by Mobile CRM, or Mobile Customer Relationship Management, is a CRM tool designed for mobile devices including smartphones and tablets. By connecting through mobile CRM, you allow your sales team’s access to customer data through a mobile CRM app or through a web-based browser with cloud CRM. A key benefit of using mobile CRM is to allow your sales force to access real time data while out in the fields meeting prospects and customers.
Getting started with Mobile CRM
Before you begin to implement your mobile CRM, it is important that you define goals on what you want to achieve by having a mobile CRM and what your work force needs in order to take advantage of real time data access. I’ve outlined three highly important areas you will need to address before launching:
- Internal buy-in
Before you implement a mobile CRM app, it is important that you get internal buy-in from the sales force. Your sales teams are the ones that will be using the smart phone application daily and in order to get their buy-in, you need to implement extensive in-house training on how to use the application in the form of user guides and training programs as well as explaining the key benefits of what they can achieve by working with the mobile CRM.
- Provide the device
People love getting things for free and one of the easiest ways to get your sales team to adopt a smart phone CRM is to provide the device itself to your sales force and include the application pre-installed. Although most CRM mobile apps are supported by iOS, Android and Blackberry, make sure that you check with the provider before giving it to your sales force.
- Mobile app usability
Your sales force will rarely need access to complete functionality on their CRM mobile app to all the same data and reporting they would access via their desktop. Start out by providing only basic access that the teams use on a day to day basis. For example, writing and sending an email, scheduling a meeting and/ or updating contact information.
Selling on the move – The next generation of CRM
Introducing mobile CRM to your sales operation can be a dramatic change for the better. Your salespeople can update and synchronise information on the move, sharing real-time data from across the business. Day-to-day sales tasks are freed from the desktop, so a salesperson carrying a tablet or smartphone can:
- Plan the day with calendar integration
- Dial in to meetings with click-to-call
- Access and update leads, contacts and oportunities
- Open and share files
- Access dashboards
But today’s mobile CRM platforms can do so much more. Add cloud storage to mobile CRM functionality and you’re no longer synchronising data with a local copy you’re accessing live, centrally held information from whichever device you choose. Distributed teams can share files and background information and can update, share and send proposals on the move.
Custom apps can feed information directly into your CRM back end, with new app releases rolled out to your sales team in real time. Every salesperson has the benefit of complete CRM data, analytics and customer-facing material at their fingertips, on any device freeing them to spend more time on sales and less on administrative tasks.
Expert answers, anytime, anywhere
Using a CRM platform to handle and track customer service activity already makes sense, and adding a mobile dimension brings even more benefits. Combining mobile with social CRM gives you a whole new range of capabilities. Not only can your customers now contact you where and when they choose, but you can track, manage and respond to every case with the full capability of your CRM platform.
A mobile CRM platform means instant, simple escalation, with issues routed straight to the right subject matter expert, product manager or executive, regardless of location. You can implement round-the-clock cover for urgent queries and respond on the same platforms your customers use no more losing issues as they change from one channel to another.
