I have hired salespeople that just don't want to do paperwork. Someone else should handle that why they do the "important work" of sales. I would buy into that if that superstar was closing a lot of deals or had a full funnel with a fantastic close ratio, but that is hardly ever the case.
Many salespeople don't like using CRM either, but that's a different blog post.
Order paper, contracts, LOA and associated paperwork is part of the sales job. Period. No job is finished until the paperwork is done.
Obviously, the sales pro wants the contract correct and inked - and submitted in a timely manner. Most carriers want all the paperwork in one package. That means credit app, Letter of Agency, LOA for Voice Services, service order (for configurations, addresses, contact info, circuit detail, etc.), and maybe more. It's sometimes a lot of work, but it's required for a couple of reasons.
One: the customer experience. The customer deserves to have her order submitted with accurate paperwork in a timely manner in order for her to receive exactly what she ordered to where she ordered it in the allotted time interval. Inaccurate paperwork holds up the install process - or worse delivers the circuit to the wrong address. Incorrect paperwork or incomplete paperwork delays the order in the carrier systems.
Two: Agents don't get paid until the circuit gets accepted. Incomplete or incorrect paperwork holds up your commission payment!!
Three: You sold the deal. You know the details. Why should a Channel Manager have to call the customer to get these details again? You are the best bet that the order will be accurate.
On-boarding a new customer is the first experience with the carrier. Inaccurate orders leave a bad taste in the customer's mouth that never goes away. In this article, the author writes that "users know that a positive customer experience is invaluable to the success of their companies. One guaranteed way to satisfy customers is by providing quick and accurate sales on every order. This becomes more difficult to achieve when selling complex products." Despite that, for the sake of both the customer experience and the commissions, salespeople should strive to submit the paperwork completed in a timely fashion. (Doesn't mean you can't get help, but it is certainly your responsibility to get it done. If it was easy, it would be sold via a website like DSL and you wouldn't be needed.)
