sales-i

Pros

I love that any data I find related to customers is then linked to the CRM part of the system, so it gives me a reason to contact a customer, ammunition to use when I do and an organized way to record the call or visit etc.

Cons

To be honest, I got a good demonstration of sales-i before we signed up so we knew what we were getting and haven't been disappointed one bit. We use the web version and the apple app for iPads and the use is just as easy, if not easier, on the road. I'd like some kind of push notification on the app for the sales guys but actually, without it, it means they have to log in themselves, which isn't a bad thing. I want to keep everyone engaged.

Pros

From purely a Business Intelligence perspective, Sales-I delivers everything I am expecting. From daily sales reports to analyzing accounts and building campaigns, this program is highly effective .

Cons

When purchased we were hoping to integrate the CRM function but find that the CRM function of Sales-I is truly difficult to use. For it to be utilized by us as a company the e-mail capability will need to increase.

Pros

Looking up volumes of my dealers on the fly. Record function on the note taking in a call.

Cons

- Silly that out west we cannot have the correct date and time.
- desperately need the application to work 100% offline when making notes and entering a call. So many zones on the island I cannot get internet access. Not having this feature does not encourage me to keep up with my notes as there is often no internet connections with several accounts. I know enquirers would not work but that can be done ahead of time and put on the call in PDF format. Easy.
- can be very slow and app times out too fast - 15 min should be changed to 1 hour - there is no sales numbers in Sales-i so why the time out feature being so fast?.
- too many questions when booking a call. "plan to visit" "follow up call next time" none of these are needed to book a call. Each call need preparation but I don't need to put an appointment in to prepare for an appointment. Appointments should be time date place and what to do and with who. That's it.

I just want to pick up my phone and enter info even when offline.

Pros

Sales-i is our hub for all team members to access needed information. It's easy to use and easy to access information on the move. They knew our industry and verticals, so implementation was mostly painless and quick.

Cons

The Sales-i team still has a lot of work to do around reporting. You can usually get what you need by manipulating filters and saved queries, but that is often too much for a Sales Rep in the field. The missing functionality around reporting creates more work for the Marketing Team here.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to sales-i

Pros

Sales-I has been a great device for managing our sales funnel. We have great visibility on our customers that help us strategize and execute on good sales activities to drive our business forward

Cons

I wish it was more customizable. For instant I would like to be able to set targets by Primary Supplier

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to sales-i

Pros

Putting together goals for the team by product line. YTD stuff, but it does not update daily only monthly. Campaigns, but need more training on that.

Cons

I used the Variance+ exclusively until last fall when I was told they were not updated that report any longer. I was also told we would be able to see variance by date rather than by month which is very difficult. I need to see how we are doing compared to prior month all through the month.
Why is there so many things in the ZZZ folder, this should not be.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to sales-i

Pros

Allows you to easily access your customer info, contacts and enter your notes.

Cons

Has definitely been slow up until recently. Syncing the calendar with outlook has been very skiddish.

Pros

I like it because it is very informative before stepping into a meeting I know exactly where we stand with that customer.
It is great to create snapshots as it is a great tool to present to your customers.

Cons

It is quite limited in terms of tracking opportunities. It would be good if this was linked to your outlook e mail so you get reminders of different opportunities that have not been paid attention too.
Accessing opportunities is complex, opportunities being an important step of the sales process having this simplified would go a long way.
I dont like that I cannot create a repetitive call, if I had a visit or task every week I'd like to have a setting that says "repeat" and week, bi-weekly, month options.
A customizing inquires feature would be great, there is too much "fluff" when doing inquiries, if we could customize our own for what we use most often it would be great.

Pros

The reporting is really easy and very fast. Having all contacts in one place is great. Being able to have all sales related info, including account information, targets, opportunities in progress, is good.

Cons

It is not custom fit for us so some things we cannot change because they are integral to the software. In some cases, there is information we do not need. And, we get a "half-fast" view to what we really would like to see. The document filing in the software is not great; if that would be better, it could replace a lot of the documents we have archived centrally on our system.

Pros

Sales-i is a valuable asset to our company as it enables us to take information from a database with poor reporting features and manipulate and analyze this data. As well as provide our shareholders with valuable information for their business.

Cons

I find that the exported reports come out in an awkward fashion in excel.
If you want the information with the header, the document is very difficult to work with.
I wish i could have the excel (no header) format with the header information. When the header is added it adds multiple columns which creates problems in working with the documnt.

Pros

It makes the data that our CRM software provides easier to view

Cons

The cost, the fact that we need to pay for 3 users when we don't have 3 full time sales people. The fact that the contract auto renews without warning.
Also we can't use it to make our sales calls, for various reasons, including that if one customer on a call list phones in with an order which is taken by a staff member who doesn't handle that customer, they can not remove the customer from the call list, leading to unwanted repeated calls to the customer. Also ran too slowly on our broadband.

Pros

Ease of entering calls. Availability of mobile enquiries. Generate Snapshot is a handy feature.
Ability to CC others on call and provide report via email has been very useful time saving tool.

