Personalized messages convert more leads than generic ones. But if sales reps spend all their time writing emails, they will never be able to scale up or hone their skills. So, what should they do?

The simple answer is to leverage the sales engagement software. From personalizing your automated messages to boosting productivity, the benefits of using sales engagement platforms are many. According to a recent study, 51% of B2B companies currently use sales engagement software, with another 13% planning to invest in the sales platform in the near future.

However, with more than thousands of sales outreach platforms available in the market today, choosing the right tool can be a challenge. Here is a complete guide on sales engagement tools, their benefits, use cases, and the factors to look for in an effective platform.

What is a sales engagement platform and how does it work? 

A sales engagement platform (SEP) facilitates efficient communication between your sales reps and prospects/customers. It diversifies the communication channels and allows the reps to connect with prospects on the phone, send voicemails, text messages, and emails, and hold video meetings. The best sales engagement platforms allow sales teams to: 

• Build custom communication sequences. For example, you might start with a phone call with new leads and then follow up through an email three days later. 
• Efficiently unite all communication data in a single place, so sales reps don’t have to toggle between multiple programs in search of specific information. 
• Sell smarter by tracking calls, emails, and social media engagement.

Which is the right sales engagement platform for you? 

Outreach vs Outplay

While both are fantastic options, Outplay is a fairly more affordable option when compared to the $800 premium package you have to pay for the Outreach onboarding. Plus unlike Outreach, Outplay works out-of-the-box with major CRMs - Salesforce, Pipedrive, Hubspot, Microsoft Dynamics, Zoho CRM, and your other everyday apps. Seamless two-way sync with your CRM that eliminates admin work and improves rep productivity.

Not to forget the Outreach call-sync option comes with issues of its own. Calls under two minutes will not sync with your CRM, while Outplay comes with built-in call recording and call coaching capabilities that help you understand the impact of every sales conversation. It’s an easy choice really. 

Salesloft vs Outplay

Most sales engagement platforms (SEP) aim at a multi-channel outreach, and these two are the best. However, Outplay gets bonus points here with its Magic Chat option - a live chat that your prospect can click on via your outreach channel.

Plus, Outplay has power-packed AI capabilities to help you rise above the competition and drive momentum into every deal. Outplay also comes with native integrations with major CRMs - Salesforce, Pipedrive, Hubspot, Zoho, and Microsoft Dynamics - that help your sales reps focus on more important tasks like closing prospects over manual data entry.

Klenty vs Outplay 

Both Klenty and Outplay are great tools to use. But unlike most SEPs that have a basic dialer, Outplay comes with the capability to coach your sales reps in real-time with live call barge-in, whisper, and listen-to options. Not to forget its Magic Chat option - a live chat that your prospect can click on via your outreach channel.

Outplay also has an AI-based email writer that helps with hyper-personalized email outreach, which considers a prospect's interest, product information, and recent activity. You get amazing customer support too - so you know which SEP to pick.

What should you look for? 

A great sales engagement tool can significantly boost productivity and sales, whereas the wrong platform can cause serious headaches and disappointments. When choosing a sales engagement software, look out for these features that will help you scale the business:

#1 – A single platform for all communications 

For sales teams working with several high-ticket clients, researching, updating, and keeping track of all the information can be overwhelming. The best sales engagement platforms leverage the power of AI to capture vast amounts of engagement data and make recommendations on how sales teams can improve workflows and communications. What’s better, all this information is stored in a single place. Meaning, no matter what mode of communication your customers prefer, all of it can be accessed by your reps from a single dashboard.

#2 – Workflow automation tools 

The faster you engage with your leads, the higher the chances of converting them into customers. That’s why sales engagement software that can automate several parts of your workflow can be a game changer when it comes to improving outreach sales engagement.

Good automation results in more accurate data by reducing human error and relieving the sales team from the burden of data input.

Platforms like OutPlay HQ’s sales engagement tool process large amounts of data and automate all repetitive tasks so your sales reps can spend less time scheduling meetings, data entry, or sending follow-up information. Furthermore, based on your needs, the tool allows you to either trigger auto-emails or send manual emails. This means you get to save hours each week to refocus your teams’ efforts on generating more leads in your pipeline.

#3 – Scoring and sales performance analytics 

A sales engagement tool should not only help businesses efficiently engage with prospects but also help them generate leads and track them accurately.

So, when choosing a sales engagement tool, look for one with a sales reporting feature, such as Outplay HQ’s sales engagement platform. It offers accurate, easy-to-understand, real-time insights, so every member of the team is on the same page. It also helps to identify areas of the sales engagement process that can be improved.

With Outplay, you can monitor every interaction your sales reps have with potential customers and track their performance, opportunity stages, sequence stats, prospect stats, meeting booked, task executions, and more. This offers greater visibility into your sales pipeline and performance, so you can alter it for improvements and craft excellent and personalized customer journeys.

Sell more with the right sales engagement software solution 

Sales engagement software can be a great investment to boost your business’s sales efforts and make processes more efficient. However, you should evaluate each platform based on its ability to support various use cases across teams before purchasing one.

The right tool will help your sales team become more productive, gather more data, waste less time doing meaningless tasks, streamline processes and workflows, and achieve better success rates. 

If you are looking for a sales engagement platform to take the stress off your sales reps’ shoulders, give Outplay HQ’s sales engagement tool a try. A perfect platform for all your sales needs, this powerful platform engages prospects on multiple sales channels, automate manual non-revenue generating tasks, and analyzes sales outreach leveraging powerful analytics. Plus, it allows deep integration with all the tools sales teams depend on, such as Zapier, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and more.

Book a free demo here.