The Pros and Cons of Sales Rep Tracking
Like any business decision you make, it pays to really know the pros and cons of sales rep tracking. There's a lot to think about before you buy. You need to consider your goals, expectations and field operations. To help weigh things up and make the right decision, we've clearly broken down the pros and cons of sales tracking software.
Pros of Sales Rep Tracking
Businesses of all sizes experience major benefits from the simple decision to install sales tracking software. Let's take a look at just some of what you can expect.
Less Time Wasted 82% of sales representatives admit to inefficient route planning during the workday. More plainly, if you're a team of 50 representatives, only 9 of them are optimizing their travel time (or, more likely, don't admit to taking longer routes).
What's more, these representatives waste anywhere between 1 to 3 hours a day on suboptimal routes. This all adds up for employers, who are stuck with a bill of more than $35,000 per rep annually in wasted travel time and fuel costs.
Using FieldServicely's tracking tools, you can plug these efficiency leaks. With real-time location tracking and route optimization, representatives take the most efficient paths between client visits.
Enhanced Territory Coverage Whether it's overlapping territories, missed areas, or inefficient scheduling, there's an endless number of coverage gaps that destroy sales productivity. Industry research shows poor territory management costs companies up to 28% in lost sales opportunities.
Sales rep tracking software answers this challenge with real-time territory visualization and coverage analytics that ensure optimal market penetration.
Less Administrative Burden Few things kill sales momentum like painstaking paperwork. It's a productivity killer that plagues all field teams. The impact? Sales managers spend an average of 4 hours daily on administrative tasks.
Every minute spent on admin is a minute not spent selling. FieldServicely eliminates attendance and route reporting admin with automated check-ins and visit verification. Plus, it connects to payroll for automatic cost calculation based on verified field time.
A More Engaged Field Force Only 20% of field sales reps feel fully engaged with their territories. This stems from various factors like unclear boundaries, route confusion, and lack of performance visibility. Without data-driven insights, improving engagement is pure guesswork.
With FieldServicely's tracking system, performance analytics provide clear metrics on territory coverage, client visit effectiveness, and individual rep achievements. You can finally understand what drives success in your territories.
Optimized Client Time "Time in territory is everything," as the old sales saying goes. But typically, it isn't until monthly reviews that managers discover representatives aren't spending enough face time with high-value clients. By then, opportunities are lost.
With real-time tracking, client visit duration gets monitored instantly. All it takes is a glance at your dashboard to see which customers are getting the attention they deserve.
Cons of Sales Tracking Software
For any sales leader, the advantages of tracking software are clear. But there are some potential downsides. Here's what to consider - and how to deal with them.
Impact on Team Trust According to recent studies, 92% of sales leaders say trust is critical to team success. And, as managers know, trust takes years to build and minutes to break.
It's natural to worry that implementing tracking might signal distrust. However, positioned correctly, sales rep tracking can actually build trust through transparency and fair performance evaluation.
Privacy Concerns Worries about personal privacy during field work are common. Representatives often fear their every move will be scrutinized. With clear policies about tracking scope (work hours only) and data usage, these concerns can be effectively addressed.
Resistance to Change You know what it's like when seasoned sales reps face new technology. Some might feel their experience isn't valued. Now, some representatives will resist just knowing that tracking is being implemented. The key is highlighting how these tools support rather than replace good sales practices.
Legal Considerations Location tracking laws vary across regions. Some states have specific requirements about employee monitoring, which requires careful consideration. Whether you're operating locally or nationally, it's vital to understand the legal landscape around field force tracking. Typically, you're well within your rights to track business-related activities. But it pays to be sure.