Sales Force Automation Acceptance: An Exploratory Study Of The Role Of Job Experience

Abstract

User perceptions of new technologies may ultimately affect their acceptance of that technology. Recent research has identified a clear connection between user perceptions of Sales Force Automation and their acceptance of Sales Force Automation technologies. Anecdotal evidence suggests that relative to less experienced salespeople, more experienced salespeople tend to have more negative perceptions of sales force automation. This paper examines the relationship between job experience and perceptions of a sales force automation system. The results are based on a survey of 1,657 salespeople about their perceptions of several aspects of a sales force automation system in a large sales organization. This study finds significant differences by sales experience in areas such as perceived productivity/efficiency gain, perception of sales force automation as a micromanagement tool, and user satisfaction with system functionality. Based on these results several important managerial implications for the adoption of a sales force automation system are suggested.