Work scheduling is a common term that we use in our daily work lives. However, for salespeople scheduling and routing some integral systems essential to keep their lives at ease. We all are aware of how complex and difficult the day of a salesperson can be, and so, sales scheduling and routine systems come to the rescue. When put into practice, these tools help sales teams plan their time more efficiently, minimize their travel time, and increase customer satisfaction.
A few decades ago, sales scheduling and routing were done through paper-based traditional methods. Fast-forward to today, these systems have evolved and they meet the rapidly changing demands of the modern salespeople.
Let us learn about how these systems have evolved over the years followed by the top tools in this category.
Evolution of Sales Scheduling and Routing
The traditional way of sales scheduling and routing was done manually and it was time-consuming. Most of the time, sales representatives would have to juggle between appointments, geographic locations, and customer time preferences to create an optimized schedule.
The modern way is a little different and unique. Thankfully, the advent of the latest tools and systems in scheduling and routing automated the processes and so, sales as a function became a little more effective. Here is how the new tools helped us:
1. Optimization of Call Routes
The main advantage of using advanced scheduling and routing tools is that salespeople are able to manage their routes toward the customers. Modern tools use sophisticated location algorithms to provide salespeople with efficient routes for sales reps. The tools take into account various factors, such as distance, traffic, and time constraints. It saves time and also reduces fuel costs.
2. Updates in Real-time
A critical upgrade with the advanced scheduling and routing tools is the real-time updates. As the sales rep is on the field, he receives an update through the tool from the company if there are more leads to nurture in the same area. It ensures that sales reps are updated with the information and they can optimize their routes by themselves without wasting time.
3. CRM integration
The modern sales scheduling and routing tools can be easily integrated with your customer relationship management (CRM) systems. It means that customer data remains at the fingertips of the sales reps, which makes the sales call more effective.
4. Predictive Analytics
Advanced scheduling and routing tools use predictive analytics to predict user behavior and buying patterns. The insights from these tools help the sales reps to proactively reach out to a customer with relevant offers increasing the chances of conversions.
From automation to data analytics, sales scheduling and routing have improvised big time. The advanced systems have significantly improved the way sales scheduling and routing are done earlier.
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Top Tools for Sales Scheduling and Routing
1. Salesforce Sales Cloud Einstein Activity Capture
It is one of the leading sales scheduling and routing tools available. The tool utilizes AI to automate daily tasks of sales reps, such as scheduling appointments, and routing, and also offers insights into sales activity and performance.
Some prominent features of the tool are real-time tracking and insights, mobile access, automated scheduling and routing, and so on.
2. Calendly
Calendly is another sales scheduling tool that allows sales reps to schedule appointments with prospects and customers. You can automate scheduling and routing for your sales reps and ensure seamless integration of this tool with your CRM.
3. Calendly Routing
Calendly Routing is a newly added feature from Calendly that lets sales reps automatically optimize route leads so that they can reach the prospects at the right time. The tool makes use of various factors to determine the best routing, such as the location of the lead, industry, and company size.
The prominent features of the tool are mobile access, real-time tracking and insights, automated lead routing, and integrations with CRM systems.
4. Clearbit (acquired by HubSpot)
While Clearbit is a data enhancement platform and the data gathered is used to optimize sales scheduling and routing. Clearbit uses data and offers valuable information on leads and customers, such as their company size, industry, and job title.
The prominent features are data enrichment, real-time insights, and integrations with other sales and marketing tools. Clearbit was acquired by HubSpot in November 2023.
5. Outreach
We all know Outreach is better known as a sales engagement platform but it also helps sales teams with scheduling and routing. It allows sales teams to automate their outreach process, track sales engagement metrics, and manage their sales pipeline.
Wrapping Up
Undoubtedly, sales scheduling and routing have come a long way, and implementing these tools in your daily business functioning improves the productivity of sales reps, brings in more customers, and increases business revenues.
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