for is an all-in-one sales automation platform that will cover all these scenarios to help you to improve your sales efficiency.
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