CRM, On-the-Go
The Business Software Advisor
You ask the questions, and our resident software guru shares her wisdom.
This week’s question: I’m considering purchasing a mobile CRM solution, but I’m not sure whether my company could really benefit from using it. What can a mobile CRM application do for my company?
A: There are numerous benefits that can be achieved through the implementation and use of a mobile CRM solution. For today’s field-based employees, the simple calendaring and contact management capabilities that come standard with many mobile devices are not enough to keep them fully informed and produ
ctive. In order to maximize the effectiveness of each customer interaction, your employees need continuous access to pertinent client data that exists in enterprise systems, even when they’re on the road.
Enhanced customer service is the key benefit of mobile CRM solutions. For example, say your sales rep needs to check stock levels of a certain product while at a customer meeting, in order to ensure that the client’s order can be quickly fulfilled. Or, a technician may need to review a customer’s previous service history to most effectively diagnose a current problem. Without mobile CRM, companies will be challenged to provide existing and potential customers with the best experience possible. On the other hand, mobile CRM improves customer acquisition, satisfaction, and retention by enabling those employees who work directly with clients to make the most intelligent and informed decisions possible when it comes to sales and service.
It’s easy to implement a CRM solution that fits the needs of your team. CRM solutions are offered for Blackberry, Palm, iPhone, and other Web-enabled handheld devices. As a result, they’re becoming quite popular: leading analysts expect the market for mobile CRM applications to experience explosive growth in the near term. In fact, research firm Gartner predicts that industry expansion could be as high as 40 to 60 percent over the next two to three years. And, a Forrester Research study shows that nearly half of all businesses in North America and Europe have already deployed – or are planning to deploy – mobile sales force applications.
I have no doubt your company could benefit from an on-the-go CRM solution, given the advanced technologies and robust functionality of the solutions on the market.
[Photo courtesy of rackspace.]
