The world is going mobile. This isn't exactly a big revelation, but by adopting smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices, businesses are changing the way they operate, and the changes are only expected to keep coming with the development of wearable technology. Perhaps one of the biggest ways the business landscape is transforming is through the increased use of customer relationship management (CRM) software. Companies have used CRM for years, but it has exploded in popularity only recently, and much of that is thanks to CRM businesses embracing mobile technology. According to recent research from Gartner, the number of CRM mobile apps is expected to increase by 500% during 2014. Or to put it another way, experts predict the 200 CRM apps in 2013 will grow to 1,200 apps by the end of 2014. It’s clear that there is major movement toward mobile CRM and that business leaders see it as an extremely valuable tool for their companies.
Businesses of all sizes have adopted mobile CRM for several important reasons, one of the most important being further promoting a mobile workforce. Many employees find themselves away from the office, which would normally lead to being disconnected from accessing important data, particularly for sales representatives. That no longer has to be the case as long as employees use mobile CRM apps to use the customer information found on the software. Many CRM apps have the same capabilities that could be accessed via a desktop computer, which means employees are just as capable when on a business trip. Mobile CRM also goes hand in hand with the rise in bring your own device (BYOD) policies that allow workers to use their own devices for their jobs.
With BYOD and a more mobile workforce, it’s easy to see how mobile CRM leads to more productivity within a business. Employees no longer have to wait until they’re back in the office to share information and sales data with each other. Instead, they simply record new information with their mobile device, which can give other employees instant updates. This real-time collaboration provides efficient communication no matter where the employees are located. In fact, one study from Forrester shows that use of mobile CRM can actually increase productivity by as much as 87%.
All of this added production from mobile CRM also has a positive effect on sales. When the goal is to reach more customers and sell more products, mobile CRM has proven to excel in meeting and surpassing expectations. Research from Innoppl Technologies has compelling evidence showing that salespeople at companies with mobile CRM meet sales quotas about 65% of the time compared to 22% of sales representatives at companies without the same technology. Mobile CRM allows employees to better organize how they interact and work with customers. Having all that important customer data at hand also means making effective sales pitches all the easier.
Another major reason for the rise of mobile CRM relates to the cloud. It’s likely no coincidence that the growth of mobile CRM companies and apps has happened alongside the growth of cloud computing. CRM programs have become much easier to use by moving to the cloud. As long as employees have internet access, they’ll be able to use CRM from their mobile devices thanks to cloud capabilities. CRM companies are also delivering their product in the form of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), and more businesses are seeing how useful that can be. Around 39% of CRM software was delivered as SaaS in 2012. The same Gartner research mentioned earlier predicts that number will increase to more than 50% by the year 2016. This increased cloud use is also a product of better security in the cloud. As problems related to network and IT security continue to be solved, it’s likely that more CRM companies will move to the cloud, leading other businesses to take advantage of mobile CRM.
The benefits using mobile CRM are certainly enticing. Many companies are attracted to promises of greater productivity and agility. The trend is clearly moving toward wider use of mobile CRM, and businesses that can get an early start on it will have a clear advantage over their competition. The world is going mobile, and to stay on top of the coming changes, companies will likely need to get used to mobile CRM.