Strong Demand for Advanced Sales Analytics and Sales Performance Management

Salesforce.com sent out a survey to 1,198 of their customers this past summer and the results revealed that Advanced Sales Analytics/Sales Performance Management will be the number one type of app in demand this year.  The survey went out to a very diverse selection of customers from small and large businesses from 18 different industries, and asked what apps customers are most interested in over the next 12 to 18 months.  At the top of the list, in the #1 position, are apps dealing with sales performance management and advanced sales analytics.  The survey also showed that the top three areas of focus Salesforce.com customers are working towards are acquiring new customers, retaining current customers while improving customer satisfaction, and improving business process and efficiency.

So what exactly are customers looking for in sales apps?

• Sales performance management, which means helping to control, optimize, and guide how sales are made.
• Advanced sales analytics, or using data to predict future sales and analyze current sales, which is used to move business faster and more efficiently.  A good example would be looking at a new sales technique by comparing it with data from old sales techniques, and learning what has worked best and what can be expected in the future.
• Acquiring new customers means bringing new ones into the client base.  Many times this includes actively going into the field and making calls.
• Retaining customers/improving customer satisfaction by looking closely at both qualitative and quantitative data to make sure your customers are happy and will be with you for years to come.
• Improving business process and efficiency, and making the entire business process quicker, easier, and more efficient.  The goal of improving business processes usually means making everything within the business mesh together and flow smoothly so ideas can quickly become projects, products, and revenue.

This is very big news for us for a few reasons.

• Apps like CHECK-in were rated #1 this year, vaulting up from #10 last year.  This dramatic change  means companies are now very cognizant of the need to analyze and optimize the performance of their most expensive but least visible resource: the outside sales team.
• Our app provides robust advanced sales analytics and sales performance management data to our customers, which is exactly what they have been looking for.

So we are very excited to bring CHECK-in to more companies than ever before.  Check out our other blog posts to learn more about what kind of impact advanced sales analytics and sales performance management technology will have on your business, or Contact Us to learn even more.