SaaS (Software as a Service) tools have become indispensable for sales teams. Choosing the right ones can be the key to unlocking next-level sales productivity.
For every area that impacts productivity, from time management to signing closing documents, there’s an app or a platform that can help.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through which 30+ tools, why you need them, and how best to incorporate them into your sales strategy.
If you are in a rush feel free to simply check out the list of best tools below and navigate to each one in our guide to read more about them.
Sales productivity tools help you manage sales in the most efficient and productive way possible. Just how do these tools help improve productivity?To answer that, let’s look at the many ways to boost productivity:
Anything that saves your salespeople time (or helps them make better use of it) is a sales productivity tool. Apps can be a great way to address the different ways we waste time. One can streamline a workflow helping a salesperson get more done in less time. Another can save time by automating a repetitive task.
Anything that optimizes the selling processis a sales productivity tool. This could be a lead generation tool, a CRM platform, or an e-signature app that helps with the all-important close.
Anything that improves communication is a sales productivity tool. And that’s true whether it’s internal communication or client-facing.
Anything that helps you integrate your salespeople with other departments is a sales productivity tool. This is especially true when software helps sales align with the product and marketing departments.
There are tons of tools out there so it’s easy to get bogged down in the decision process. You can wind up going wild in the app store until you end up with a boatload of “solutions” that create more complications than they solve.
The purpose of this guide is to show you which tools will have the biggest impact on your sales team’s productivity.
Also, it will reveal the areas you should focus on most. Every organization has different needs, so we’ve included pros, cons, and pricing to help guide your choices.
Why Do You Need Sales Productivity Tools?
If you’re reading this you have probably used a campaign management tool such as Hootsuite or Buffer to run or improve your marketing campaign. These types of tools are pretty much a standard in the industry now. Sales productivity software are no different, they’re just focused on sales activity.
Top-performing sales teams use 3x as many sales tools as their less productive competitors. Teams that deploy tools effectively can generate more leads and turn those leads into sales at a higher rate.
According to a recent study, 79% of sales executives say improving productivity among their existing sales reps is key to hitting new targets.
Sales today is not just about sales email sequences, it requires software to process and organize a company’s relationship with their clients. But sales also involve many activities that don’t actually include making sales, things like admin work and answering emails (which accounts for 21% of a salesperson’s day, according to SalesIntel.io). Sales SaaS tools can help you reclaim some of this time and use it for more important tasks.
On top of all that, your sales folks need tools to communicate and collaborate using different types of collaboration tools with their coworkers. Many businesses now work remotely (or semi-remotely) making communication tools even more essential.
Which Types of Sales Productivity Tools Do You Need?
Productivity is a broad term for a simple concept: getting things done. There are many ways to improve productivity, from simple timers and browser integrations that keep employees on track to vast CRM solutions that put your entire marketing and sales strategy in one convenient location.
Time tracking & accountability
Apps like web blockers and productivity trackers help employees stay focused and timesheets track hours for invoicing and payroll purposes. Some come with surveillance features that let the boss see what employees are doing. These features have sparked controversy as more employees work from home, so be mindful about how you implement them.
Communication, collaboration, & training
The value of communication tools goes way beyond sales efficiency. It’s hard to imagine how any modern company could do without them. These are the tools that make remote work possible and keep everyone on the same page, wherever they are. Training is a critical element of sales work, and communication platforms allow you to do it remotely.
Lead generation & sales intelligence
40% of salespeople say prospecting is the most challenging part of the sales process. Lead gen tools automate this process and integrate data from new leads into databases. The less time your sales professionals spend processing new leads, the more time they can spend acting on those leads and closing sales. Keep in mind many sales enablement and CRM tools have lead gen features built-in.
Sales intelligence tools also work behind the scenes to automatically organize critical sales data. Sales intelligence increases sales productivity, guiding you to untapped revenue among existing customers. It can also lead to potential new clients among your website visitors.
Project management
Project management tools use automation, communication, and scheduling features. In turn, that enables businesses to easily assign tasks and ownership, track progress, and creates a hub for work-in-progress. A timeline maker is a popular example of a project management tool which is used to create an infographic visualization of a project roadmap to make sure everyone on the team can see all the milestones all in one place.
Scheduling
Time management is the lifeblood of productivity. The best scheduling apps make it easy to coordinate with your team remotely, assign tasks, and integrate smoothly with other tools.
CRM & sales content management
CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. CRM tools can be both powerful and expensive. (We recently talked about CRM tools in our campaign management tools article since CRM tools are frequently used for managing sales and marketing campaigns.) For many, the cost is worth it to create a one-stop hub for sales intelligence, marketing, content distribution, and more.
And then there’s the content used by your sales team. According to one report, 80% of marketing content goes unused by sales teams. Content management tools fix that by making relevant content accessible to salespeople. They integrate content marketing assets into the lead nurturing process. The result: You get more mileage out of your marketing content. Also, your sales and marketing goals wind up more aligned too.
Closing tech
“Get them to sign on the line which is dotted” eSignature apps make closing and signing the easiest part. With eSignature tools and the laws that make eSignatures valid and binding, there’s really no need to print, sign, and scan documents anymore.
