How proposal management software can support sales teams and client retention amid labor scarcity

Jennifer Tomlinson
Written by Jennifer Tomlinson / Apr 28, 2022

As Executive VP of Marketing, I work to identify business needs and help QorusDocs’ clients generate revenue more effectively and efficiently. I spearhead efforts to increase brand awareness through digital marketing and client engagement.

It’s no secret the COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on the workforce. For sales teams, in particular, they’re experiencing major burnout due to significant staff shortages and increased workloads as service demands soar.

According to new research, 57% of sales professionals say their workloads are more than their capacity. Sixty-seven percent also report that they’re now working more than their contracted hours. This is particularly concerning considering unresolved burnout often leads to higher turnover rates among salespeople, almost 35%, according to recent studies.

During this time of considerable change and uncertainty, companies must support their sales teams with the tools needed to efficiently manage their workloads and keep operations moving. Additionally, as sales teams evolve, retaining clients is more important than ever. In fact, U.S. companies lose over $136.8 billion annually due to poor customer retention, making customer satisfaction and continued business crucial for success.

With proposal management software like QorusDocs, sales teams can manage their workloads and stress levels and keep current clients satisfied. The software enables sales teams to streamline the often time-consuming, intensive proposal process with automated tools that support collaboration and utilize artificial intelligence to select the most engaging, relevant content for prospects.

Proposal management software also allows companies to foster an empowering and successful environment where sales teams can work on proposals with ease and less stress, allowing them to dedicate more time to meeting current clients’ needs, ultimately strengthening relationships, and leading to greater retention rates.

Proposal management software enables sales teams to handle proposals with ease

Proposal software like QorusDocs offers numerous benefits for short-staffed sales teams managing an abundance of proposals each year including automation, close collaboration, and time savings.

With its AI capabilities, proposal management software can truly streamline the proposal process and allow teams to manage more business requests despite having fewer employees. Proposal software enables companies to efficiently create high-quality proposals with its auto-fill capabilities, intuitive integrations, and up-to-date content libraries that produce personalized responses in minutes instead of hours.

As a result of these automated capabilities, sales teams can complete proposals with fewer employees and collaborate seamlessly, regardless of location. The software allows remote teams to do efficient work, assign tasks, and monitor deadlines no matter where they are located, saving time and streamlining the process.

Proposal management software also seamlessly integrates popular CRM platforms and software like Microsoft 365, making it easier for teams to collaborate on important, lengthy documents such as proposals and keep up with their volume of work.

According to recent research, 72% of sales and proposal teams using proposal software saw a positive change (56% median improvement) in the ease of collaboration, with more software users finding it “easy to collaborate on requests” (85% vs. 66%). Similarly, 83% of respondents using proposal management software feel their internal response process was “clear and straightforward,” compared to only 68% of those not using the software.

As a result of proposal management software’s automation, close collaboration, and time-saving capabilities, sales teams can better manage workloads, dedicate more time to other tasks, and reduce stress, all of which are key to improving client relationships and retaining business.

Utilize proposal software to support client retention

It’s no surprise that 89% of companies say that excellent customer service plays a huge role in customer retention. However, amid the labor shortages and growing industry demands, some sales teams have less time available to dedicate to current customers as they deal with other time-consuming tasks like proposals.

In fact, according to new research, 59% of sales and proposal teams spend over 30% of their time on just proposals. By utilizing proposal management software, sales teams can more efficiently work on high-quality proposals and dedicate more time to other important operational tasks including meeting current clients’ needs and strengthening relationships, all of which lead to greater retention rates.

This is especially important considering, on average, 44% of businesses focus primarily on customer acquisition while only 18% focus on customer retention efforts. Despite this, however, 82% of companies agree that retention is cheaper than acquisition, and 65% of a company’s business opportunities come from existing customers.

Proposal management software supports manageable workloads for sales teams, which is essential during the Great Resignation. Currently, sales teams’ turnover is at a staggering 35%, 13% higher than other departments. Working too many hours, stressful workloads, and lack of flexibility are just a few of the main reasons why professionals left their jobs in the past year.

When employees move on from their positions, companies risk fracturing relationships with existing customers who had connections with those employees. In fact, according to industry research, 68% of customers eventually leave a business due to indifference on behalf of the company. When shifting client accounts internally, it’s inherently important the transaction is handled properly or clients may look elsewhere for business.

However, with automation software like QorusDocs, companies can better support salespeople by reducing the factors that often cause them to resign. Proposal software makes collaboration seamless and its AI-powered content recommendations allow sales teams to produce high-quality documents in less time and with fewer employees. The adaptability and easy-to-use functions of the software make the entire process more efficient, reducing workloads and stress among sales teams.

As a result, sales teams can continue to function at high rates while managing operations in a timely, low-stress fashion – fostering a more positive, collaborative work environment that keeps employees happy, supports successful client retention, and leads to business-boosting win rates with new prospects.