Here are several excerpts from an article by Christian Wettre, a mobile CRM specialist and president of W-Systems Corp, Six Tips For Mobile CRM Success:
According to the Gartner Group, there are just under 60 million mobile workers who are away form their workstations for at least 20% of the working week. And with recent reports suggesting that mobile CRM will grow to 20% of total CRM revenues by 2010, many organisations are now revisiting their current CRM provision as the ‘virtualisation’ of business processes and procedures draws ever closer.
The reality is that more and more mobile devices are able to access high speed internet, and with an increasingly mobile workforce, flexible work patterns and a rise in ‘home office’ workers, it is clear that there is a demand even in small and medium-sized companies for a new ‘virtual’ office hub, where information can be shared and analysed across all channels of the organisation in real-time.
So, what are the key issues before buying a mobile CRM system?
1. Plan ahead – Plan ahead and take time to decide what your organisation needs from its mobile CRM system before you need it and review the various options. Mobile CRM applications are relatively new so make sure you understand the new and unique value propositions of various solutions and evaluate the benefits your organisation may receive from these solutions.
2. Focus on the real world requirements – Avoid getting caught up in fancy features and applications that will not be used in a mobile environment. Be realistic and understand what information and transactions your users will actually need to access in their mobile CRM system.
3. Does the mobile CRM application meet your security requirements? – Security cannot be compromised, so ensure that the application meets your basic security requirements and supports your existing CRM system’s security concepts. The system should meet the “Ooops – I left my mobile device in the taxi†test.
4. Ease of navigation – Mobile CRM operates on small devices with small screens and small keyboards. It is crucial to ensure that the system is easy to navigate in order to encourage a high adoption rate by staff.
5. Speed of implementation – How quickly can the software be installed and fully functional? Can it be ready in hours, days, weeks or months? Does the mobile system need specialised consultants for implementation and ongoing support or does it utilise commonly available IT skills?
6. Is it scalable? – Ensure that the system is flexible and adaptable enough to grow with the business as the last thing you need is to realise you need to change your system as soon as business processes change.
The decision to include mobile CRM in the process mix is an exciting new opportunity. And with an increase in the mobile workforce and the radical improvements in business productivity and profitability by those who do implement mobile CRM, organisations are well served to start evaluating mobile application strategies in the short term.
