When it comes to sales force management, the toughest call lies in arranging and augmenting the sales routes so that maximum productivity is extracted out of the entire route as well as from the sales representatives. This has a direct impact on increasing customer satisfaction and adding to new customers along the route. With a sure shot cut in costs in terms of lesser sales force, maintenance, diesel cost etc., sales route management are one of the key areas that are vital in the success of any mobile field force automation.
From the sales representative’s angle, the frustrating situations arise when there is such a lot of time wasted in moving from one place to another, without any route planning. Not finding the right way, repeating routes to meet new customers, wasting time, not reaching customers on time thereby losing out on their trust factor are very common hurdles the sales force faces and sales automation tools. This has a direct impact on their efficiency and enthusiasm levels. For a get set go to market at a fast pace, a field force automation solution is the ideal key. And a perfect sales route planning is the major element for a successful implementation.
How does Sales Route Planning Work in a Sales Force Automation System?
As a comprehensive route management feature, there is a complete tour arrangement done in the solution which includes planning of distributors by field force as well as managers. Based on the geolocation of customers, the entire route plan is showcased to each field force as per their day to day activities.
Even prior scheduling of monthly tours, creating of beat and holiday planning in advance can be done through the calendar-based route plan. New routes can be added, management of a sales force salespersons can be assigned to the routes and then customers can be attached to relevant field force based on different criteria. The back office can do the entire route planning, but it can be updated depending on necessary conditions. The geographical maps can show complete routes with customer locations using Google Maps directly from the solution itself.
