3 ways to increase sales using a team collaboration tool

Working in the sales department of any company is not an easy task. In addition to dealing with multiple stakeholders, you also have to split your time between meetings with clients, proposals, follow-up calls and strategies to increase sales.

Although you might not be aware of how powerful collaborative work can be to boost sales teams’ productivity, the right team collaboration tool allows your sales reps to easily identify problems, propose new ideas, provide an omnichannel customer experience, and, of course, relentless sales follow-up.

Don’t just take our word for it: research carried out by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) has found that businesses that invest in collaborative working are five times more likely to have higher sales team performance.

If it is crystal clear that team collaboration tools can streamline corporate communication, the question then is: how can they boost sales and increase the productivity of sales teams?

In this article, you will learn how to use a team collaboration tool in order to improve your sales team's efficiency and increase customer retention.

Retention trumps acquisition in the sales game

You probably already heard this, but it is worth mentioning that keeping existent customers is always cheaper and easier than attracting and acquiring a new one. In fact, a research conducted by Invesp points out that it can cost five times more to get a new customer than to retain an existing one. The problem is that most teams fail when it comes to sales follow-up.

And the best way to increase sales is by centralizing the communication between your agents and their audience. And if it comes with features that complement your omnichannel strategy, even better!

In case you’re not familiar with the term, omnichannel is the best way to reduce friction in your customer experience. It means your customers’ touchpoints are integrated so that your audience is receiving constant attention and nutrition. They have everything they need to know about your product in every channel they are on.

READ ALSO: WHAT IS OMNICHANNEL? (AND WHY IT IS SO CRUCIAL FOR BUSINESSES)

Now that you know that collaborative selling is the secret ingredient in optimizing customer relationships to the fullest, here are a few tips on how to use a team collaboration tool in your favor.

How to boost your sales using a team collaboration platform

1. Increase customer retention by unifying touchpoints

Great things can happen when you unify all messaging and touchpoints. According to a survey conducted by SDL, 90% of consumers expect consistent brand experiences across different channels and devices.

No matter the channel, your sales team should be ready to meet customers’ demands and keep them satisfied. A team collaboration platform like Rocket.Chat allows you to get in touch with your audience in different channels, such as Gmail, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram and more.

Besides that, did you know that 95% of all converted leads are reached by the sixth call attempt? This number comes from Velocify’s Ultimate Contact Strategy Report and shows how important follow-ups are and how sales team management should be improved.

With a team collaboration tool, your sales team can keep track of every stage your leads are. By unifying touchpoints you will be able to increase sales and improve customer retention as your customers interact with you in many different ways, so they have consistency and feel like they are being taken care of.

2. Improve response time by centralizing information for your agents

Did you know that sales agents who reach leads within an hour are almost seven times more likely to have meaningful conversations with decision-makers? This number comes from a study conducted by the Harvard Business Review and shows how agility is a big deal when it comes to contacting leads and customers.

In the collaborative work era, there should be no information holders. Centralized collaboration allows you to have visibility of customer and prospect information history, key elements for a sales team to be able to maintain workflows, regardless of the absence of a teammate.

With the right team collaboration tool, reaching out to customers becomes easier and quicker. You can bring your teams together and organize all of your conversations in one place, keeping your sales team on the same page. Some of the things you can do in the platform are:

• Messaging: Individual and Group;
• Channels: Private or Public;
• Threads and Discussions;
• Audio and Video;
• File and Screen Sharing;
• History Search;
• And more.

https://youtu.be/MW_qsbgt1KQ

3. Keep track of your sales team’s progress

In order to manage your sales team effectively, you must consistently analyze your team’s performance so you will know what gaps to work on.

The right communication tool, with smart features, is crucial for bussiness' managers nowadays. For example, Rocket.Chat’s Analytics feature allows you to understand the average number of abandoned chats, chat durations, and get insights on your team’s performance.

In addition to that, Rocket.Chat’s Engagement Dashboard gives you a complete overview of relevant information about your salespeople. With this feature you will be able to find out the busiest periods, most popular channels, and when your team is most active supporting clients.

Put an end to information silos and improve customer retention.

Every interaction with your customers is a big opportunity to show them just how important they are to you and, of course, keep them coming back for your service.

Once you start using a team collaboration tool, your sales team will spend less time on administrative tasks and meetings and start focusing on what really matters: creating strong bonds with your audience through a consistent omnichannel customer experience. And you will manage a team that is reaching their sales goals while giving the best customer service possible.

Are you ready to close more deals and achieve better sales follow-up results in a shorter amount of time? Get in touch with our team and we’ll help you out!