How to choose the best SFA for boosting your sales in 2023

It is critical to understand your business requirements for selecting an SFA. This can help figure out the essential features and functionality that your company will need from the top SFA software in India.

Answer these questions to determine your company’s requirements from SFA software tools:

• Sales Process: How does your sales process work? Do you require an SFA capable of managing leads, opportunities, bids, and orders?
• Sales team size: How big is your sales team? Do you require an SFA supporting multiple roles and providing permissions to serve a large sales team?
• Sales Channels: Do you sell through a variety of channels, (retail, internet, wholesale, etc.)? Do you require software supporting these channels?
• Integrations: Does your business require multiple integrations with other software solutions like CRM, marketing automation, or accounting software?

These questions help you understand what your company needs from SFA software. You can now proceed to research different vendors matching these requirements!

Now is the time to look for the best SFA software vendors in the market. You will find a pool of choices out there. Stick to your requirements and consider the following aspects to find a suitable service provider.

• Features: What are the features included in the software suite? Are these compatible with your company’s needs?
• Cost: What is the service provider’s price structure? Is it within your price range? Do they offer multiple payment options?
• User Reviews: What do other businesses think about this SFA vendor? Check the reviews from existing and previous users too. Also, look out for reviews on social media platforms.
• Compatibility: Does the SFA work with other business tools you already have? Is it possible to integrate with other software solutions in the future if your business requires it?

After this research, you will have a list of all the vendors matching your requirements and providing the best solutions for automating your sales force.

The user interface is a crucial aspect when choosing the best SFA software for your business needs. A good user interface makes it simple for your sales staff to use the SFA while a bad user interface is hard to use and reduces productivity.

Assess the software’s user interface in the following way:

• Navigation: How easily can your sales team navigate through the software? Can they easily access what they are looking for?
• Customization: Can you customize the software to fulfill specific business requirements whenever needed?
• Mobile Access: Can your sales team access the software through mobiles? Can they use the software whenever they have to?
• Ease of Use: Can you navigate through the SFA software easily? Does it come with any complicated or time-consuming steps to access anything within the suit?

Now you’ll know how user-friendly the SFA software is, by considering these aspects.

Essentially, your business should comply with relevant regulations and local governance. Moreover, you must secure your company’s data from breaches. So, the chosen software must include some features to ensure security and compliance at go. 

Consider these aspects to know if a service provider included these features:

• Encryption: Does the software encrypt your company’s data (both in transit and at rest)?
• Access: Can you control the access to the software based on different roles in your company?
• Compliance: Does the SFA software comply with applicable and relevant regulations within your operating regions?

You can wipe off most service providers in this step and remain with the safest options for your business needs.

Customer support and training are critical areas of consideration when choosing any business tool. You want to be sure that you are provided with high-quality and immediate assistance from the service providers.

Check the following factors to know how best the SFA software vendors can help meet your sales force requirements:

• Support: What support options does the vendor provide? Is there a community to discuss the problems? Do they provide email and mobile assistance?
• Response: How soon does the SFA provider respond to their client’s queries? How long does it take for them to acknowledge and address your issues?
• Training: Are there any training sessions for your team to understand the software? Do they organize one-on-one training sessions, webinars, or user manuals to use their SFA suite?

Here, you can also check if the service providers inform their customers about the latest changes and updates to their suite, and if they are willing you train your staff for that.

Automating salesforce is not a one-time thing and requires constant updates to meet time requirements. So, you’ll need an SFA that grows with your company and is adaptable to your demands.

Have a look at the following:

• Scalability: Can the SFA handle increasing sales volumes and a growing workforce?
• Customization: Can you customize the suite to your changing business needs?
• Upgrades: How frequently does the service provider upgrade their SFA suite? Do you have to upgrade from your current plans to access the latest features?

These considerations will help you find a long-term solution for automating your salesforce to meet your business requirements.