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Research on sales force automation has generally focused on the adoption of individual technologies with relatively little attention paid to integration of those technologies to the entire sales process. This objective of the study was to explore current company practices that involved initial goals, implementation practices, outcomes and evaluation measures used in the process. Findings suggest that some planning and evaluation practices have been used in automating the sales process. However, systematic formal planning and evaluation practices were not widely adopted. Improved communication with the client and access to information were the most frequent positive outcomes. Underestimating overall project costs and the amount of training required were the most frequent negative experiences. Suggestions for improving the adoption of sales force automation practices are offered.
Erffmeyer et al. (Mon,) studied this question.