The diffusion of sales force automation (SFA) systems has enabled a far more systematic approach to sales force management. This opens new avenues for the academic study of the industrial selling process as well: new arenas for investigation, new windows into salesperson behavior, and new methodological pitfalls. The purpose of this dissertation is to develop a better understanding of SFA from an academic perspective, and then apply these insights to resolve gaps in our understanding of how sales forces behave and how they might be better managed. To do this, three areas of analysis are explored: methodological, behavioral, and theoretical.

The literature emphasizes the important role played by stakeholder perceptions in explaining success and failure of IT-enabled change efforts. However, our knowledge of how stakeholder perceptions evolve and interact with outcomes during change processes is still limited. Consequently, this study adapts technological frames of reference (TFR) to explore the dynamics of stakeholder perceptions based on action research into an IT-enabled sales process innovation project at VoiceTech. The study attempts to answer the following research questions: How can TFR be adapted and applied to support action research into IT-enabled change efforts? What was the role of stakeholder perceptions during IT-enabled sales process innovation at VoiceTech? How do stakeholder perceptions evolve and interact with outcomes during IT-enabled change efforts? The study develops TFR as a theory for investigating stakeholder perceptions during IT-enabled change and it offers a process model of how frame interactions, incongruencies, and inconsistencies contribute to frame shifts and change outcomes over time. In addition, the study provides detailed insights into how the IT-enabled sales process innovation at VoiceTech shaped and was shaped by shifts in stakeholder perceptions over time.

The literature emphasizes the important role played by stakeholder perceptions in explaining success and failure of IT-enabled change efforts. However, our knowledge of how stakeholder perceptions evolve and interact with outcomes during change processes is still limited. Consequently, this study adapts technological frames of reference (TFR) to explore the dynamics of stakeholder perceptions based on action research into an IT-enabled sales process innovation project at VoiceTech. The study attempts to answer the following research questions: How can TFR be adapted and applied to support action research into IT-enabled change efforts? What was the role of stakeholder perceptions during IT-enabled sales process innovation at VoiceTech? How do stakeholder perceptions evolve and interact with outcomes during IT-enabled change efforts? The study develops TFR as a theory for investigating stakeholder perceptions during IT-enabled change and it offers a process model of how frame interactions, incongruencies, and inconsistencies contribute to frame shifts and change outcomes over time. In addition, the study provides detailed insights into how the IT-enabled sales process innovation at VoiceTech shaped and was shaped by shifts in stakeholder perceptions over time.

The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the reasons and consequences of failed implementations and poor adoption of CRM / SFA tools in sales teams, that have been recorded in recent years. Almost 70% of initiatives to introduce new technologies for sales teams have failed in the return on investments. The goal of the thesis is to create requirements for a new CRM / SFA, which will support salesmen and sales teams in a better way. It describes the way the sales team work, it describes business cases and determinates its key activities. Using perceived usefulness, I create a set of system requirements for CRM / SFA tool, which will support salesmen and improve their sales performance.