Sales force automation software is used to manage sales and contact information, provide reporting on sales patterns and performance, and handle commission calculations. Sales tracking software generally includes a strong Customer Relationship Management (CRM) module, and often includes marketing tools as well.
A mobile solution is often important if your sales personnel travel very much. Integration with Palm, Blackberry, Pocket PC and other handheld technology is often critical as well. If you have a large traveling contingency, system integration and updates can be critical so that everyone has access to the most current information and is on the same page with your company's sales goals.
Depending on the products being sold, there are often enterprise systems directly relating the industry of the products being sold. These systems may include special reference data and tools to meet the unique requirements of the industry (ie., pharmaceutical sales).
Common features included in sales software include:
- CRM – including sophisticated contact management tools
- Mobile solutions
- Analytics and Reporting tools
- Email tools
- Scheduling tools
- Time management
- Quote preparation
- Mail merge options
Major Vendors providing sales force software programs include:
- SalesForce
- Avidian
- SofFront
- Entellium
- SAP
There are several factors to evaluate when making your Selection Criteria:
- Sales plan for company (commission, base +, regional or content breakdown, etc.)
- Distribution of agents and entry people
- Unique information that your company requires related to sales
- Mobile requirements
- Integration requirements
- System resources: Not usually an issue, but sometimes small business environments are on over-taxed hardware already.