Artificial Intelligence (AI), aligned with voice recognition capability, empowers modern sellers with an awesome strategic tool, particularly in the enhancement of CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Indeed, it’s conceivably one of the master keys to selling smarter – with bigger, faster, and smoother sales volume. Many AI proponents sing its praises – how it saves sales reps time and money; how it increases their forecasting accuracy, how it has an aura of driving a more efficient and effective sales team.
The question is: How is this elevated performance specifically achieved in practical, everyday terms?
Let’s start with the basics: sales managers manage their teams for real-time tangible results by keeping a log of customer calls with succinct notes on progress made. Without a comprehensive sales record, there’s no way to prioritize or guide rep activities. Their goal is to close more deals in less time (i.e., the quickest time to value). To reps compiling the reports, it’s a tedious task that detracts from valuable selling opportunity. Sales reps must meet buyers’ expectations to be successful; find ways to differentiate their buyers’ journey, and engage them in a more personalized buyer experience. Compiling long lists of notes is not a top priority given a rep’s mindset.
Visualize a busy day at work, probably energized by sales and marketing activity that lies at the core of the company’s integrated divisions. Multiple tasks in modern businesses deal with accelerated employee mobility that occurs outside the brick and mortar of official offices. Conference sales meetings connect widespread geographic points, alongside travel to sales calls in other cities and states. Added to this is the frenetic pace imposed on sales teams moving quickly from one client interaction to the next. The combination of circumstances creates memory disruption and often fatigue (emotional and physical). By the end of the day, even reps with the most retentive recall may easily let critical meeting details slip.
Voice Recognition makes AI application an easy tool to use
A lot of AI software options assume that users fully understand how to use them and have the time and inclination to follow all the intricate steps to activate the App (i.e., find the right App, register or log in, then search for the applicable App section that works the task, and so on). Unfortunately, the reps do not, and are disinclined to learn. Sales managers pushing for AI reporting innovation find it difficult to bridge the “knowledge gap” because the reps notoriously prefer to spend time selling (as opposed to administrating). For AI to work, the reps have to believe it’s intuitive and easy to navigate.
An AI program with sophisticated voice recognition addresses this dilemma head-on: it shortens the logging process down from hours to mere minutes. As customer meetings reach completion (and while the details are still fresh in the rep’s mind), he or she conversationally interacts with prompts and a line of AI structured questioning. Each question logically leads to another (depending on the rep’s answer) that in many cases only requires the rep to speak or tap specific keys before moving on. At the end of the “human-machine discourse,” the AI program fits all the pieces together and formulates an informed update.
Astonishingly, the updated report on the just-closed meeting (let’s call this Customer A) is developed while the rep is traveling to the next call (to meet with Customer B), thus maximizing time. The AI program works in parallel (while the salesman engages Customer B) to proactively outline the next suggested steps the rep should take to progress Customer A. All the fluff and unnecessary repetition are erased from the equation, leaving behind only pertinence and bullet action points. It has changed the face of the typical to-do-list, saving not only time but giving invaluable next-stage directions.
The time-saving benefits are escalating, and emotionally driven decisions are decelerating
Voice recognition – the rep’s voice – built into the AI program creates numerous time-saving benefits. It provides a virtual assistant (VA) functioning in practically the same way as a personal secretary, but without taking up space or involving HR. The big telling point in any sales process is the willingness of the prospect to accept the next meeting. One of the vital recommendations provided by the program after the last call may well be, “Arrange a further meeting with the client to address X, Y or Z.” Accordingly, a simple voice instruction to the VA initiates the scheduling and confirming of meetings to align with the rep’s existing agenda.
“Next meetings” is a subject all by itself. In many cases, it’s the moment of truth: is the customer still engaged or not? Answering this can cause stress (that intrudes on productivity) and invariably requires more than one attempt to connect with the prospect (quite time-consuming). AI call scheduling takes emotion out of the picture and persists in getting to the next step until an answer, one way or another, is derived. Release of worry and time are clear benefits.
Affordable Virtual Assistants controlled by Voice Recognition
VAs are available to anyone at the click of a button. The range of tasks extends to creating new contacts. Say a sales rep has a possible lead from a business card they got at a networking party. A voice-activated instruction to the VA will vet the lead by reconciling it with the CRM data to determine if it’s a worthy follow-up. In short, it decides whom to add or delete from the CRM without bothering its “boss” (the rep). A proactive VA with the capabilities to rank customers on critical parameters injects not only time-saving but objectivity into the process. It improves the accuracy of forecasts and keeps the focus on customers where efforts contain the highest reward ratio.
Who’s paving the way on AI and Voice Recognition?
The leading players in the race to offer the perfect VA are, of course, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. It’s developing at an astronomic pace. Outside of these giants, several AI companies continuously enter the arena with a mission to provide ready-to-use software with very specific applications. Finally, a comment on voice recognition (VR): advances in VR technology make it almost a flawless and seamless process. We can transcribe voice into text with pinpoint accuracy and even anticipate the speaker’s next words and phrases (providing language recommendations for emails, submissions, and the like).
Your path to AI and Voice Recognition guided by an expert consultant.
Automated Sales Enablement without AI incorporating voice recognition is almost unforgivable. The time-saving benefits at affordable prices are groundbreaking. Modern B2B entities seeking new markets, with agile sales initiatives, cannot ignore the flood of options available online and through consultancy companies like Pitcher. The latter’s professional experts can dissect any client’s integrated sales/marketing effort to find the best AI-Voice recognition applications for immediate ROI results. If you are thinking all-in-one AI solutions, including VR, to turn new prospects into new customers, think Pitcher.
To experience Pitcher first hand, interested parties can request a demo at pitcher.com.