The Work from Home (WFH) World Is Here to Stay – BPO / Outsourcing Companies Are a Strong Ally

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Let’s look at the WFH data: 40% of B2B sellers agree that it’s easier to conduct meetings with customers, 41% agree that WFH has facilitated easier collaboration, and 58% report they are working more hours each week in a virtual environment. What does all of this mean to the buying / selling culture? Well, we can probably conclude that these perspectives are shaping many post-pandemic business processes.

​​It’s got to happen sooner or later. The world is re-opening and we’re starting to anticipate things like herd immunity, un-quarantining, social proximity, and safer long-distance travel. And as soon as those gates burst open, business travel won’t be far behind.

But how does business travel of the future compare to yesterday’s pre-pandemic model? Prior to COVID-19, business at all levels was conducted primarily in person, and for some companies, necessitated an inordinate amount of travel to facilitate business dealings. These meetings took place in hotels, conferences, restaurants, board rooms – and even on the golf course. With the onset of the pandemic, B2B sales professionals made a huge pivot, replacing face-to-face with virtual meetings. And moving into the “next normal”, what will the customers and buyers want?

While the first instinct might be to return to an in-person model when it comes to CRM, a smarter approach would be to take a good look at how much business travel is truly necessary to successfully navigate a changed business society.

To begin with, what does the customer and buyer prefer? The virtual business model has affected everyone, with WFH becoming the new standard. And while some of these individuals are good and ready to get back to the office and in-person meetings, many of us have realized a new level of efficiency that has come from dispensing with the travel and formalities of live meetings. This along with an increased ability to win deals that involve buying group members spread across multiple time zones, makes WFH an attractive option. A Zoom link has effectively replaced a lot of logged miles and hailing cabs. It’s important to let your customers’ preferences guide your sales motions.

And that begs the question – how has the WFH model really played out? A virtual selling process has required our sales leaders, enablement, and operations teams to adapt their behaviors – for example, repurposing presentation formats. Now it’s time to determine which of these adaptations have supported more productive sales motions, and which virtual strategies worked for your highest-selling company reps. You need to be able to clearly define whether it makes sense to return to old ways – and in many cases, it won’t.

Lastly – this decision, of course, should be supported by data. That’s right – here’s where your CRM system and tools are going to really count. You can’t manage change if you don’t measure its impact. You will want to take a deep dive into pandemic-driven findings, such as which buyers were more – or less – accessible in a WFH world. Which stages of the sales pipeline were slowed down or more seamless? What sold better – or worse – without that in-person pitch?

This is where accredited BPO / outsourcing companies can support this kind of evolution. While you’re figuring out how to recreate and reestablish your business practices in a post-pandemic world, business process outsourcing companies like Anexa – a twenty-year BPO veteran – can pick up the virtual pieces and manage as much, or as little, of your core business activities as you need.

Check in with Anexa today to learn more about partnering with one of the best BPO companies in the market.