Payment platforms
PayPal, one of the original SaaS companies, was founded over 22 years ago. Since then, a host of electronic payment options have become available with a range of fee structures and plans to fit businesses of all sizes.
The Top 5 Sales Productivity Tools For Each Category
Here are five tools to check out in each of the categories mentioned thus far. As you’ll see, there is no one-size-fits-all, perfect tool. Choosing the right solution is a matter of selecting the features you need and accepting downsides you can live with.
Toggl Track works just like a traditional timesheet and has the bonus of allowing you to track and assign specific tasks.
Pricing: Free up to five users. Paid plans range from $9-18 per user/month.
Pros:
Its task-specific tracking is phenomenal. With a small enough team, this could be all the project management you need.
Cons:
Toggl Track lacks other features you might want to integrate with your timesheets, like invoice scheduling. This can be an issue if you frequently work with contractors and freelancers.
This is not a time tracker but a distraction blocker. Anything that helps your team stay on-task and off distracting sites increases productivity. Freedom blocks certain sites or the entire internet for a set period of time. Once it’s running, it can’t be turned off until the session is over.
Pricing: $3.33/Month (billed yearly) or “forever” for $99.50 – 199 (they’re constantly running sales).
Pros:
Completely shuts out distractions.
Great for crunch time as deadlines approach.
Cons:
More suited for makers, like copywriters and designers, than salespeople. Often, salespeople need to be connected and reachable as part of their job.
A time management tool that turns productivity into a game. RescueTime works sort of like Screen Time reports on an iPhone; it monitors activity and gives you a score based on how much time you spent on-task. This app is popular with individuals looking to improve their time management skills.
Pricing: $6 per team member/month when paid anually.
Pros:
Detailed, intuitive insights into browsing and work habits. It’s like having your own productivity coach.
Very customizable. You set working hours and what’s considered work. For example, your social media person won’t be penalized for spending time on Facebook.
Cons:
Pricey for what it is.
A little bit “big brother-ish” for some offices.
Communication & Collaboration Sales Tools
When it comes to communication and collaboration for teams who are remote there is no shortage of options. It’s no surprise since the majority of workforce these days is remote. In a recent Hive study about remote work tools and habits the firm found that:
72% of people are working fully remote, with an additional 21% of people working remote at least part of the time.
We’ve tested some of the most popular tools and have found the following to be the best for sales team productivity.
Zoom has become synonymous with video conferencing. Business users are drawn to the app because of its easy-to-use interface and its ability to support up to 100 participants at a time.
Pricing: Paid plans start at $15.99/month. The free version is too limited for most businesses.
Pros:
Everyone’s on Zoom.
Plenty of integrations.
Can be expanded to include webinars and training events.
Cons:
Security has been an issue. Zoom claims to have fixed the Zoombombing issue with a new feature.
Microsoft’s collaboration platform makes substantial improvements to the collaborative features of Office 365. It helps teams get the most out of the range of products from Microsoft.
Pricing: $4 to $12.50 per user/month when paid annually (included with certain Office 365 plans)
Pros:
A good choice for anyone already using Microsoft products.
Cons:
Problems with syncing and permissions can lead to duplication and confusion (picture Google Drive but worse and not free).
The ultimate instant messaging collaboration platform. Slack lets you create channels for each department and project. Slack is effective at keeping sales teams connected to other departments – a constant productivity challenge whether you’re remote or not.
Pricing: $7.25 per user/month for small to medium businesses. $12.50 per person/month for larger enterprises looking for advanced tools.
Pros:
Unique, industry-leading organization features.
You may end up saving on other project management tools since Slack might be enough on its own.
Cons:
The success of this app has led to a lot of pushback as users often feel overwhelmed. It’s not uncommon for users to set themselves to “away” permanently. Consider having rules about how and when your team uses this app.
This premium version of the popular business networking app calls itself “the ultimate sales tool.” It’s designed to generate and organize sales leads from your existing network. The goal is to turn this social platform into a source of qualified leads.
Pricing: Their Core plan starts at $79.99/month (when billed annually. The Advanced plan costs $108.33/month (when billed annually)
Pros:
Great for organizing leads and gaining insights into prospects and their organizations (this is huge in the B2B space).
Reduces prospecting time.
Cons:
Lacks Salesforce integration.
Users complain about navigation and messaging options.
Salesloft is a one-stop sales dashboard which is meant to work as a “co-pilot” to your CRM. It helps your sales team get the most out of your suite of tools and generate sales from multi-channel marketing plays.
Pricing: Salesloft’s pricing is based on how you intend to use it. Request a quote.
Pros:
Integrations are good if you’re already using the tools it’s designed to integrate with (Salesforce, for example).
Cons:
Users sometimes report issues with the call feature as well as a lack of integration options.
Another sales intelligence platform designed for the specific needs of B2B sellers.
Pricing: Contact D&B for a quote. They offer a free trial.
Pros:
Leads are updated continuously. This increases productivity by ensuring that your salespeople are working with up-to-date info. No more chasing bad leads.
