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SFA Adoption: Empirical Evidences from a Case Study

Author

Listed:
  • Silvio Cardinali

    (Assistant Professor, Management Department - Economics Faculty "G. Fuà ", Polytechnic University of Marche, Piazzale Martelli 8 - 60121, Ancona, Italy.)

  • Gian Luca Gregori

    (Professor, Management Department - Economics Faculty "G. Fuà ", Polytechnic University of Marche Piazzale Martelli 8 - 60121, Ancona, Italy.)

  • Paola Palanga

    (Management Department - Economics Faculty "G. Fuà ", Polytechnic University of Marche, Piazzale Martelli, 8 - 60121, Ancona, Italy.)

Abstract

Understanding how technology investments create business value is a research priority in today's technology-intensive world. Drawing on a literature review as well as a qualitative study, this research suggests that sales technology can support both: externally focused tasks towards managing customer relationships and internal administrative tasks. To unleash its real potential, sales technology should be designed to enable customer relationships rather than being perceived as a cost cutting tool. Today organisations are forced to constantly invent new ways of interacting with the customer to increase customer loyalty and to decrease the possibility of commoditization. This paper will focus on Sales Force Automation (SFA) and its increasing importance. It will explore the purpose of SFA, its advantages and disadvantages, and its future impact on organisations through a qualitative research study: the authors investigated a small company operating in the business-to-business services sector to obtain practical feedback on the organisational and individual implications, the potential benefits and the problems related to adoption of an SFA system.

Suggested Citation

  • Silvio Cardinali & Gian Luca Gregori & Paola Palanga, 2014. "SFA Adoption: Empirical Evidences from a Case Study," International Journal of Business and Social Research, LAR Center Press, vol. 4(6), pages 123-136, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:lrc:larijb:v:4:y:2014:i:6:p:123-136
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    References listed on IDEAS

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