Business on the move

The latest mobile CRM technology makes customer management easy, wherever you are.

Go mobile, mobilisation, get mobile, terrestrial deployment, be mobile, remote synergy... Meanwhile? Just dial.

It is creative, and at times exhausting terminology, but we are talking about workforce optimisation through advances in CRM (customer relationship management) technology; specifically, the ability to roll out such tools to users ‘in the field’ through the use of portable mobile devices.

The use of portable customer and prospect management technology – or ‘Mobile CRM’ – is not a new concept, nor is the idea of accessing emails and calendar items. In fact the latter is considered the status quo in a world where executives operate in an environment where they require – and expect – to communicate anytime, anywhere and in any combination of verbal, written or visual media. So if the concept of the mobile office is not new, and the concept of mobile CRM is only slightly newer, then what is all the talk about?

Three words: reliability, affordability and adoption.

Going mobile has been an option for many CRM organisations for years now; however there has been a general belief – perceived or real – that the technologies available were slow and cumbersome. The research and development cycle, combined with advancements in telecommunication provider networks, has, however, allowed for the natural evolution of more reliable and accessible tools.

Mobile CRM has come a long way in the last several years and a peak in demand is evident. When you compare the way traditional road warriors were once disconnected from their office  versus the relationship of modern on-the-move workforces and their base, what you see is an information gap that is closing fast. The stage is set for organisations to step it up and take their CRMs to the next level, enabling staff who need to work away from the office for the majority of their time to do so effectively.

What real-life applications are there for improving productivity through mobile CRM technology?

Obviously the ‘bread and butter’ of CRM is around providing a tool to assist sales teams through the automation of administrative and repetitive tasks in a selling cycle. Extending this concept out to field staff’s handheld devices allows for real-time note taking (even voice recording) during or after client calls and appointments, with live updates into the central CRM system back at the office,  meaning that colleagues and other parts of the business have access to the latest information and updates as they happen, not when the rep gets around to entering them on Friday afternoon or at the end of the day.

The reverse is also true: if there are unpaid invoices or the accounts department reveals a bad credit check, this is good information to have before signing a client. Managerial staff and leadership can also access their key business metrics and reporting from the office and, of course, remotely on the handheld if required, to get a snapshot of the business or their mobile team’s activity and performance in real time.

Increasingly, other types of business people are required to be on the road for client contact as well as other reasons, a lot more than they may have been in the past. While laptops are still commonplace, there is an encouraging trend towards adoption of handheld contact management devices to convert idle time into a productive journey and a double-efficiency. Automatic logging of inbound and outbound phone calls and emails linked to contacts and their history is also a basic feature.

Of course the application of mobile technologies is not limited to the ol’ suit and tie; there’s a very real application for service and trades people responding to jobs in the field. Companies that manage service requests can manage their response through mobile technology. A paperless virtual office in the back of an electrician’s van is not an uncommon sight these days.

Do not underestimate the cost to your business of paperwork and idle time: whether in sales, service or both, mobile CRM can allow an organisation to see quick results and a fast return on investment.

Adoption of technologies allows frontline staff to do a better job out of the office than ever before. It may not be so long until recruiters are asking the question: “Would you like your new hire on site or ‘to go’ ?”