Organization of the Sales Department Work in a Remote Format

With the development of digital technologies, more and more specialists are choosing a remote work format and freelancing. Working from home has several advantages for people of different professions. It all started with programmers, copywriters, designers, translators - professions in which a specialist does not need to be in regular contact with customers or meet with colleagues to discuss current issues. The pandemic that swept the world in 2020-2021 contributed to the massive transition to remote work of lawyers, accountants, marketers, sales managers, etc. Entire virtual offices are being created, and not for a while, but on an ongoing basis. Someone manages to easily cope with the task of organizing the work of remote workers, while others face difficulties. Most often, salespeople experience difficulties, since the processes of selling goods via the Internet and in-person have significant differences and require different approaches.

However, with the right organization of the sales team, you cannot only keep your business afloat during the difficult times of lockdown. A business that has adapted to the new market conditions will be able to bring good profits to the owners. According to Eurostat, online retail accounts for more than 15% of all B2C retail sales in the EU. In the future, the percentage of online purchases will increase as it is faster, more convenient, and often cheaper for the end customer.

Pros and cons of a virtual office

Before organizing the work of the sales department in a remote format, the business owner must understand what benefits he will receive from such cooperation and what risks he will have to face.

As in any business, a competent approach to the organization of the labor process and detailed planning will help to cope with possible difficulties and risks. To form an effective team and establish a workflow with a minimum of complexity, the advice of experts, who have collected in this article on the job search site Login Casino Work, will help.

For the virtual office to work, you need to take care of three points:

• provide employees with the necessary technical means and appropriate software for work;
• organize effective coordination of processes and control over the implementation of tasks;
• conduct sales training for specialists taking into account the specifics of e-commerce.

CRM system and telephony

To establish the work of the sales department, you must use one of the options for modern CRM systems. The program has everything necessary for the work of a salesperson and allows you to store the history of communication with customers, purchase history, sales dynamics for each client, product, etc. All work is done through CRM:

• registration of applications, contracts;
• sending mail;
• setting goals for the day/week/month;
• discussion of work issues with colleagues in the chat, etc.

The manager can at any time see what this or that employee is doing, and get statistical data on the results of the work of the department as a whole and each specialist individually. Of course, you can limit yourself to tables in Google, but you will have to put up with their limited functionality compared to CRM business automation systems.

Depending on the specifics of the department's activities, other software may be useful. For example, it is convenient to keep accounts in 1C and to control the working hours of employees through TimeTracker or Time Doctor.

Some companies use software such as Trello, TickTick, etc. to set tasks and monitor their execution. Today, there is a fairly wide selection of software on the software market that can help organize the work of the sales department in a way that is convenient for business owners and hired staff.

Since the job of salespeople is associated with frequent calls to existing or potential customers, the head of the department needs to listen to calls from employees. You can organize the process using IP telephony or cloud services, such as "My Calls". IP telephony requires the Internet and a headset to work properly. This option is ideal if the manager works in the workplace. However, in reality, many calls are made after hours, as it is more convenient for customers. In addition, managers often use instant messengers to communicate with customers. Work correspondence must be stored in CRM. You can organize the transfer of call history and correspondence to the system using cloud services. And the employee needs only a regular mobile phone to work. Cloud services make it possible to listen to calls, analyze their effectiveness, and view the workload of a specialist in a certain period - day/week/month.

Work coordination and control

Of course, one cannot do without control and coordination of the work of subordinates. No matter how responsible the employees you hired may be, the effect of the presence of the manager is necessary not only for control but also for the support and timely feedback. For a theory of the sales department to be effective and bring the expected result, experts recommend three coordination types of the manager with subordinates per day.

At the beginning of the working day, it is recommended to make a Skype or Zoom call to discuss the results of the previous day and plans for the current one. During the discussion, the manager should be interested in how many applications were received, how many of them were processed and invoiced, and whether a payment was received for them. Such a planning meeting takes about 15-20 minutes of working time.

Before the start or at the end of the lunch break, intermediate control over the implementation of the tasks planned for the day is carried out.

At the end of the working day - a cut by indicators.

In the process of work, employees may encounter situations that require the intervention of management, the help of colleagues, or the advice of other specialists, such as a marketer. You can quickly resolve such issues through communication in working chats.

Once a week, it is advisable to arrange a more detailed video meeting, where you can analyze difficult situations and jointly find the best ways to solve them.

Employee training and motivation

The sales team can be called the face of the business, as the salesperson communicates with customers by representing your brand or company. Naturally, a competent leader will not entrust the sale of goods, in the creation of which a lot of work and money has been invested, to a person without appropriate professional skills. When hiring staff in the sales department, the HR manager or direct business owner evaluates the candidate according to certain criteria. However, this does not mean that the sales skill does not need to be regularly improved and honed. To do this, training and seminars are held to discuss options for finding potential customers, ways to build a dialogue with customers, and ways to respond to negativity. Salespeople need to be able to negotiate effectively, handle objections, and close the deal so that the client comes back to you. And even better - to bring new customers to your product or service.

The work of a salesperson is associated with constant emotional stress. To help an employee not burn out, conduct training to help to remove.

Classes aimed at improving flexible skills - emotional stamina, diction, the ability to withstand negative reactions from clients will help to increase the efficiency of work. Sales scripts are also worked out at the training, and novelties, specific qualities, and characteristics of the product are discussed.

The weak point of a virtual office is employee motivation. The absence of the usual office communication can negatively affect the belief in achieving a joint result. Therefore, it is important to develop a corporate culture and think of an effective motivation system. And for this, it is necessary to study the personality of the people who are your subordinates.

The job search site Login Casino Work can help in recruiting personnel for a remote sales department. On the pages of the resource, job seekers will find effective job search tips and current vacancies, and employers will be able to select qualified personnel for their projects. In order not to miss important information, subscribe to site updates and our pages on social networks.