How Much Can You Benefit from Sales Commission Automation?

Are you paying your salespeople properly? We are certain that automating sales commission will save your company money and time. Besides, it’s a sure way of getting your incentive payouts done accurately and on time.

Unfortunately, we still have a large number of companies who have difficulties getting their commission payout right. This is according to 2017 statistics on sales compensation management best practices posted at WorldatWork. Nearly everything is being automated or simplifed for businesses nowadays, and sales commission is not an exception. Here's how your business can benefit from an automated sales commission structure.

Over 80% of companies cannot pay commissions accurately

Wrong commission payouts breed mistrust and can be demoralizing to salespeople. Besides, a single accounting error can multiply into many hours of lost productivity. Your company will also lose money in case these errors inflate the commission values.

Instead of using spreadsheets and other manual methods of calculating commissions which are prone to errors, try an automated system. You will reduce errors, restore the confidence of salespeople in your commission system, and save your company a lot of money.

18% of companies interviewed still don’t generate incentive reports

Sales reps love it when they can view their progress at any time of the month. These reports don’t just help a salesperson know how much they’ll earn, but also where they stand with regard to fulfilling their quota. An intelligent commission system has the ability to produce individual reports for each salesperson to track their performance. You will have less arguments with your sales reps and more productivity.  

47% go up to 2 months without processing these incentives

Delaying payment for workers can arouse serious dissatisfaction issues. And the last thing you want for your business is a dissatisfied salesperson. Remember, sales reps are the fuel that keeps your business running.

This confirms the need for efficient commission calculation systems that produce accurate results within the agreed time. Clearly, a manual system won’t match this requirement and that’s why you should consider switching to automated sales commission management.

38% have insufficient or below average analytic and reporting ability

Analysis and reporting of sales data come in handy when the executives of any business want to see how their sales and marketing department is performing. They’ll rely on such reports to make decisions that can help move the department, as well as the company, ahead. The challenge is when such reports are done manually and take longer than expected. Others have serious errors that give the wrong impression of the department’s performance.

Reliable commission software like QCommission takes in the keyed data, processes it, and produces comprehensive reports instantly.  As long as you type your data properly, you are sure to get accurate reports. You may also pull information from several months, weeks, or years back just to see your business’ progress over the specified period.

23% never communicate incentives or compensation plans until later into the fiscal year

Everyone wants to know how their services are going to be compensated in a company. For workers hired on commissions basis, it’s only fair to let them know in advance what they need to do to earn such incentives. The rate for different sales activities should also be outlined. Without a clear pay structure, you risk having demoralized or confused salespeople. Either way, your business is likely to miss its sales targets and your sales reps may opt for that competitor with a comprehensible pay plan.

Fortunately, you can make things easier by using an automated commission system. Sales automation enables you not to just communicate but also demonstrate to your salespeople how different sales activities affect their incentives. And if you choose a web-based system such as Easy-Commission, your salespeople can view the reports of calculated commissions or any other relevant data from anywhere. You’ll also find it convenient to share the information with the accounting department for processing of salaries.

Conclusion

Don’t allow complicated commission processes to bog you down. Leave the laborious tasks to the modern tech systems and see your commission payout streamlined. You’ll have a motivated, productive, and happier sales team.