subject: Web Based Sales Leads Management Systems [print this page] If you are successful in attracting new and potentially exciting online sales leads then you may well need the services of a web based sales lead management system in due course. These systems are effectively your "workers" and will allow you to take control of which leads are presented in front of your salespeople, which are filed as potential for the future and which ones are binned as "time wasters".
Real-time capture
While there are some off-line web based sales management systems available, the vast majority now offer a subscription service which allows you access to the online service. The very fact you have access online means that you can use and login to your web based sales leads management system on any computer, anywhere around the world. The real-time capture of your sales leads will ensure that, hopefully, you will have much information to decipher and filter!
Customize your filters
No matter how many different spam protection software packages you place in front of your website the truth is that at some point you will receive "time wasting" enquiries. The vast majority of web based lead management systems allow you to customize your filters so that certain subjects and certain styles of e-mails are filtered out and effectively ignored. There is the potential to lose the odd one or two sales leads but the fact is that filtering "spam" will save you an enormous amount of time in the future.
Real-time tracking
There are obviously various stages with regards to receiving an online sales lead and ultimately, hopefully, processing this lead into a successful purchase. However, using real-time tracking systems you can not only go back over the more successful sales leads received by your business but you can also look over those which have maybe "fallen at the final hurdle" and see if you could have reacted differently. If you receive complaints or queries about the standard of service you are offering you will also have the opportunity to backtrack and see exactly when a sales lead was received, when it was responded to and the manner and style of the response. Learning from your mistakes is a vital element of any business that is looking to grow into the future.
Eliminate duplicate enquiries
If there is one area of business which can cause major problems it are multiple enquiries from the same person. Unless you are able to control the flow of sales leads, and ultimately monitor duplicate enquiries, you may well end up with more than one person answering the same enquiry - potentially in a different manner. Spotting multiple enquiries, which may simply be the result of impatience on behalf of the customer, can save time and potential problems further down the line.
Conclusion
While a web based sales leads management system is unlikely to be necessary from day one, if your business is successful and does attract a number of sales leads then this is the type of software which could literally be worth its weight in gold. The ability to filter out "spam", track any enquiries in real-time, erase duplicate enquiries and also have an effective audit trail will not only help in communications with your customers but will also help you to improve your customer services operation going forward.
