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Remote access to customer relationship management (CRM) desktop solutions is becoming an increasingly important tool for improving field sales productivity. A few years ago, sales meetings would be lost in a sea of preparation notes and manual updates of records post-meeting, which could leave workers facing a pile of admin that could easily be lost, forgotten or half-heartedly written up a few days later.
Many CRM systems do now offer the ability to access records using mobile devices, however there are many issues that can crop up when the mobile element has been adapted from the desktop version, including cramped screens, one window views and manual pushes for specific records, that can make mobile access a time consuming process.
You’re different, you are…
MobileAccess from TenDigits Software based in Vancouver, is different. The software is a specialised product for Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which uses unique technology to help mobile workers access and update CRM information. The application is suitable for both BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices
and is simple to install across a fleet of devices.
Rather than a browser solution, MobileAccess provides smartclient technology, coupled with advanced server technology that pushes each user their CRM records. This means that users always have instant access to locally cached data; there’s no need to be dependent on availability of a quality wireless signal. The user simply has an icon on their mobile device, through which they can access and update CRM records. Changes they make to records are automatically synchronised back to the CRM server If you’re away from a wireless signal, you can continue to work with your records, and any updates will automatically be updated to the CRM server when the device reconnects.
Most organisations customise their CRM deployment with new fields, forms, entities, and custom security permissions. Paying consultants to programme these customisations for smart clients is expensive and very time consuming. MobileAccess automatically adopts the CRM customisations, and pushes them out to mobile devices. This is obviously a great benefit at the initial installation phase, but also means that any future changes to the CRM system don’t require a massive programming effort to make sure mobile workers can still use of the latest CRM functionality. I really appreciated the comprehensive, yet simple web-based administration console.
What’s not to like?
What I particularly liked about MobileAccess is that it’s been designed specifically for a mobile device and small screen. The layout and contextual menu system is very easy to use. An excellent feature is the multi task and multi page capability. Normally when you access CRM solutions remotely, you can only have one screen open, so if you move from the contacts page to the opportunities page, the previous pages closes, or worse still, you lose your half completed meeting notes.
MobileAccess is unique and provides a simple icon ribbon to enable users to quickly toggle between all pages they’ve opened, which saves lots of time. It’s a very simple idea, but one that will really encourage salespeople to update records on the move. The pages stay live, even if you go back to the application several hours later.
To make the application even more user friendly than a desktop CRM system, MobileAccess recognises phone and email fields and converts them automatically into hot links such as one click dialling right from CRM) so you can contact clients and prospects directly from the application through your mobile device.
CRM systems only prove their worth if the entire salesforce understands the benefits of keeping records up to date on a daily basis. The ability to be able to get the latest update on a client or prospect before a meeting, or to be able to access the current status of an order, could be the make or break edge that keeps you one step ahead of the competition. If CRM doesn’t support the field team, it will quickly become defunct; applications such as MobileAccess really help companies make sure their sales teams have the best resources to enable more effective selling and enhanced productivity.
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