As a result of the recent recession, nationwide retail construction company, VCC, was forced to reorganize and diversify its organization. They discovered that providing their project managers with smart phones and mobile CRM access was beneficial in the acquisition of new business.
VCC armed its employees with Blackberry Bold’s to gain quick access to customer data. They launched Mobile Edge, an application from IBM business partner iEnterprise, to connect approximately 80 project managers across 6 nationwide locations to a custom CRM application. However, not all of the project managers used Blackberry Bold’s; some opted to use the Apple iPad for its significantly larger screen size. Not only did they deploy a mobile CRM system, but VCC were also able to leverage other mobile apps like IBM Lotus Notes, Domino 8, and iExtensions.
VCC’s use of the mobile CRM application, Mobile Edge, has been the catalyst that triggered their growth in diversifying beyond their normal scope of retail construction projects. VCC Vice President Wayne Alley estimates that because employees can work more efficiently, the investment in the Mobile Edge software was recovered in under a year. Alley added, “Time is money, and we were able to access information faster, organize it better and manipulate it to our benefit in more business.”
[Photo courtesy of ringdna.]