Data entry poses a significant challenge for salespeople, diverting their time and attention from meaningful customer interactions. According to LinkedIn’s Global State of Sales report, sellers spend only 30% of their time actually selling, with administrative work taking up most of their time.
Despite the dull nature of administrative tasks, such as capturing customer orders, quotes, and needs, the data collected in this process is crucial for effective sales management. It forms the foundation for effective lead and sales reporting, allowing sales managers to direct their focus and resources strategically.
So, what can be done to alleviate the burden of data entry and administrative tasks on our sales teams, allowing salespeople to reclaim more of their time for valuable customer interactions and core responsibilities?
Recognising the critical role of data in the sales process, Microsoft, with its extensive background in software development and technology solutions, has stepped up to take on the challenge. The recent launch of Microsoft Viva Sales, as part of the “Viva” suite of applications, marks a significant advancement.
In this article, we’ll give you a rundown of Viva Sales, exploring its features and how it can empower your sales team.
Viva Sales is a sales productivity tool by Microsoft designed to make life easier for sales teams. It offers a suite of features for efficiently managing sales pipelines, tracking deals, and automating tasks like sending follow-up emails and scheduling meetings.
Sales teams often collaborate closely with other departments, including marketing and finance. Viva Sales excels in fostering seamless collaboration between sales teams and these departments, allowing for the sharing of information and collaborative efforts on different projects.
What sets it apart is its ability to bring together customer relationship management technology (CRM), Microsoft 365, and Teams. In the past, sales teams struggled with fragmented systems and disjointed workflows. However, this integration with Viva Sales allows salespeople to minimize the time spent on administrative tasks and more time on what they do best—connecting with customers and closing deals.
Consider all the customer and deal insights found within Outlook, Teams, and Office applications like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, yet never make it into the CRM system due to manual data entry challenges.
Viva Sales addresses this very challenge by enhancing the CRM system with customer engagement data from Microsoft 365 and Teams, leveraging the capabilities of AI. This integration empowers sellers to establish more connected and personalised engagements with customers, ultimately speeding up the closure of deals.
Through a user-friendly customer tagging feature that automates data capture, Viva Sales saves sellers time and provides organisations with a more comprehensive view of deals and customer status. The embedded AI acts as a sales coach, offering recommendations and reminders to move deals forward and providing sellers with the necessary information to increase their productivity.
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Designed specifically for seller productivity, Viva Sales introduces several key features to improve the overall selling experience:
Viva Sales achieves all this while eliminating the need for manual CRM updates and boosting sales team productivity. It can help your sellers reclaim time by eliminating manual data collection and entry tasks, meaning they can focus on selling and building relationships with their customers. It’s all done in the applications they already use to do the most valuable part of their job – communication.
Viva Sales is a comprehensive solution, bringing together the essential tools that empower salespeople to succeed in their roles. This platform is thoughtfully designed to provide a unified experience so that everything a salesperson needs is conveniently accessible in one place.
It incorporates AI-driven insights and automates data tasks right where salespeople work daily—within Microsoft 365 and Teams. This means they can use familiar tools to access smart insights and automate routine tasks, making their job much easier.
Viva Sales is not just a tool; it’s a strategic enabler that improves the efficiency and effectiveness of sales teams by seamlessly integrating advanced technologies into their everyday workflow.
Ready to empower your sales team and revolutionise your sales processes? Microsoft Viva Sales might be the answer.
Megan Byrne is a Business Development Executive helping businesses achieve their Digital Transformation goals through Microsoft innovative solutions. If you’re eager to explore how your business can benefit from Microsoft’s technology stack, schedule a call and take the first step toward unlocking your business’s full potential in the digital age.
