2023 RevOps Trends Report

Bad data hygiene is a common challenge for RevOps leaders, andit is largely due to the “shadow sales stack” — the use of general-purpose tools that are not connected to the CRM. This challenge is made more difficult as changing the behavior of reps is no easy task, either.

This all means that data-rich notes, tasks, and other information about deals are stored and collaborated on elsewhere, and often manually transferred back into the CRM with gaps, inconsistencies, and errors.

Without good data, it’s easy to understand why forecasts missthe mark. According to the survey, only 22% of RevOps andSales Leaders strongly agreed they had the right data to forecast accurately. This is attributed to a lack of quality data points, which is compounded by the shadow sales stack.

35% of leaders report they use manual processes (spreadsheets) for forecasting, 51% say they use a combination of manual and automated tools, and only 14% use automated tools exclusively. Relying on spreadsheets for manual forecasting is inefficient and unreliable. On the other hand, automated tools can produce similarly inaccurate forecasts if the underlying data is missing, incorrect, or outdated.

RevOps leaders are rolling out new processes or enforcing existing ones to focus the sales team and improve efficiency. However, 86% of leaders surveyed agree that driving process adherence is difficult. This is largely because reps view additional processes as extra work and don’t see the value.

This is an inefficiency that drags down companies of all sizes. Not to mention most new processes for reps means doing more admin work instead of generating pipeline and selling. Improving the user experience can increase the likelihood of more reps following processes. To address this challenge, RevOps leaders are providing their sales teams with a consolidated workspace that simplifies updating fields directly from their notes or within a pipeline view.