Salespeople are increasingly turning to technology to assist them in successfully closing deals, according to new research from Adobe.

The firm analysed the behaviour of individuals working in sales and discovered that technology is allowing more flexibility within deals, which has led to 30 per cent growth in the volume of business secured out of the office, due to staff being able to work remotely.

Adobe's research discovered that traditional methods of conducting business are becoming less popular and many respondents described these as now being unreliable. One-fifth of those surveyed claimed they had been unable to close a deal due to missing documents, while 18 per cent have failed because they haven't brought a pen with them.

More than four-fifths (81 per cent) said that the average contract turnaround is between zero and 15 days, but just one in ten said a deal is normally finalised within one day - something that could be vastly improved with the help of technology.

As many salespeople recognise technology as a vital tool to carrying out their jobs nowadays, 40 per cent of respondents said they are now using e-signatures to secure deals while on the move. Some of the most popular digital practices among this group included file sharing via channels like Dropbox, which was cited by 40 per cent as being useful, web-conferencing (40 per cent) and apps available on smartphones and tablets (36 per cent).practices among this group included file sharing via channels like Dropbox, which was cited by 40 per cent as being useful, web-conferencing (40 per cent) and apps available on smartphones and tablets (36 per cent).

However, there has been great controversy surrounding the use of the cloud to share confidential information about a business and its clients if it isn't an official platform that has been given the green light by the organisation, as this can create a myriad of problems.

Tamara Santiago, senior marketing manager at Adobe, said: "The rise of electronic signatures and associated technologies are changing the industry landscape, and increasingly, we’re seeing customers become more comfortable conducting business via these tools.

"We’ve seen take-up of new technologies jump amongst sales teams in particular, owing to the huge benefits such tools can have on sales workflows. In fast-paced, target-driven sales environments, embracing such technology greatly eases the sales process and frees up time to chase new deals and revenue."

The use of technology among salespeople differs across the country, according to the survey, with London being home to the highest adoption rate of file sharing services at 49 per cent compared to just four per cent in Yorkshire and the Humber. Almost two-fifths (38 per cent) of those based in the capital acknowledged the role of apps in closing deals, while no respondents in the north-east mentioned them.

Adobe's survey also revealed that age was a factor in technology uptake, with the younger generation of salespeople more likely to adopt a modern approach than their older counterparts.

Furthermore, the study demonstrated that while technology is rising in popularity, 52 per cent of deals are closed in the office, while 33 per cent are done in restaurants, 32 per cent in bars, 13 per cent in spas and 12 per cent on golf courses.