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Sales force automation (SFA) is another function of many CRM systems. It involves using software to streamline all phases of the sales process, minimizing the time that sales representatives need to spend on each phase. This enables a business to use fewer sales representatives to manage their clients. At the core of SFA is a contact management system for tracking and recording every stage in the sales process for each prospective client, from initial contact to final disposition. Many SFA applications also provide reporting and analytical tools to give salespeople and managers insights into specific sales opportunities, territories, and forecasting future sales. Some also offer workflow automation tools to help streamline sales-related processes and improve both the quality and efficiency of sales teams' interactions with prospective customers.
As with marketing automation, sales force automation can help salespeople streamline the task of communicating with prospective customers during the sales process. A salesperson can can set up automated triggers to send specific communications to sales leads at various points in the process. For example, when an individual requests a product demonstration, a sales automation system might automatically send a set of communications to set up a virtual meeting for the demo. The system could then check whether that lead has downloaded a marketing piece comparing product features versus competitors'. If not, the system would automatically send that informational piece in a follow-up email message.