InformationWeek just released an article that talked about a "sales process coach" feature introduced in Siebel's latest release of on-demand CRM software. The feature was apparently well-received by analysts. The InformationWeek article first refers to the new feature as part of the Siebel software:

Primary among these is a "sales process coach" designed to feed salespeople with content relevant to their sales efforts. The company also has beefed up its on-demand analytics, offering 50% more subject areas than previous versions, and touts a sevenfold increase in business analysis capabilities.

The article goes on to quote the Yankee Group on how the coach might manifest itself:

... Yankee Group analyst Sheryl Kingstone says the sales process coach is the most important part of the new release. She's been waiting for Siebel--and competitor Salesforce.com Inc., for that matter--to get sales reps the information they need during the sales cycle, in the form of analyst reports, case studies, and other documents ...

It will be interesting to see how things evolve as we start to see use crop up in sales operations. I also forsee it as something that could either be used wisely or abused. That said, I think making the power of these types of tools accessible is a good thing. Configuration, training, and sales operations will be key things during implementation.

Steve Shu