TY - JOUR
T1 - Sales force automation
T2 - Review, critique, research agenda
AU - Buttle, Francis
AU - Ang, Lawrence
AU - Iriana, Reiny
PY - 2006/12
Y1 - 2006/12
N2 - We review and critique the research literature on sales force automation (SFA). SFA involves the application of information technology to support the sales function. SFA software provides functionality that helps companies manage sales pipelines, track contacts and configure products, inter alia. The paper is organized into four main sections. First, we review the SFA environment, identifying definitions, vendor classifications and software attributes. We then move to a review and classification of the academic research that has been published on SFA. We find that the entire body of SFA knowledge attempts to answer just four questions: Why do organizations adopt SFA? What are the organizational impacts of SFA? What accounts for the success or failure of SFA projects? What accounts for variance in salesperson adoption of SFA? We then critique this body of knowledge on a number of theoretical and methodological grounds, and finally propose a research agenda for the future.
AB - We review and critique the research literature on sales force automation (SFA). SFA involves the application of information technology to support the sales function. SFA software provides functionality that helps companies manage sales pipelines, track contacts and configure products, inter alia. The paper is organized into four main sections. First, we review the SFA environment, identifying definitions, vendor classifications and software attributes. We then move to a review and classification of the academic research that has been published on SFA. We find that the entire body of SFA knowledge attempts to answer just four questions: Why do organizations adopt SFA? What are the organizational impacts of SFA? What accounts for the success or failure of SFA projects? What accounts for variance in salesperson adoption of SFA? We then critique this body of knowledge on a number of theoretical and methodological grounds, and finally propose a research agenda for the future.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33845622909&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1468-2370.2006.00128.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1468-2370.2006.00128.x
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:33845622909
SN - 1460-8545
VL - 8
SP - 213
EP - 231
JO - International Journal of Management Reviews
JF - International Journal of Management Reviews
IS - 4
ER -