How sales process automation supports business

This article was reviewed and updated on July 31st, 2023

An interview with Sławomir ‎Łebkowski, founder and president of Companion S.A.

Trade has been effectively tapping into the benefits of digital transformation. There is a lot of talk of sales force automation, or solutions that support sales agents in the field. Why has this solution become so popular?

An increasing number of companies use sales force automation (SFA) because it helps sort out communication processes with employees in the field. Thanks to this system, they always know what needs to be done, where, and when. They can give feedback to headquarters by reporting their actions and documenting them with photos. GPS tracking is vital, as it substantially discourages fraud. Apart from that, SFA allows us to smoothly transfer and process data, which is key for quick decision-making.

SFA is mostly used by manufacturers and distributors who employ sales representatives. Field marketing agencies – which employ merchandisers, auditors and promoters – are also key users.

How does Companion fit into this trend?

We focused on cooperating with large field marketing agencies at the start, but now we can serve any customer who needs to efficiently supervise their team in the field. Agencies can sometimes employ thousands of employees and handle hundreds of projects. This calls for extreme efficiency, mass data edition tools, and automating the highest possible number of processes.

Because margins in the retail industry have been falling steadily, processes need to be continuously optimized to stay competitive. Our experience in designing business software and understanding this industry means that we can provide simple and usable solutions. We try our best to make the mobile application so user-friendly that even technologically unsavvy people can easily handle it.

What can your solution offer to managers leading field teams? And what benefits does it provide to sales reps visiting clients?

Reps visiting stores are very clear about their plan and know what headquarters wants most. In this context, the key thing is reliable data recording. This can be facilitated by advanced validation tools so that most errors will be eliminated in edition. These tools are used to record orders and then create and print invoices on mobile printers.

For regional managers, this system provides a constant preview of their employees’ activity and their tasks; managers can monitor reps and communicate with them via the application. For headquarters, it provides information on the implementation of the adopted plans and an opportunity to respond to unwanted or alarming situations on a regular basis.

In agency projects, manufacturers’ sales representatives can in real time preview the routes mobile merchandisers take. They can allocate additional tasks to them or ask them to rectify situations which have not been adequately resolved.

Our tool is modular and flexible, which allows for a configuration of individual sales or marketing projects. It may also be employed to monitor any jobs in the field, such as mounting, installation, and repairs.

What are the prospects for such solutions? Any new industries or functionalities? What can we expect of Companion in the future?

We focus mostly on integrating with external systems and solutions, such as Power BI, image recognition tools, ERP, finance and accounting systems, and connectors.

We have been also developing data presentations on maps and flexible systems of communication between particular groups of users. We also find the motivation and education solutions highly relevant.