15 Must-Have Productivity Tools for Salespeople Utilizing Salesforce in the Field
Mastering the right “on-the-go” sales tool is ultimately the best weapon for making sales reps 10x more productive and sales managers 10x smarter – continue on reading to learn why.
If you want to make sure your outside sales hit the ground running, you need more than a marvellous team. You need maximum productivity, and that can only be achieved with the right mixture of must-have apps.
As robust and powerful as Salesforce is, there are some things it can’t do right out-of-the-box. However, to fill this gap, there is - AppExchange. Gathering and providing a range of 3rd party apps for Salesforce. Now imagine, what if you could save time and most importantly - save yourself from having to choose from an overwhelming number of apps to make you mobile sales staff really happy?
Yet there is another significant factor – THE MONEY! Overall, there are two options to consider when mobilizing Salesforce:
· The combination of 3rd party apps
You can candy-up your Salesforce1 mobile app that comes free within the Salesforce Sales Cloud package with a handful of proprietary systems, hooks, and integrations you find on AppExchange. Just bear in mind then, those apps aren’t commonly free of charge. Instead, if you’d like to put together a fitting mobile edge for your salespeople utilizing Salesforce in the field, brace yourself to put aside at least $200/user/month, just to make sure your sales are smooth-running. Read on to discover why $200 is not made up.
· “All under one roof” Solution
Or you can get rid of all the pain and struggle with 3rd party apps and streamline your field sales reps with a single solution. And believe me, it will cost you nothing close to $200. However, the price is not the only deal breaker here. What happens when you get the all-in-one mobile app for Salesforce with hundreds of features? Well, you might not need all of them, that’s for sure. However, customizing one app – especially without doing any coding – is always an easier option that handling tens of apps with a different architecture by numerous providers.
Various websites and researches state that AppExchange and Salesforce customers themselves, often label the following 15 as the ultimate must-haves in their phones and tablets integrated with Salesforce:
1. Offline Sales
Offline Sales apps on AppExchange | $33 user/month on average
2. Maps and Route Planning & Optimization
Maps & Route Planning & Optimization apps on AppExchange | $35 user/month on average
3. Offline Lead Generation & Scoring
Lead Generation & Scoring apps on AppExchange | $29 user/month on average
4. Advanced Mobile Audit & Analytics
Advanced Mobile Audit & Analytics apps on AppExchange | $60 user/month on average
5. High-Level Codeless Customizations
Customizing/Designing apps on AppExchange | $13 user/month on average
6. Document Generation, Management & Offline reports
Document Generation & Management apps on AppExchange | $15 user/month on average
7. Multimedia Attachments
Multimedia Attachment apps on AppExchange | $0 user/month – included in Salesforce
8. Signatures
Digital Signature apps on AppExchange | $23 user/month on average
9. QR Code Scanning
QR Code Scanning apps on AppExchange | Usually free
10. Barcode Scanning
Barcode Scanning apps on AppExchange | $3 user/month on average
11. Call, Skype & Facetime integration
Call, Skype & Facetime Integration apps on AppExchange | $5 user/month on average
12. Email Integration
Email Integration apps on AppExchange | $19 user/month on average
13. Google Apps Integration
Google Apps Integration apps on AppExchange | $15 user/month on average
14. Dropbox Integration
Dropbox Integration apps on AppExchange | Usually free
15. SharePoint Integration
SharePoint Integration apps on AppExchange | $0 user/month – included in Salesforce
Now, it’s up to you which path to take. Every single functionality in this list will help you and your sales team focus your energy efficiently and effectively.
However, no AppExchange app brings the whole package together, except the Resco Mobile App!One solution, one provider, unique user experience and one unique price. And believe me, the price is a deal breaker. Have you done the math? If you piece together the desired sales app, the price would get close to $200!
Resco’s Mobile App is now available at AppExchange, starting at $25:Resco Mobile App on AppExchange
Don’t hesitate to contact us for a live demo at [email protected]!
On closer inspection, Salesforce already has many of these features. For example, there are five modules for document management and a strong collaboration enabler, Chatter. However, this functionality can be insufficient in some cases. Also, a company can be using SharePoint for their back-office activities – management of contracts with vendors and partners, or collaboration in non-sales teams. However, when collaboration and document management are set partially in the CRM and partially in SharePoint, some process flaws can appear (for example, document duplication or downtimes). A connection between Salesforce and SharePoint is needed to prevent and overcome such pitfalls.
Yet, I disagree on the price. There is a free OTB tool, Files Connect. However, just like free AppExchange apps, it lacks focus on SharePoint users. True bi-directional integration will require a custom solution.
After testing dozens of different tools I ended up with Proggio, a new tool that save me time and add great visuals for my project plan.