Digital Sales Tools: Empower Your Sales Team to Succeed

Too many B2B salespeople are still stuck in manual processes when they should be out building relationships. Modern digital tools give them the freedom to focus on what really matters: ngaging with customers. The result? Smarter conversations, more time, and a measurable lift in both experience and revenue.

At Vertica, we first wrote about digital sales tools back in 2017. So the idea that modern B2B sales functions can be transformed and significantly strengthened through digitalisation is hardly new.

But change takes time.

Many B2B companies still struggle to see the business case for replacing manual processes. They work, after all, and there are always other investments that feel more urgent. Yet the truth is that a huge amount of time and resources can be saved by digitising order intake and management.

Technology has moved on - especially with the rise of AI. Today, it’s easier than ever to shift sales operations and order flows into dedicated systems, such as an Order Management System (OMS), that fit naturally into a modern composable architecture - instead of relying on ageing ERP systems built for another era.

By equipping your sales team with the right tools to manage orders, view customer history, and track sales performance, you free them to focus on what they do best: building relationships and driving new business. It makes the sales role more attractive, the customer experience stronger, and the savings from reduced manual handling show up directly on the bottom line.

Free Your Sales Team From the System

You probably know the type. The B2B salesperson with a calendar packed with meetings and a genuine desire to make a difference for their customers. They want to be the trusted advisor - the one who truly understands their clients’ needs. But too often, their time is spent navigating complex systems, digging up old orders, or struggling with manual quote calculations instead of having the valuable sales conversations that actually drive business.

That’s still the (slightly exaggerated) reality in many B2B organisations - and it eats up far too much time. The good news? There are digital solutions designed to fix exactly that.

When sales teams get access to intuitive, modern sales tools, they can spend their time where it really matters: in conversation with customers. That means less time preparing presentations, creating quotes, or following up manually - and more time engaging in meaningful dialogue.

Armed with a clear view of customer history and intelligent suggestions for the next order, they can prepare better, respond faster, and sell smarter. It creates calm, confidence, and energy in a busy workday, something both salespeople and customers can feel. Fewer errors, faster responses, and more relevant recommendations, all of which show up directly in customer satisfaction.

We’ll admit, we might sound a bit like, well… salespeople. But that’s because we genuinely believe in the value of digitalising the sales process. And with AI, even more of the repetitive tasks and workflows can now be automated - freeing time, insight, and energy for what truly creates value: the relationship between seller and customer.

Increased sales productivity and higher customer satisfaction

To put some numbers behind the story: according to Deloitte, 78% of US B2B leaders report that their customers are asking for a more digitalised sales process. In Denmark, around 20% of B2B companies currently offer online sales — giving us a sixth place ranking in Europe. That means a large part of B2B sales still happens through direct dialogue between salesperson and customer. And that’s exactly where the right digital sales tools can make a real difference — for both sides of the table.

A study by ZS Associates shows that digitalising the sales organisation can increase productivity by up to 40%. Why? Because digital tools reduce the time salespeople spend on administrative tasks - freeing them to focus on customer contact and actual sales activities.

On top of that, implementing digital solutions such as CRM systems or mobile sales apps has been shown to significantly improve customer satisfaction in B2B. A study published in AISM Journal found that satisfaction increased by 31% after introducing new digital tools in the wholesale sector — thanks to faster order handling, fewer errors, and better transparency for both sales teams and customers.

What makes a great digital sales tool?

An effective sales tool isn’t just a digital add-on to support your sales team, it’s the engine that keeps the entire process running smoothly. It should provide access to all relevant data in real time and gather it in one intuitive interface where the salesperson can:

• View customer history and identify current needs
• Generate quotes and adjust discounts on the fly
• Navigate the product catalogue and present items professionally
• Get AI-driven suggestions for cross- and upselling based on previous orders
• Automate repetitive, manual processes
• Bring structure and clarity to every customer interaction

With access to customer data, statistics, product information, and sales suggestions in one place, salespeople get everything they need to act as trusted advisors, and not just order takers. It allows them to be proactive, offer smarter guidance, and deliver a higher-quality customer experience.

From a technical standpoint, there are many ways to achieve this. The key is to build your sales tools around your sales process, not the other way around. If, for instance, you sell configurable products, an intuitive product configurator might be the single most important tool in your customer journey.

How to get started with digitalising your sales process

When you begin digitalising your sales process, starting in the right place is crucial. What does your sales team’s everyday reality look like? Which systems do they use? Where do the bottlenecks occur? And what functions or insights are they missing in their daily work?

A good place to start is by ensuring you have a solid data foundation through your ERP or OMS system. Your order engine is the backbone that most sales tools are built on.
From there, you can integrate solutions such as:

• Quote generators and discount engines
• Dashboards with customer data and key metrics
• Product presentations and configurators
• Integrations with PIM and e-commerce platforms

Start simple. Test. Evaluate. Then build from there. The goal is to improve what matters most: The meeting between salesperson and customer.

If you’re still unsure whether investing in a digital sales tool will pay off, start by asking yourselves this: How many hours do we spend each day, week, or month on manual order-handling processes?

If the answer gives you grey hairs, or makes you want to delete a few zeros, then it’s time to explore optimisation. Because when you succeed in digitalising your sales process, you’ll gain time, efficiency, and happier customers - and give your sales team a more productive (and rewarding) workday.