This integration-rich “all-in-one toolkit” takes a unique approach. It focuses on email functionality to turn your inbox into a prospecting and project management hub.
Pricing: Free trial. Premium starts at $35/month when billed annually.
Pros:
Best-in-class features and integrations.
Hard to beat for email campaigns.
Powerful analytics. A prospecting dream-come-true for salespeople.
This is the right tool for a particular type of user (typically one who requires advanced capabilities). In fact, some argue you need a professional project manager on your staff to use Microsoft Project to its full potential. Also, keep in mind it doesn’t play well with non-Microsoft tools.
Pricing: See Microsoft’s website (one con here is its complex price structure which deserves its own how-to article).
Pros:
Like Microsoft Word and Excel, advanced users can do a lot with this platform.
Cons:
Not very useful outside the Microsoft family of products.
Monday.com is more of a time-tracking/teamwork app than a true project management tool. You’ll have to check out the host of features on offer to know whether it’s what your team needs.
Pricing: The basic plan is $9 per seat/per month. $12 gives you added features like timeline and Gantt views. The Pro plan is $19 per seat/month.
Pros:
Useful templates and automation features.
Very customizable.
Cons:
Making full use of the many advanced features comes with a steep learning curve.
ActiveCollab is a cloud project management app. With ActiveCollab, you can manage projects and tasks, track time, manage the team’s availability, issue invoices, and communicate with your team.
Pricing: Starts at $9 per user per month for the Pro plan. Other available plans are Plus and Pro+. They differ in seats, features, and storage size available.
Pros:
The In-app Chat feature on the Mobile app allows you to stay in touch with your team even when you’re on the go.
Integrating with many different 3-rd party apps enables you to expand your workspace with extra features.
Cons:
No multiple assignees.
Upgradeable storage is available only for Pro plans.
Scheduling Sales Tools
Calendly
Another tool that does one thing and does it well. Calendly saves you time by eliminating the back-and-forth of scheduling a call or video conference. Simply click the user’s Calendly link to see when they’re available and pick a time.
Pricing: Starting at $12 per user/month.
Pros:
Significant time savings by helping you avoid a lot of back-and-forths.
Zoom integration.
Cons:
Pricey for what it is. Most of the premium features are available elsewhere.
For users in the ZenDesk family of products, this may be all the CRM you need. Salespeople will appreciate this platform’s emphasis on the sales pipeline management.
Pricing: Free trial. After that, it’s $19 to $115 per seat/month when paid annually.
VanillaSoft is is a software platform which connect sales agents to new leads faster and interact with more leads overall. It allows managers to structure the sales engagement cadence across multiple channels in order to generate more qualified sales opportunities.
Pricing: You will need to fill in their form to get the pricing.
Pros:
Presents leads automatically – no lists or reminder management required
Constantly filters leads, presenting the best first
All information and tools a rep needs is on one page
Cons:
Default reporting dashboard is too basic and advanced engine too detailed
In a category flooded with “me too” products, signNow attempts to stand out by including additional closing-related features like negotiation workflows.
Pricing: Business plans are available at $20, $30, or $50 per user/month.
Pros:
Good value.
Offers the option of passing on a document within the client/customer’s organization if the recipient doesn’t have the authority to sign.
Cons:
Poor customization and integrations, according to some reviews.
A feature-rich, secure, cloud-based signing tool. You may find this one speeds up your closing process since it makes documents accessible across a range of devices. It also includes cool extras like video signature confirmation.
A UK-based online direct debit platform that’s cheaper than PayPal.
Pricing: Starting at 0.5% + $0.05 per transaction. Custom pricing for businesses is available.
Pros:
Can be cheaper than PayPal.
Cons:
Account setup times can be slow.
Reviews cite poor customer service.
Direct Deposit
This isn’t an app, just a good old-fashioned way of getting paid. Payment via direct deposit or *gasp* check might be the way to go if you have a small number of clients and a high average order value (AOV).
Pricing: Free!
Pros:
No fees.
No setup required. If you have a bank account, you’re good to go.
Cons:
Requires extra work on the customer/client’s end.
You have to wait a few days to receive your money.
You may not want to share your bank details with customers.
Some Things to Keep In Mind
Here are some general principles to guide you through the selection and deployment of sales productivity tools.
Start with “Why?”
Let your needs and goals dictate your toolset. Choose your software based on what you’re hoping to accomplish and the needs you’re hoping to fulfill.
Use tools to build relationships
The ultimate sales strategy is building relationships with your customers. That’s the secret to turning one-time transactions into lifetime customers and loyal brand advocates. Focus on using tools to facilitate this. Nurture leads and connections and use your tools to deliver an awesome experience for them.
Tools can’t fix all your problems.
Avoid band-aid solutions. Address structural problems at a structural level. There is no tool to fix toxic management or sales goals that aren’t aligned with organizational priorities. All of the tips in this article assume what you’re doing is working and you just need tools to do it better.
K.I.S.S.
Tools are here to make your life simpler. Don’t make the mistake of cluttering your devices and your workflow with tools you don’t need. Simple wins.
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