Mobile SAP CRM

In a recent analysis from Frost & Sullivan called, European Mobile Sales Force Automation (CRM/SFA) Markets, it is stated that mobile SFA is the largest application segment after wireless email, and this segment will grow close to 300% between now and 2013.

SAP seems to be making a big push in this area with mobile CRM partnerships with Sky Technologies (Certified SAP Partner, Certified SAP NetWeaver Partner) Sybase and RIM (Innovation Partners) in this area. What are the key areas covered by mobile CRM?

• Activity management – Phone call, email, cold calls, what to do each day
• Lead management – receive leads, contact, qualify
• Opportunity Management – define, document and manage specific sales opportunities
• Account Management – organizational charts, people, budgets, plans, needs

To me these are obvious needs for the mobile sales force. They work and travel in mobile environments so provide mobile tools that let them sell more product and make customers happier.

The future of mobile SAP CRM in my opinion is the combination of mobile SAP CRM and business intelligence. The ability to fully brief a traveling sales person on a customer’s account status, order history, shipments, credit status, financials, latest news and potential opportunities using text and audio files is very useful. Audio because many times a sales person is flying or driving and would benefit from having this information in audio format so they could listen to it.

In addition to the obvious account information, what additional kinds of mobile information do you think would be useful to integrate within a mobile SAP CRM?

For related articles please read:

• The Future of Mobile and Route Sales Applications for Smart Phones, Part 1
• The Future of Mobile and Route Sales Applications for Smart Phones, Part 2
  
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  Author Kevin Benedict
  Mobility Consultant, Wireless Industry Analyst and Web 2.0 Marketing Expert
  
  http://www.netcentric-strategies.com/
  www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
  twitter: http://twitter.com/krbenedict
  http://kevinbenedict.ulitzer.com/
  http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
  
  ***Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility consultant and Web 2.0 marketing expert and as such I work with, and have worked with, many of the companies mentioned in my articles.
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