1 min read
By now, you’ve probably interacted with artificial intelligence (AI) technology in some way – but is it making a real impact on your everyday working life? If you’re a field sales rep, the answer is probably no. Or, at least, not yet. And that could mean you’re missing a big opportunity.
So much of field sales representatives’ time is tied up in keeping track of agendas, travelling between meetings, and preparing for the precious moments you spend speaking to clients. You probably know what a difference an effective customer relationship management (CRM) tool can make to sales productivity. But with traditional CRM solutions, you still need to pause, search for and look at client records and your agenda, and submit information by typing it into a device.
New applications for AI are emerging all the time. So, what happens when the worlds of AI and CRM collide? The answer is that sales reps can gain the tools to work more effectively than ever. So, that’s exactly what we’ve tried to do. By tapping into the power of IBM Watson technologies hosted in the IBM Cloud, we enabled natural language capabilities, so field sales representatives can converse with ForceManager.
Using hands-free voice commands while on the move, it’s possible to communicate with ForceManager to review their daily agenda, map the route to their next meeting, receive real-time traffic alerts, and get up to speed on their accounts. Suddenly, all that time spent travelling doesn’t have to be wasted. By arming field sales representatives with the information they need to approach their next lead with confidence, they’re more likely to convert into that all-important sale.
The app doesn’t just deliver benefits to sales reps, but their managers too. Because it’s easier for reps to record their interactions than ever before, managers get more up-to-date visibility of performance whenever they need it.
The changes to the app have proved wildly popular, with as many as 80 percent higher uptake. And the results speak for themselves: 20 percent boost in productivity levels and 18 percent increases in overall sales among users.
It’s clear that the time to embrace AI in the sales sector is now. At ForceManager, we’ve drawn on IBM Cloud solutions to help make this a reality. Contact us today to find out more, and read the case study.
