Boost Sales with AI: How SAP Sales Cloud Transforms CRM Automation

The usefulness of artificial intelligence for sales and CRM automation is pretty obvious.

Take the example of a customer who emails for a quote on a multi-pump system while also inquiring about a service issue at the same time.

Before AI, a sales rep would need to find the service update for that customer, decide if a discount was feasible, and then draft a carefully worded response filled with empathy. This entire exchange would take significant back and forth, and details probably would slip through the cracks and lengthen the sales cycle.

Now, take this same example and give the agent the SAPCRM, Sales Cloud, which includes intelligent CRM automation driven by AI. Armed with AI, the situation for the sales rep looks much different.

Instead of just storing data, the SAPCRM works with it. AI-driven CRM automation within the system would collect the customer’s service history and purchase patterns, recommend a personalized discount based on the customer’s value, and draft the email automatically with generative AI, hitting all the key points. Our previously overworked sales rep now just has to review the email and add a few personal touches.

The utility of AI for the sales process is pretty clear. And the good news is that SAP Sales Cloud offers this level of AI-driven CRM automation today.

Sales Cloud: The SAP CRM That Helps Close the Sale

SAP Sales Cloud is an AI-driven customer relationship management (CRM) solution for sales automation, lead management, and analytics.

The SAP CRM ticks all the boxes that a sales team needs in a contact management solution, including scoring, reminders, CRM automation, mobile access, and slightly more advanced features such as dynamic visit planning that helps automatically optimize routes for field service selling.

But what really sets the SAP CRM apart is its AI-driven CRM automation combined with the breadth of data the system can access as an integrated part of an SAP enterprise resource planning solution (ERP).

ERP solutions such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition are end-to-end backend systems that house all of a company’s data and bring both visibility and coordination throughout an organization. By natively and directly tying into this central nervous system of the business, the AI-driven CRM automation within the SAP CRM can intelligently assist sales agents in ways that most CRM solutions cannot.

Businesses can use the deep integration between SAP Sales Cloud and the larger ERP for sophisticated CRM automation use cases such as customer interactions that mix manufacturing information along a supply chain with shipping data, past customer interactions and current marketing campaigns.

Businesses are not locked into one AI model for their CRM automation, either. With the SAP CX AI Toolkit and SAP Joule, businesses can choose from a range of large language models (LLMs) including GPT, Llama, Gemini or Claude.

AI-Driven CRM Automation Capabilities

There are a number of areas within the SAP CRM where a sales team can use AI for more intelligent CRM automation.

• Customer Data Analysis. Sales reps can use the AI within the Sales Cloud for analyzing each sales lead and customer account for the creation of customized sales profiles that highlight trends, opportunities, and the background needed for driving additional purchases.
• Personalized Sales Strategies. The SAP CRM can suggest specific sales strategies for a given customer, and even tailor these strategies further by taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of the given sales rep when giving advice.
• Content Generation. Businesses can use the generative AI capabilities of any of the leading LLMs for automatically drafting emails, proposals, and other sales content, freeing up agent time for more of the human side of sales.
• Performance Optimization. AI-driven analytics can track sales performance individually and collectively, highlighting strategies that are working and suggesting areas for improvement for the sales team.

AI for the Win

Through the use of deep, AI-driven CRM automation, businesses win even more than individual agents who save time on the manual tasks associated with sales.

Some of the benefits for an organization include:

• Better Efficiency. AI can automate routine tasks, saving time and reducing administrative burdens, so sales agents are happier and more productive.
• Message Consistency. A business can ensure uniform communication across a team through the generative AI capabilities of the SAP CRM. This improves brand consistency and more sales.
• Improved Personalization. CRM automation based on AI can tailor responses using a full picture of the prospect, also improving customer satisfaction and closing rates.
• Shortened Sales Cycles. With the use of AI and comprehensive automation, sales teams can assess better, move faster, and close more quickly.

The AI embedded in SAP Sales Cloud is just one of the many advantages of using a modern ERP solution such as SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition.

Learn more about how an SAP ERP solution can transform not just your sales operation, but also your entire business. Contact us for an SAP demo or answers to your specific questions. You can reach one of our experienced ERP consultants by calling (801) 642-0123 or writing info@nbs-us.com.