3 Ways A Field Sales App Increases Productivity

by Austin Rolling, CEO of Outfield, Guest Contributor

Sales professionals rely on various tools to carry out their jobs. Whether it’s productivity apps, email tracking, sales intelligence or the classic Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, sales reps leverage technology daily. The CRM is well-known for being the centerpiece of how a sales team operates. When it comes to outside sales roles, there is one big problem with most traditional CRMs. The UI/UX of most CRMs were built to support the workflow of inside sales teams, and an outside sales team has a completely different workflow, requiring a different tool.

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There are various nuances to field sales that a traditional CRM doesn’t address. An outside sales rep has to travel regularly, have face-to-face interactions and faces more variables in their workday. For example, traffic and weather can drastically change your plans on any given day in the field. An inside sales rep is more focused on making calls and connecting over email. A field sales app can better serve the outside sales workflow just like a traditional CRM can serve the inside sales workflow. With an app built to address the nuances of outside sales, you can increase your productivity as a field rep and close more deals. 

Here are three ways a field sales app can help you improve your productivity. 

1. Collaboration
A challenge with being an outside sales rep is you typically are working apart from your colleagues. This is why it is key to have a field sales app to communicate with your team members and transfer knowledge and insight. Frequent interaction with coworkers allows best practices to be shared, increased morale through the comradery that develops and can even provide some friendly competition to help motivate you. A mobile application can help you share ideas and access necessary information from team members no matter where you are. 

2. Travel Logistics 
In order to succeed as a rep, you need to learn how to plan in advance. Poor planning is going to set you up to be inefficient with your time. The more time you spend traveling, the less time you have to spend closing deals. A field sales app can provide you a map of your territory and helpful information around travel logistics to help you map out the best plan of attack for each day so you can better execute and serve your clients. Utilizing technology to be more efficient each day will help you out in the long run.

3. Access to Data 
When you are out in the field, it is incredibly helpful to be able to access all account activity and critical information about prospects and customers. Viewing and logging information in an excel sheet on your phone is not efficient whatsoever. This is why you need the convenience of managing accounts right from a mobile device. A tool built for field sales reps will allow you to use your phone to add notes, attach photos and search the history of the account. Having the ability to do this from your phone fits way better with the workflow of outside sales reps.

Companies are going to be relying more and more on outside sales reps. Your responsibility is to build relationships, drive influence and grow revenue. You no longer have to be dependent on tools designed for a completely different workflow to carry out your responsibilities. Look for a field sales app that meets your needs and leverage it to boost your efficiency and productivity out in the field.

Author bio:

Austin Rolling is the co-founder and CEO of Outfield. a third-generation entrepreneur. He started his first company, a fashion website, at the age of 20. He holds a BA in Communication from Eastern Michigan University and an MBA from Texas A&M University. He has spent the majority of his career working in the consumer goods and IT space in field sales and marketing, management and business development roles. 

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