Field teams drive business growth, but managing them effectively remains a challenge. Without proper tools, tracking field activities becomes nearly impossible. Moreover, manual processes lead to delays, errors, and lost opportunities.
Field force automation software solves these problems efficiently. It transforms how businesses manage their mobile workforce and on-ground operations. However, the market offers hundreds of solutions with different features. Therefore, choosing the right platform requires careful consideration and research.
This comprehensive guide helps you select the best field sales tracking software. We’ll explore key features, pricing models, and essential factors for decision-making. Additionally, you’ll learn how to avoid common mistakes during selection.
What Is Field Force Automation Software?
Field force automation software helps businesses manage their field sales team effectively. Specifically, it tracks field agents in real time and streamlines their daily tasks. Moreover, it connects office teams with field workers seamlessly.
These platforms offer various features that improve operations. As an example, they offer GPS tracking, task assignment, and attendance management. They also generate reports and analyse field performance data. As a result, managers are able to have a clearer understanding of the operations of the field.
The technology is applicable across several industries with varying requirements. It is utilised by the sales teams in optimising routes and lead management. At the same time, service-based businesses need job scheduling and customer feedback services. On the same note, delivery firms are more concerned with real-time tracking and delivery confirmation.
There are hundreds of solutions available in the market. However, not all software is appropriate to all business requirements. Thus, it is important to know your needs before making a choice.
How to Select the Best Field Force Automation Software
The selection of the best field force automation software must be systematised. These are some of the considerations that will assist you in making a better decision.
1. Understand Your Business Needs
In order to determine what software to consider, it is necessary to define what you need. Firstly, what are the issues you would like to address? The field force automation app in different industries have different challenges.
Write a list of the things you need to have in business. Then separate them and nice-to-have features. It is one of the methods of focusing on the critical capabilities. This way you will not have to pay the extra money to buy unnecessary features.
Another consideration that you should make is the size of your team. Basic low-cost solutions are needed in small teams. Big companies, on the other hand, require scalable structures that are more advanced. By so doing, the software capacity can be aligned to the size of the team to do away with migrational headaches in the future.
2. Analyze Core Features Carefully
Each field force automation platform provides various capabilities. Nevertheless, there are some characteristics that are critical in every industry.
Real-Time GPS Tracking: It is one of the essential requirements. It demonstrates the location of your field agents during the day. Besides, it assists in checking customer visits and route optimisation. This results in a reduction of fuel expenses and enhanced productivity by the businesses.
Attendance and Leave Management: It does away with the manual paperwork. Geo-fencing or selfie verification is used by employees to mark their attendance. Also, they will be able to request leave via the app. Thus, the HR teams use significant time savings in relation to administration.
Task Management: Tasks can be sent to field workers in real time directly to their mobile devices via an effective sales force automation system. Moreover, they are able to change the status of the tasks in real time. This makes the managers always know the progress of the project without delays.
Report Generation: It gives useful business information automatically. The software gathers field data without human intervention. Next, it prepares detailed reports using very little effort. Thereafter, managers make decisions based on data with confidence.
Customer Relationship Management: The best field force automation systems are systems that tie field activities to customer data together. In addition, it assists in monitoring customer contacts and sales prospects. In this way, the level of customer satisfaction in businesses is increased greatly.
3. Check Mobile App Performance
Mobile apps will be used by your field team on a daily basis. Thus, the quality of the apps has a direct influence on the rates of adoption and productivity.
Test the application in other devices and make a decision. In particular, the performance of the cheques on Android and iOS platforms. Also, check whether it is compatible with different screen sizes. Low app performance annoys users, and efficiency is lost significantly.
Field workers tend to go to places that have low internet connectivity. Therefore, the application must run without internet connectivity without any problem. Subsequently, it must automatically update data on regaining connection. The user interface should be intuitive and easy at all times. Field workers also do not require a lot of training to operate simple features.
In daily operations, battery consumption is also crucial. Applications that consume a lot of battery cause operational inconvenience. Thus, select software with a long-life performance.
4. Consider Integration Capabilities
There are several software systems employed in modern businesses. Consequently, your field force automation tool is supposed to be integrated with the existing platforms.
Make sure it is compatible with your existing CRM software. The smooth integration will do away with the redundant data entry tasks. In addition, it guarantees consistency of information on all platforms. This makes teams work with more efficiency.
ERP integration simplifies the process of inventory and order management. Field teams have access to real-time inventory information in real time. Moreover, accounting software integration makes financial tracking absolutely easy. It saves a lot of accounting by hand. This connectivity is thus valued by the finance teams.
5. Analyze Pricing Models Thoroughly
field staff tracking app is available in different pricing structures. Knowing these models will assist you in budgeting and prevent unexpected situations.
In the case of some companies, they charge per user on a per-month basis. Others sell at a differentiated price depending on the features. There are also other platforms that have set up and training costs as independent. The implications of each of the models on your budget are varying.
Sum up the total cost of ownership. Add subscription cost, implementation cost and training cost. Besides, they take up maintenance and upgrade expenses in the long run. This is followed by a realistic budget picture to make a decision.
6. Prioritize Data Security
The field force software deals with sensitive business information on a day to day basis. Therefore, security is not something one should consider afterwards.
Determine whether the vendor adheres to the industry security standards. In particular, find ISO certifications and compliance badges. Also, ensure that they have encrypted their data properly. High security will keep your business information safe.
The policies of data backup are important in business continuity. Automatic backups are done at regular times so that the data is not lost in case of an emergency. In addition, redundancy should be provided with any cloud storage. Therefore, your data will be secured in the event of any unforeseen circumstances.
Access controls to users are also an added security measure. Managers ought to regulate the access control of what information. Moreover, role-based permissions do not allow unauthorised access to data. As a result, confidential data remains safe against internal risks.
7. Read Customer Reviews and Case Studies
The experience of other businesses can be of great help in decision-making. Thus, read the opinions of existing users regarding the software.
Go to third-party review sites to find genuine reviews. Look through positive and negative feedback. In addition, listen to the common complaints or problems. These trends demonstrate possible issues that you may encounter.
Specifically seek case studies of related industries. Get to know how other companies were able to put the solution into practice. Besides, examine the outcomes they received in real life. Practical examples can be used to make the outcomes realistic.
Get in touch with the current customers face-to-face where possible to get an honest evaluation. Enquire about their experience of implementation and the quality of support they receive. Moreover, ask them about the difficulties they encountered in the process of deployment. Critical feedback enables you to be more prepared to implement.
8. Evaluate Customer Support Properly
Even the most excellent software requires support and guidance occasionally. Thus, the quality of support of vendors will influence your experience in the long-term perspective.
Check available support channels of the company. The response time of phone, email and chat support is different. In addition, check on their policy on support hours and holiday cover. Enquire about onboarding and training services offered at the beginning. Proper companies have detailed training resources for users. Also, they provide guidance on implementation during the process.
Reaction time on support tickets is also of high importance. Quick feedback reduces downtimes and operational interruptions. Consequently, check average response times of current customers. Fast response ensures your business is running smoothly all the time.
Conclusion
PepUpSales is among the best field force automation software in India. It provides an enterprise-wide field force automation system. The platform encompasses real-time GPS tracking, task management, and attendance monitoring.
Additionally, it has robust reporting capabilities and integration with CRM. PepUpSales is ideal for sales teams, service providers and delivery companies. The software has a user-friendly Android and iOS mobile application. Also, it has offline features and good battery life.
Ready to transform your field sales operations? Schedule a free demo today and see how PepUpSales can boost your team’s productivity.