How has remote work impacted the Sales Operations industry?

Remote work within organizations and their customers has increased the demand for a robust set of tools to support a virtual sales cycle. Personally, I've seen tools and technology become a much bigger part of the Sales Operations remit as a result - especially at smaller organizations that don't have expansive IT teams. One benefit of this change is that many Sales Ops pros have gotten a ton of experience in the buyer's seat. This experience can help us better understand the customer journey in a B2B setting. For those in the technology industry, I recommend establishing a "buyer shadowing" program for AEs. Bring new and seasoned reps along for the evaluation of a new tool so they can benefit from the perspective of the buyer's seat.

One effect of remote work is the proliferation of first-party data available to sales and marketing organizations. As in-person engagements go away altogether or are supplemented by more frequent virtual touch-points, organizations can use Conversational Intelligence and Sales Engagement tools to gather data that was previously unavailable. Sales Ops has the experience and visibility to capitalize on this newly available data. I think many organizations are still early in this journey. For example, many of the organizations I've seen have not yet established a 360, omni-channel view of their customer that ties together CRM, Marketing, and Engagement data.

As a supervisor in sales operations, I've observed a positive impact of remote work on my team's dynamics. They've demonstrated improved time management and heightened accountability. Remote flexibility enables a better balance between work and personal life, resulting in heightened productivity and job satisfaction. Moreover, virtual collaboration fosters open communication, enhancing trust and camaraderie. By discarding micromanaging tendencies, we've built stronger relationships based on mutual trust and autonomy. Remote work strengthens our team bonds, promoting individual well-being and work-life balance while cultivating a culture of trust and collaboration.

I think this shift has been great, it enables people wanting to get into sales operations, who don’t live in big cities or near corporations headquarters can find roles besides sales and work remotely. When I first started in sales operations, I moved from the sales side, so I was already in the field, and I was “grandfathered in” to the role, and allowed to stay remote. But that was not the norm. Now having these rules be available remotely, it gives more opportunities for people to explore a job and sales operations without requiring a move.