Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a widely used method for improving customer service within a company or organization. The CRM system is an integrated software system that helps in CRM. These CRM systems automate all business processes, from tracking customers to managing large projects. A CRM software program is based on sales force automation (SFA), which is the basis of all CRM activities.

Sales force automation, also known as employee automation, includes automation of all employee related proceedings and procedures. It includes automation of information sharing, opportunity management, order tracking, order processing, lead reporting and routing, contact management, inventory monitoring and control, employee performance evaluation, customer management, sales analytics, quota management, partner tracking, sales forecast analysis, and troubleshooting. Analytical tools integrated into CRM solutions make it easy to handle difficult tabulation challenges.

An organization/company can improve productivity and customer satisfaction by utilizing CRM software. In order to maintain a competitive edge in a business, all sales force automation techniques are necessary. The SFA software programs are primarily CRM versions that have been customized for this purpose. Marketing, sales, and service providing functions are all included in sales force automation.

A CRM system meets the key infrastructure requirements of sales force automation such as database management, integrated product configuration, and mobile synchronization. CRMs provide sales management systems with flexibility through point-and-click customization. A CRM software program that is open source or customizable allows management to add additional tools on demand. When new plans and products are introduced, this feature becomes much more important to service providers and product marketers.

Customer relationship management practices can be greatly enhanced with a well-planned sales force automation process. A business’s sales automation system provides an effective means of assisting employees at all levels. SFA reduces paper works, time expenditure and money expenditure involved in tracking and co-coordinating all business proceedings. The real time information access helps employees to offer better service to the customers. The sophisticated communication possibilities built-in these CRM systems assist the employees to fulfill their target within the allotted time. Better SFA solutions help organizations to improve the ratio between selling time and non-selling time.

In shortly, sales force automation is one of the objectives of a CRM practice. But what make it different from other objective is it provides the base for all other practices. SFA capabilities are useful for formulating and serving matchless product practices to impress the customers. A successful SFA practice enables the companies to experiment more in designing better services with increased customer loyalty. May be this is the reason why all modern day companies, regardless of their status and size, pay more importance to all customer relationship management practices.