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Introduction
The global pandemic has undoubtedly been a spur for many B2B organizations to accelerate digital transformation plans. Sales automation is a popular trend among B2B businesses to up their game in the competitive landscape, and business owners are constantly seeking ways to increase revenue and efficiency without having to increase operation costs. Undoubtedly, B2B sales automation has now become the new normal.
Challenges faced by B2B Customers
When it comes to B2B trade, we all know that the processes are lengthier and more complicated than that of B2C, and B2B customers have been, and still are, relying heavily on sales reps when it comes to product ordering and returns.
Not to mention the amount of communication that happens even before the order is being placed – checking stock availability, pricing, promotions etc. This may result in unnecessary issues such as miscommunication, order errors and duplications, just to name a few.
After the orders have been placed, B2B customers also find it difficult to keep track of their statuses. With the massive number of transactions that one may make, it is also common for these business owners to miss out or even misplace certain sales documents (quotations, invoices, credit notes).
Challenges faced by B2B Sales Reps
Sales reps often have a lot of customers under that they have to manage, so it is challenging to keep track and follow up with every customer, not to mention having to remember crucial details such as their ageing reports, frequently purchased products, order statuses etc. Imagine the amount of time and effort wasted on back-and-forth communication with office administrators to obtain this information, where they can utilize the time to build meaningful relationships with customers and not miss out on sales opportunities.
Up till today, a lot of B2B sales reps are still using traditional methods of taking orders – by hand or by communication platforms like WhatsApp which can also lead to missed orders or misinterpretation of messages.
Challenges faced by Office Admins
Back-office admins spend most of their time manually processing incoming orders and attending to sales reps’ enquiries. And as a B2B business starts to grow with more incoming orders and number of sales reps, one can only imagine the amount of redundant workload that these admins will need to execute daily. Not only do these admins need to process orders manually, but they are also required to prepare month-end and year-end reports using tools like Excel, which will require a lot of time and effort.
There are many ways that sales automation can help grow and stabilize your B2B business, one of them being able to increase sales productivity.
How B2B Sales Automation helps & Boostorder Solutions
Centralized 24/7 Self-service platform
Sales automation allows B2B customers - to place orders, track order statuses and view sales documents all in one centralized platform. Having such a platform also grants the customers the freedom to execute the above activities anytime, anywhere without relying on sales reps. This ultimately translates to reduction of delays, miscommunication, and full visibility.
BO Direct is a 24/7 self-service platform specially designed for B2B customers, enabling them to place orders, make payments and keep track of their transactions anytime, anywhere.
Productivity tool for sales reps
With sales automation, not only can sales reps gain real time access on customer information and ageing reports, but they can also help provide better services for their customers by helping them place orders online as well as managing returns more effectively digitally.
This high efficiency of work allows sales reps to build stronger relationships with customers instead of wasting time on redundant manual tasks.
BO Rep is a sales productivity platform that equips sales reps with the ability to provide faster and better services to their customers, a journey planner that allows them to work more productively, and full visibility to their sales performance and commission.
Convenience and efficiency for office admins
Office admins need not worry about the strenuous process of having to process orders manually as sales automation allows data to be integrated seamlessly into accounting systems or ERPs, reducing human intervention and time-consuming data compilation. This, in return, results in faster order processing time and better data visibility. Through data digitization into cloud platforms, product and customer information can now to be easily accessed, changes can also be reflected in a real time manner.
BO Cloud serves as an integrated information configuration hub that helps manage and streamline product and pricing information to ensure timeliness and accuracy of digital catalogues as well as customer information.
BO Sync allows seamless two-way integration with ERPs and accounting systems.
Considering all of these...
As the B2B business landscape is rapidly evolving, it is crucial for B2B businesses to start embedding technology as part of their operations to continue staying relevant and stay on top of the competition. Only through digital transformation will B2B owners be able to future proof their businesses and continue growing. Contact us to find out more.