Ask any sales manager what holds their team back and you’ll hear the same complaint. Too much admin, not enough selling.
A 2024 report from Salesforce revealed:
“Sales reps spend 70% of their time on non-selling tasks”
This includes time-intensive manual work like data entry, internal meetings, and admin.
For sales leaders weighing up how humans can focus on discovery, relationships, and negotiation – the case for sales automation and sales automation tools is clear.
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What Is Sales Automation and Sales Force Automation (and Why Now)?
CX Today defines sales automation tools as solutions that assist and automate sales tasks, admin, and workflows.
Sometimes referred to as sales force automation (SFA) software, these platforms look to maximize efficiency while keeping manual effort to a minimum.
Where Sales Automation Tools Reduce Repetitive Workload
- Automatic data capture and CRM hygiene
Manual logging is a morale killer – and can lead to human error lowering data quality.
Contemporary sales automation tools and sales force automation systems auto-capture emails, meetings, and call notes to ensure that all relevant data is present.
The payoff isn’t just time saved; it’s more reliable pipeline data for managers and finance. This means sales reps can spend more time selling, while creating a clean paper trail for the rest of the team to build upon.
- Smarter lead and account prioritization
If everything is a priority, nothing is. Predictive models rank accounts by likelihood to convert based on engagement signals and historical patterns.
With this automation-created intelligence, sales reps know their next best action without having to think about.
When prioritization is automated, teams spend less time guessing and more time dedicated to where it will make the most difference.
Beyond just the sales rep, this process will also help managers to distribute sales meetings in the fairest way. This will help boost morale and give each rep a consistent chance to earn their commission bonus.
- Guided outreach and content automation
Sequencing tools can now generate drafts, personalize at scale, and schedule multi-step cadences. This will allow sales reps to make a good first impression and beyond.
With AI refining tone, subject lines, and message length for each persona, the humans don’t have to deal with a repetitive copy-and-paste grind. This creates more engaging content and leaves more time for the humans to seal the deal in conversations.
This can be an especially powerful tool for new members of a sales team.
“It enables them to skip the tedious onboarding process and immediately start creating brand-safe messaging.”
Are you concerned that sales automation is weakening customer relationships? Our guide highlights how tech-savvy revenue teams can avoid sales alienation.
Helping People Do the Work Only People Can Do
With SFA at their side, sales leaders and decision makers in the buying committee can expect to see 3 key rewards from their purchase:
- Time reallocation: With automation capturing activity and drafting first drafts, teams can claw back hours for customer work.
- Higher conversion rates: Account/lead scoring puts energy on high-yield targets while AI-assisted cadences lift reply rates without manual rewriting.
- Cleaner data: Automated hygiene improves forecast quality and reduces last-minute admin, giving managers more bandwidth for training.
By stripping out repetitive steps from the sales workflow, automation can surface what matters most.
The salesperson of the future will have the bandwidth to build trust, shape deals, and close business without repetitive manual tasks. And that’s only possible with sales automation and sales force automation quietly handling the admin in the background.
FAQs
What is sales automation?
- Sales automation is software that takes over repetitive sales tasks like data entry, logging emails and meetings, and sending routine follow-ups.
- Instead of doing everything manually, reps let the system handle the admin so they can spend more time talking to customers and closing deals.
What are sales automation tools?
- Sales automation tools are apps or platforms that work with your customer relationship management (CRM) system. They capture activity, update records, and run outreach automatically.
- These tools also log calls and emails, create tasks, score leads, and send sequenced messages so salespeople don’t have to manage everything manually.
How does sales automation help sales reps day to day?
- Sales automation helps reps by telling them which accounts to focus on, what to do next, and by filling in the CRM for them.
- This means less time typing notes or hunting for information, and more time for selling, following up with hot leads, and moving deals forward.
Can sales force automation improve lead quality and conversion rates?
- Yes. Sales force automation (SFA) uses data and predictive models to score leads and accounts based on behavior and fit. This enables reps to spend more time on prospects who are actually likely to buy.
- Combined with AI-assisted cadences and personalized content, this usually lifts reply rates and conversion because effort is focused where it matters most.
How should a sales leader get started with sales automation in their team?
- Start by identifying the tasks that are time wasters, like manual logging or poor lead prioritization. Then choose sales automation tools or SFA software that integrate with your existing CRM.
- Pilot them with a small group of reps, measure changes in admin time, data completeness, and conversion rates. Roll out more widely once you’ve proven the impact.
To help your sales team can compete in a competitive landscape, read our Ultimate Guide to Sales & Marketing Technology.
