The job of a Sales Force Application is to help field sales teams sell more, better, faster. There are SFAs that work in isolation from other applications, and then there are those which are paired with the ERP used by the business. How does an SFA that works together with an ERP more value for money, than the other one?
The advantages are easy to spot. Sales is never detached from core business functions of production, procurement, finance etc. Salesmen need to know about the products that will be available for sale, their quantities, likely demand and its patterns etc. They cannot try to sell a product which is already withdrawn from the market…or ignore a product that was newly added. Quite often, salesmen may not even be in the know of such withdrawals, or releases! Can we always blame them for not knowing? So is the case with products getting ready for launch. Unless they are given adequate time to think entry and distribution strategies, the product will suffer, projections may not be met. Very frequently, product features, prices, packaging etc. may undergo change.
The ERP and SFA
All business operations flow through the ERP. Right from product specifications, to their current stocks, to production/purchase schedules, prices, offers etc. Products that are withdrawn from the market. Product improvements and enhancements. Distributors and their track record. Performance of individual customer, their account quality, rating etc. Changes in raw materials used, production technology and processes, packaging, SKUs etc. In essence, everything a salesman needs to know. In well-managed companies, such information may reach them through proper channels, at regular intervals. But, in several companies, this may not be the case. Information asymmetry can leave salesmen handicapped.
In an SFA that’s an extension of the ERP, and works in sync with it, salesmen will get to have the latest information. The product catalog in the app will always show the latest detail for every product. There’s no room for error. So is the case with customers assigned to a salesman. There’s no need to make phone calls, while out on the field, to get details such as payments due, products b