More than half of B2B marketers are experiencing problems with automation qualified leads, according to a new report published by B2B Marketing and The Telemarketing Company.
An increasing reliance on technology was flagged as a major hindrance to good quality data sets, with poor intergration with existing technology flagged as a real stumbling block by 31% of marketers.
The report also highlighted the importance of human interaction in lead qualification, with 30% of organisations admitting they have no processes in place for ensuring leads are qualified by human interactions.
Jess Pike, editor of B2B Marketing, said: “It’s clear that automation can’t do it all and marketers need to wake up to the importance of human interaction. If sales are rejecting a large chunk of MA-approved leads, it’s very likely that the agreed definitions and scoring models in place are wrong.
“And it’s clear that an over-reliance on technology will lead to poor data sets and an ineffective sales effort. After all, if a lead hasn’t been properly qualified the chances of the sales team making any headway are significantly reduced.”