Without question, your team works hard. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re working smart, however. As a business leader, it’s your job to provide guidance, not only on what should (or shouldn’t) get done, but also on how that work is accomplished. If your team is currently performing a lot of manual tasks, you are undoubtedly letting them down (and probably losing money in the process).
Streamlining workflows by automating routine, repetitive manual tasks can dramatically boost productivity and efficiency. It’ll also make your team much happier. Here are a few inefficiencies that could easily be automated today.
Communication Tracking
Keeping tabs on where customers are in the sales process is important. But if your reps are wasting precious time documenting all the details of their interactions, their talents are going to waste. Using a CRM as a repository for incoming and outgoing emails and automatically seeing those messages on the appropriate client records is a much better way to track and manage client communication.
Lead Scoring
Manually scoring leads isn’t just time-consuming on the front end. It’s also a process that is wrought with inefficiencies throughout as well. One mistake and your sales reps could be sent on a wild goose chase, trying to track down leads that aren’t qualified after all. Improper allocation of time and resources like this could easily result in a missed opportunity to convert a lead that’s hot. Conversely, a CRM can automatically alert agents when hot prospects exhibit buying behavior, saving time and improving results.
Appointment Scheduling
Chasing down appointments is a huge time waster, yet this is something that many teams are bogged down with on a daily basis. Imagine how much more successful your company could be if the skills of your employees could be put to use nurturing relationships and providing better support instead of managing their calendars. Automating this task eliminates waste and optimizes human resources. We recommend tools like Calendly and Acuity Scheduling to get the job done – without the manual labor.
Data Gathering
In order to more effectively target your leads, your sales reps need to have a clear understanding of the “big picture.” That is, when and how prospects are getting in touch with your company as well as where they are in the process. Having a single dashboard where all client interactions are consolidated enables reps to quickly pinpoint where a prospect is in the funnel and what the next steps should be. A CRM can easily facilitate this.
Compiling and Pulling Reports
Most companies list growth as one of their top priorities, which requires constant tracking to ensure that objectives and milestones are consistently being met. Reports on such things as projected sales, pipeline value and actual revenue must be run regularly – a task that can be time-consuming when done manually. There’s also an increased possibility of human error. By turning over the reporting to an automated platform, these errors are eliminated and all the information needed can easily be obtained at a few clicks of a keyboard.
These are just a handful of the many ways automation can make your organization more profitable (and the lives of your employees more enjoyable).