Virtual Sales Support Teams – Are they the Way Forward?

Jun 04, 2020

Business Support Services

BY lessburn

In today’s technological landscape, work forces are increasingly deployed remotely, and sales teams are becoming increasingly virtual. Going by a study recently conducted by ondeck, by the end of 2020, half of full-time employees are expected to be working remotely, and three-quarters of all employees are expected to not be working in traditional offices, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

Virtual Sales Support is one area that Team lessburn believes has great potential for any company to explore and implement.

Virtual Support Team

Virtual Team is a group of professionals who collaborate and work from different geographical regions. Virtual Teams can be cross-functional among Sales, Product, Human Resource, Finance, Parallel teams or structured according to Organizational requirements. 

A service provider can offer a range of support services to Organizations from a remote location. Typical services offered might include sales, administrative and support. The concept of virtual or remote business support is something that has become more prominent in recent times as small businesses and startups try to keep costs down. As such services are provided by an independent service provider, a business does not have to provide the same benefits or pay the same taxes that it would for a full-time employee.

Factors to consider while choosing a Virtual Sales Support Team

When thinking about building a virtual sales team, there are some factors worth thinking about. 

If there is a compelling reason for the team to be meeting on a daily basis, then a virtual sales team might not be a great choice for your company. But if you are looking at leveraging your team’s varying schedules and locations to offer better business support, then this is an option worth considering. 

2009 study of 80 global software teams by authors from BCG and WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management indicates that well-managed dispersed teams can actually outperform those that share office space. Similarly, an Aon Consulting report noted that using virtual teams can improve employee productivity; some organizations have seen gains of up to 43%.

In-House Vs Virtual Sales Support Team

While thinking about leveraging the sales, there arises a dilemma between hiring an In-House team or out-sourcing Virtual Sales Support Team. There are several advantages of a having a virtual sales support squad such as:

Lower Costs – Virtual sales team members are able to work from a remote location where they do not need to utilize your company office space or resources.

Flexibility – Members are able to achieve better personal flexibility, time zone and are culturally intelligent.

Increased Productivity – Members of a virtual team tend to be more productive as the company that offers their Talent as a service, focuses more on talent retention and offers them full advantages of learning and development through technology.

Comprehensive Support – Companies can offer 24 x 7 support to customers by having support teams operating in different time zones.

Availability of Talent –  Virtual teams are not bound by the limitations of the local talent pool, offering companies the advantage of casting a wider net in their hunt for expertise required for the role.

For instance, located in the Southern City of Coimbatore, an Educational and Technological hub of Tamilnadu,  lessburn is ideally placed to tap into the talent pool of top grade business and management colleges.  

Tracking Output – In the case of virtual teams, productivity and work output can be directly mapped to certain parameters like hours put in, using Project Management and Analysis tools to keep track of on-going projects and having regular meetings, calls and check-ins on the progress made.

Form an Unstoppable Virtual Sales Support Team

Going by trends, building an effective virtual sales team is becoming a focal point for Organizations. But setting up a remote support team is easier said than done. Goal-setting, hiring, communication and accountability are all areas that would require careful thought and strategy in order for them to adapt to the challenges of a virtual sales environment. It is recommended that you go for a business service provider who can offer ‘Talent as a Service’ through support and assistance in sales, customer service and other administrative tasks that fall under non-core activities of the business. This would also ensure that the in-house team is focused on the core activity, product or service of the Organization.

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lessburn provides customized and personalized services through its expert team of Remote Executives and Assistants for Sales and Marketing, Office Management and HR support. We strive to understand our clients’ unique requirements and come up with specialized services tailor-made for large and small business requirements in supporting them with multiple instances with our Talent as a Service.