Cons

Sales-I has been slow and glitchy requiring frequent support from our IT staff. A lot of problems with starting the application or logging in. Many functions are very slow to process.
Some functionality is not available on mobile version (i.e. details of Opportunities)
Inability to handle our time zone when syncing with Outlook
Inability to sync Personal Appointments with Outlook

Pros

Excellent software that integrates with our ERP system seamlessly. Great visuals/graphical snapshots.

Cons

Some functionality was different between standard browsers and mobile versions. This seems to be fixed now with the exception of the "Enquires" information is still unavailable in the iPad browser version.

Pros

Ease of use. I start my day with the data it provides. My sales team uses it everyday. it allows us to plan our day and make better use of our time

Cons

the tablet interface, I would like to see an app on the app store.

Pros

The data available to me and my users is accurate, timely and simple to extract. We tell our users that they give a little to get a lot. The users give valuable feedback with regards to call outcomes, but the sales information they receive helps set them up for their most effective sales call by know what lines are up, even or down. The reporting is simple, effective and accurate. I constantly run reports that is share internally and externally. The users have the ability to show purchase history so a dealer can make informed decisions on what products and quantities they should stock.

Cons

Our mobile users have issues logging in consistently.

Pros

It's very powerful and can really help with sales and customer relationships.

Cons

Needs to work on being user friendly when trying to create views. Need to make it as simple as possible to create views so sales staff can create on their own.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to sales-i

Pros

I personally use the Enquiry feature on a daily basis. I get questions on sales numbers and profit margins from our Reps and Execs almost daily and I am able to save an enquiry for them and even put it in their sales-I. Then they can look at the numbers and drill down to get even more information which empowers them. The setup and integration went well and we have been able to add more parameters to make it even more helpful.

Cons

When there are a lot of filters to include, that can be very cumbersome. It would be nice to be able to upload filters instead of putting them in one by one when there are a large number to include or exclude.

Pros

I CAN SLICE AND DICE THE CUSTOMER INFO IN MANY WAYS FOR MY NEEDS

Cons

ITINERARY ENTRY-NEEDING TO POPULATE OTHER THAN BY CITY

Pros

I like the ability to get the customers relevant information quickly. It is usually very quick and easy to access, although we have been having issues, Sales-I is usually quick to fix the problem.

Cons

First this is a good tool as it has pertinent information for you and your customer right at your finger tips. At the end of the day this is still a tracking tool, where I am one that believes sales figures tell the story not a CRM type program. It also depends on how your company uses the software. Any of these types of software are only as good as the information entered.

Pros

enquiry is awsome, I like the report field and how we could generate and plan call. I was use to saleforce and I prefered Sale I

Cons

For canwel some option are not good enough exemple in dashboard when we have a product top 5 for us it's need to be product line instead of sku this is too deep.
We also want to be able to track versus our sale our Opportunity or target.

Pros

The software is easy to use. In addition to the CRM functionality, the business analytics functionality becomes a real asset for us in managing customers and running our business to spot trends.

Cons

Nothing really comes to mind, we are very satisfied with the product and the overall support/service levels.

Pros

The campaigns and running enquiries are impactful. I like the ease of running an enquiry. I do not like how long it takes to generate a report at times. ( I found it helpful to call sales-I last week when my report wouldn't run for over 2 hours - sales-I needed to reset the server)

Cons

I don't like how the dollar figures do not contain a comma. This is very confusing. I also do not like that the year to date compared to previous year to date isn't a complete picture until the final day of the month. The mobile platform is quite a bit different than the desktop version - so it's almost like running two training programs.

Pros

The large amount of Sales info at my fingertips and its there on a daily basis and at anytime. I am able to show my dealers up to the minute their sales dealings and business breakdown with us. The dealers love seeing how they are doing with us and what they are buying. Love being able to check my sales every morning and seeing my sales gaps and where I need to focus more of my time. Love being able book all my calls and update my findings after each one.

Cons

That I can't access it early am. That it don't work the greatest on Auto pilot as I am out in remote areas a lot of the time here in Newfoundland.

Pros

reporting numbers and changes with product being purchased

Cons

not me, but the account managers have always had difficulty with the mobile app and having call notes disappear after putting them in.

also syncing appointments to look out is a coin toss if it works or not.

Pros

I like how easy it is to drill down from a high-level perspective to a customer level perspective.

Cons

It keeps asking me to allow flash. I'm not sure if that is an update that is about to change or if it will continue to use the flash software.

Pros

I have been very impressed with the implementation process. We had a customer contact [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] that was with us every step of the way!! The software is very insightful and geared for the sales process. Contacts to sales data with integration to bring both together and lay out a game plan and implementation of that game plan.

Cons

Because we are a manufacturer representative group the implementation was a little difficult. We are actually still working on correcting the information we transfer to get a more precise use of the software.

Pros

Easy to setup and fairly intuitive. Delivers key data to those who need it, when they need it.

