As a company, a sales funnel is an integral part of your business strategy. It not only aids in acquiring new customers, but also eases them into the sales journey when done correctly. In addition, an effective sales funnel can collect important information used to improve the funnel itself and its relevant marketing campaigns.

However, when key individuals who take part in running a sales funnel smoothly take time off, there can be friction between potential customers and a business. For instance, after generating leads and initiating contact with customers, the follow-up stage may be subjected to pitfalls in terms of quality and service due to an insufficient number of staff members. Conversions and sales would then become difficult to achieve due to a key component missing from the funnel. 

Therefore, a business should create and outline policies to ensure smooth sailing. This would not only help with the management of the sales funnel, but also ensure that it can run and generate new customers at all times.

For starters, managing the sales funnel properly can encompass policies regarding vacation time. If an employee wishes to take some time off for an upcoming holiday or break, then there should be a system in place to help fulfill their request while not hindering workflow. An effective system can include informing business leaders well ahead of time of vacation requests, staggered schedules, as well as hiring temporary staff members to fill certain roles. 

It’s also useful to inform customers or other employees about an absence that would affect the sales funnel, as other members of the team can develop management techniques to ensure that the system is always in operation. This can be done through automated email messages that inform senders that the receiver is out of the office. It may also encompass a message via voicemail that directs callers to another individual who can help them. Not only would this help reduce panic among customers, but also allow the staff member taking a break to truly relax and recover from burnout. 

Another way to manage and fuel the sales funnel at all times is to engage customers with content on a consistent basis. The marketing, content writing and graphic design teams, for example, can collaborate and schedule posts to continue generating leads before key individuals return to the office. These posts can be in the form of articles, blogs or content queued to go live on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Chatbots are another automation tool that can be helpful when a business is short on sales funnel staff members. These chatbots can collect customer information and data, which can then be interpreted and used to fuel and improve the sales funnel. Messages between customers and a business can be communicated through the company’s website, Facebook or even by email. 

Whether employees plan to take a much-needed break or vacation, having a contingency plan is integral to running a successful sales funnel. The Find Your Audience team is ready to help clients develop customized plans based on thorough market research and performance-based results. To contact the team, call 647-953-5042 or email hi@findyouraudience.online.