Jarvis – Artificial Intelligence In Field Sales
How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing the Playing Field
Often consumed with the typical everyday responsibilities, those working in field marketing & sales roles often have the least amount of time to ponder about the evolution of the positions that they hold. And while outside sales related operations have altered itself very little throughout this rapid churn in technology over the last decade, a time will soon come where day to day activities of a field sales rep will change dramatically. Ever wonder what the future of field sales would look like as it adapts to more technological shifts within society? At an increasing rate companies and investment groups are spending more money on technologies with a focus on predictive analytics and artificial intelligence to provide support in sales productivity. The jury is still out on exactly how this space will be impacted, but one thing is for sure. There will be significant changes. More specifically, an area to watch out for involves the traveler’s commute, which at present day is time and resource intensive. Also, and probably to no one’s surprise is the increasing number of outsourced tasks to sophisticated software programs. The addition of a digital personal assistant intelligent enough to assume trivial responsibilities is something field sales reps are dying for. Let’s briefly explore the impact of artificial intelligence a little more.
Travel Logistics
Artificial Intelligence has already begun to impact the traveling field rep. Mapping apps are a good example. Over the last several years they’ve become so sophisticated that not only are we provided the best directions based on distance and time, but we are also alerted by our personal guide of events real time (accidents, traffic bottlenecks, etc.), which ultimately reduce the amount of time we are sitting in automobiles and increases our ability to be productive. In addition, Google’s mapping algorithm uses the combination of historical data and real time events to predict how long a commute is going to be and they have made their mapping program available for anyone to build around. Of course, we are in the beginning stages of A.I.’s potential in improving travel logistics. As more companies leverage existing technologies like Google’s to build even more advanced ones, the burden of travel costs will be alleviated and much more predictable.
No More Driving?
In the 27 page Stanford report Artificial intelligence and Life in 2030 that was released this month, there are some interesting points on the impact of A.I. on transportation. More specifically, consider the below statement:
“As cars will become better drivers than people, city-dwellers will own fewer cars, live further from work, and spend time differently, leading to an entirely new urban organization.”
If came to pass, this sentence alone would mean a totally new work day for the outside sales person. Presently, within major metros driving time can easily eat into a third of the day. Imagine if that was all of sudden no longer a factor. As cars become better and safer at driving themselves, they essentially become moving offices where individuals are able to spend more time planning, prospecting, and participating in more productive activities, ultimately rendering a better ROI on their position.
Cheers to More Automation and Less Data Entry!
Making our lives easier is what technology is supposed to be about. One of the biggest ways to accomplish this is through reducing the number of time intensive low impactful tasks that reps are responsible for completing in order to manage their week. For example, automating the process of arranging weekly or monthly follow ups to locations that they have to visit periodically. The Ideal situation would be for an application to learn your routines and begin to auto-populate future events and alerting you when it’s time.
We are heading into interesting times with the advancement of artificial intelligence. Where we’ll end up is left up solely to our imagination. Whether it’s auto driving cars or digital sales assistants, one thing is certain – outside sales and marketing is ripe for transformation. As someone who is actively participating in the advancement of this space, I for one am looking forward to the much needed evolution. Cheers!
