The Creation of Sales Force Automation

1. Question :

(TCO A) How have customers' expectations of their sales rep and their role in the 21st century changed from those customer expectations of 30-40 years ago?

Student Answer: The creation of sales force automation (SFA) and Ipads has improved the salespersons life. Before technology your presentations, appointment setting, business card collection, contracts everything was done by hand. Most salespeople could not envision email, sending faxes from a laptop, or remotely uploading new sales leads while sitting in an airline lounge. Information technology also speeds up the buying process. I've found that customers will buy more from the salesperson who offers them all the information they need to make a decision. In the age of complexity, customers will seek out salespeople who make the buying experience faster, friendlier, and simpler. In the 21st century the internet has definitely changed the customer expectation. They want answers today from their salesperson, not for them to have to go back to the office to gather the information. Access: The Internet puts more information in customers' hands, at a faster rate, than was previously possible. Having all of this information at their disposal has given them the opportunity to evaluate alternatives and to make much more intelligent decisions about purchases. Control: The Internet also gives customers the opportunity to do business when and how they want to do it, not when we choose to be open for business. Customers have more power and control than ever. They aren't about to give any of it back; in fact, they want even more. Speed: Commerce on the Internet occurs at unheard of speeds. Information can be gathered, options compared, and transactions completed faster than a customer could drive down to the mall or get a call back from a sales rep. These incredible speeds are reshaping customer expectations of how quickly things can and should be done everywhere. Globalization: The Internet has opened up the entire world as a marketplace to everyone. We are no longer constrained by the neighborhood or even the borders of the country we live in. Companies that have never sold outside of their own region may now have customers all over the globe. These global customers often have very different expectations from those they've always known. Everything from language to product features, from privacy to payment options and more can be (and probably should be) different. Automation: Finally, and maybe most important, the Internet has eliminated many of your employees (order administrators, call center support reps, sales reps, etc.) from the processes that you have moved online. Historically, human intelligence and knowledge have created a link between many of our internal disconnects. Now, just at the time that customers' expectations have risen regarding how quickly, easily, efficiently, and accurately commerce