The relationship between the sales process and cloud computing

In the past, the sales process was done manually. Sales representatives used printed catalogs and assembled quotes by hand. These quotes would then be physically delivered to customers. Changes to a quote or fixing errors in either the product or pricing meant the quote process had to be started again.

Before cloud computing, closing deals included business cards and manual processing. Over the decades, though, the sales process changed along with the advent of technology, and businesses started using automation as a result.

A business that hosts everything in-house is called an on-premises model. The on-premises model of using software also has its own challenges in the form of a lack of flexibility and agility for the sales rep. When data is disconnected, sales reps struggle to keep up with demand. Without the sales process being automated, businesses would face longer sales cycles, resulting in revenue loss.

The limitations that businesses face with an on-premises model were tackled by the introduction of cloud computing. Cloud computing has taken the world of software by storm and the sales process has not been left out, consequently getting a boost in the form of automation with speed, enhanced security, ease of use, centralized reporting, and an efficient sales process.

Salesforce is one of the leading Customer Relationship Management (CRM) vendors, having realized the limitations of the traditional on-premises model, leading the transformation of the sales process through their cloud computing software.

With the evolution of cloud computing, the Salesforce sales process has also benefitted. We'll explore the quote-to-cash process in detail in the next section.