Cons

The flash version is a mess and sorely needs to be updated. They have poured tons of time and money into app development, but the desktop experience is not in sync with mobile.

Pros

Easy product mix annalists. Also excellent at providing real time purchasing data for my customers.

Cons

Poor 3 year history options - year over year

Pros

The Sales vs Gaps Enquiries. They tell you exactly who the customers are that need attention.

Cons

Our company has many layers of management and sales territories can overlap each other. It does not let us restrict sales users to their customers and information but at the same time allow them to make sure they are not calling on another user's customer.

Pros

Analytics are great..
lots of types of data

Cons

daily data transfer from our business system can be a problem... needs a check system for missed data
To slow on fixing problems for what you spend.
Data team being in UK is an issue when its hot to many hours apart

Pros

I am able to produce the data I need for Digital Marketing purposes quickly and accurately. Saved reports have become a staple of my day!

Cons

Big learning curve for new users. A mature sales-i account, with a bunch of saved reports, reduces that curve, but starting fresh (like we did) was difficult.

The GUI feels clunky (not too descriptive, I know) and could be more designed vs engineered.

Pros

Prepares salesman for each call based on prior calls activity, sales trends, and defined opportunities.

Cons

Up to date sales data, which is being beta tested.

Pros

Sales-I does a really good job of consolidating massive amounts of information and making it readily accessible based on any number of criteria. I really like how you can drill down into specifics based on what information you're trying to gather.

Cons

Sales-I isn't intuitively user friendly. You definitely need some training to be able to use it. But once you get past the initial learning curve, the software isn't too difficult to use.

Pros

Customer information was very easy to use, see sales, what they purchased, great for Business reviews if the information was correct.

Cons

We use a antique IBM based green screen software. You simply do not have enough categories to correctly report the same sales numbers as Gartman does.

Pros

I like the combination of the business intelligence as well as the CRM. I use the software regularly to get up to date information from my business system.

Cons

I wish there was a way that I could get my salespeople to utilize the software more on the crm side. We tried many different campaigns but could not get critical mass.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to sales-i

Pros

This product integrated into our business systems with very little trouble. From the setup phase to training to continued followup, this has been a great product for our sales teams.

Cons

Probably the least liked aspect of the software is the inability to set up the targets the way I would like for my team.

Pros

I wanted software that was easy to use for my salespeople on the road. Sales-i makes it easy to log calls and search information

Cons

There are times this software is not user friendly. It seems as if it is 3 separate software platforms merged into one. For example, CRM is clunky. There is not a "LOG" file so I know who changed things or completed a form. The forms I have created do attach to a customer's file. I cannot just print a form. Campigns do not work right and have to be refreshed every day. That seems like it would be a simple fix to have it auto refresh. Overall, the product needs some work.

Pros

The recording process is great because it is easy to do and the access is simple. Daily information that I have access to is more than I have ever had. It gives me in my position the professional appearance knowing what is happening with the customers at my fingertips.

Cons

At this point nothing is standing out as a problem or concern,

Pros

I do like the reporting, though it takes time to navigate until I am fully trained and understand

Cons

trying to get my staff to use this. because it is much more cumbersome than the past programing.

Pros

It presents an array of sales information quickly and professionally. It also has value in organizing and monitoring our sales force and their interactions with the field.

Cons

In our initial year with the program there seemed to be numerous functionality and operating challenges from within the base of users.

Pros

Cloud based, but what isn;t these days. friendly service reps.

Cons

Reports using the enquiries and campaigns are not intuitive ( although I've watched the videos and it should be easier ) and I find that our configuration has limited our ability to assign campaign to users.

reporting is clunky

Pros

Going with Sales-I was a mistake. Poor support, inability to customize easily, unable to upload mass data. We wasted a year with this program then went to hubspot.
Not recommend you launch something without having your ducks in a row

Cons

ease of use, poor support, inability to upload mass data, no auto email function

Pros

Ease of use. Comprehensive data capture. East to follow instructions for implementation.

Cons

I do not know the full capability of the software at this point.

Pros

Tracking OPS sales calls and efficiency of inside parts employees.

Cons

Uploading customers for OPS territories from Rigdig.

Pros

I love how all of the information is at my finger tips and can slice and dice it anyway that I choose

Cons

I dislike the mobile application as it is not as user friendly as the desktop application

Pros

Very quick and easy to use. Easily drill down to gather the information that you're looking for.

Cons

Setting up the software can be time consuming

Pros

The ease of extracting multiple data points from our business system quickly and repeatedly.

Cons

Our integration with Karmak seems to frequently require maintenance resulting in out of date or inaccurate information.

Pros

Navigating Features - They're simple and pulls data quickly.

Cons

There's many times where I've experienced delays or the software simply didn't work. It was usually short term and I have seen improvement throughout 2019 and so far this year.

Pros

Access to data quickly and efficiently. Visual views

Cons

Issues with users being able to login with mobile app. Unusable data loaded into the system.

Pros

Ease of visibility. Very friendly navigation

Cons

Current reliance on Adobe Flash. Data is unavailable during updates.