Kanika Agrawal
Content Strategist, BeatRoute
Kanika writes our guides from customer rollouts, African brands among them.
View profileField Sales Management Software for Retail Brands in Africa
A territory in Lagos or Nairobi can hit its sales number while half its dukas quietly stop ordering. BeatRoute puts the beat, the order and the cash on each rep's phone, and shows managers which territory is slipping while there is still time to act.
Trusted by sales teams in Nigeria, Kenya and beyond
- users
- 100,000+
- countries
- 20+
- enterprise brands
- 200+
Six numbers that show how a territory is really doing
BeatRoute's field sales management software is for retail brands selling through distributors in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. It turns each rep's visits, orders and cash into six numbers per territory, read in call order. A missed call is a planning problem, a call with no order is about the shop or the offer, and a thin order is about the selling. If a rep keeps to the journey plan but orders stay low, look at the beat before you coach the person. A kiosk that restocked from the van or a wholesaler yesterday usually has nothing to order today.
| Number | How it is counted | If it is low, look at |
|---|---|---|
| Journey plan compliance | Calls made against calls planned | A beat too long for a day in traffic, or skipped outlets |
| Strike rate | Calls that ended with an order | Shops still holding stock, or a scheme that does not fit them |
| Lines per call | SKUs in each order | Reps pushing only the fast movers |
| Active outlets | Kiosks, provision stores, dukas and spaza shops that bought this month | Lost outlets hidden behind a good total |
| Collections | Cash and mobile money received against what is due | Credit given to shops that cannot repay |
| Selling time | Hours inside outlets against hours in transit | Weak routing, or forms that eat the morning |
Three questions to put to any field sales management software
A regional sales manager in Lagos, Nairobi or Accra asks these every day, so test each option against them.
Did every planned call on the beat happen?
Each visit should be proven with a time and a place. The manager sees when each rep's day started, which outlets they entered and for how long.
Ask to see
- Start of day, plus check-in and check-out at each outlet
- GPS location during working hours only, never after
- Calls, orders and shelf photos kept with no network, sent later
Which territory is falling behind this week?
Each rep's numbers reach the manager as soon as the phone syncs. Coach one number at a time, starting with the weakest.
Ask to see
- A scorecard for each rep, territory and distributor
- An alert in the middle of the week when a number drops
Where should each rep go next, and with what?
Set a territory goal, such as more outlets buying each month. BeatRoute's AI agents turn it into each rep's next move: which outlets to visit, what to offer and which follow-up is due.
Ask to see
- A suggested order and the day's tasks for each outlet
- Routes that put the shops most likely to buy at the front
What to look for depends on how you sell
Selling through distributors and stockists
An order booked at a provision store or duka should reach the distributor as booked, checked against the shop's credit limit and never re-typed from WhatsApp.
Distributor managementRegional managers with large teams
Judge the manager's view first: each regional or area manager should see only their own people and spot a skipped beat the same day.
Field force management softwareA small team on supermarket chains and big accounts
When a handful of key-account managers work a pipeline from the office, a CRM with a phone app is the better fit.
SFA vs CRMWhat a Nigerian brand got from BeatRoute
AAVA Brands runs its field team and distributors on BeatRoute.
★★★★★
“It has enabled our team to better plan, monitor, and analyze field activities with greater accuracy.”
★★★★★
“BeatRoute has helped to bring discipline to the sales team, as well as increase efficiency and productivity.”
★★★★★
“It is well tailored towards helping the sales team make visits effective and well accountable for actions.”
★★★★★
“The responses to our queries are swift and timely.”
Pilot it in one territory before you roll out
Give it a few weeks with one territory.
- Pick the pilot territory and a similar one that stays on the old way of working.
- Load your own outlets, prices and schemes, then watch your newest rep book an order at a kiosk with no data.
- Agree three numbers up front, such as journey plan compliance, strike rate and lines per call.
- Compare the two territories weekly, and spend a day on the beat with one rep.
BeatRoute suits brands whose reps sell to many retailers through distributors and want distributor management on the same platform. BeatRoute is subscription software, priced per user and module on annual contracts, with no free trial. Most teams go live in 21 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is field sales management software?
Field sales management software is the app reps use to follow their beat, book orders and prove visits. Managers get a dashboard of coverage, targets and collections by territory.
Is field sales software the same as field sales management software?
Usually, yes. Field sales software, a field sales app and SFA name the same product. "Management" stresses the manager's side: the scorecards, alerts and coaching built on what reps record.
Does it work with our ERP?
BeatRoute connects to your ERP or data lake through its integration layer and checks the outlet's credit limit as the order is booked.
Who wrote this page
Updated
Nikhil Chaudhary
VP of Marketing, BeatRoute
Nikhil leads marketing at BeatRoute and hosts The BeatRoute Podcast, where sales leaders at retail brands talk shop.
View profile