Article authored by Business Manager Fábio Olyntho, originally published in Dinheiro Vivo.

The post-internet and mobile-phone era brought important advances, making it easier to connect people across the entire world. There are now 5 billion smartphones in use and more than 5 million different apps. The abundance of tools and communication channels has made it easier to interact with clients, consumers, and among employees, but it has had a negative impact on data organization and analysis, ushering in the era of "rework."

"Rework" and the lack of productivity

The typical day of a sales professional still involves keeping an eye on email, answering questions via WhatsApp, filling out Excel spreadsheets, scheduling meetings with the team and clients, sending invites, compiling results over several days and analyzing them, preparing presentations, creating charts, and, if there's any time left, focusing on bringing in new "leads" and selling. These processes were disconnected, because customers used various communication channels. This is the current reality for many companies, which end up with low-performing teams, disjointed processes, and no predictive analysis of their results.

"Rework" is very common and eats up precious time for any professional. It's visible, for example, in the databases generated by interactions with clients, consumers, and among employees. In the "Customer Journey," the customer is first attracted by marketing campaigns, becoming a "lead" for the sales team. Without supporting technology in the database, this "lead" has to be requalified, and may later turn into an opportunity. Before the deal closes, several people and various communication channels are engaged on both sides. Everyone is working with no way to connect. Conversation topics end up scattered across different channels, and with every update, all the information has to be researched and reorganized into an Excel spreadsheet. There's no analysis of the data, the processes, or the people involved, let alone automation in distributing tasks, schedules, and follow-up. Without history, an overview, or visibility into the cost all this is generating for the company, the manager's work is not very effective.

The Age of Fluidity

In recent years there have been fundamental changes that marked the arrival of the Age of Fluidity. The first change came in 1999, when Salesforce made available the first cloud-based enterprise application, kicking off this model. In the following years, advances in computing power at lower costs enabled the rise of artificial intelligence, which is growing exponentially today. Beyond this, we have the Internet of Things (IoT), smart machines equipped with sensors and connected to exchange data, and Machine Learning, machine learning through the use of sophisticated algorithms and mathematical models on raw data, helping to predict future outcomes. All these technologies, in advanced solutions such as the Salesforce platform, are interconnected, giving companies greater efficiency in the use of tools, deep intelligence through data analysis, greater predictability, and a 360-degree view of the entire process. This reality drives a drastic change, for the better, in the consumer experience.

Personalized, measurable, real-time knowledge

In this new era, marketing has become personalized and automated. About 84% of consumers prefer to be treated as unique individuals and to have specific experiences. Campaigns are now customized one by one, using all the knowledge available about that consumer - their needs, behavior, and trends. This applies across all channels, whether online or offline. Everything is measurable in real time and connected to the sales teams' goals.

The sales team now generates more qualified opportunities, with data on the preferences and behaviors of potential customers, allowing them to act with greater efficiency and fluidity, carrying the customer's journey forward. From the first interaction with this new contact to the closing of the sale - which in complex cases involves in-person meetings with decision-makers - no information is lost by the so-called "Sales Development Representative." All emails, calls, and other communication channels are connected on the platform, giving the sales professional access to information in a single place and enabling them to operate with the help of Einstein, the Artificial Intelligence feature. Its predictive analysis brings the ability to close opportunities, letting the professional focus on the most promising ones.

The customer service area, once reactive, has become proactive. Connected machines equipped with sensors, in coordination with Artificial Intelligence and IoT, drive this proactivity. They anticipate the need for adjustments and direct teams with total efficiency, well before the customer complains.

Within a few years we will be working in a fluid process. With technological advancement, we will gain in productivity and have more time for new tasks and for our lives. Are you ready for the Age of Fluidity?