CRM - August 2008 - (Page 32)

VISUAL CRM The Real Gaming Industry on SAP BusinessOne (see “SAP’s Year-End Model Sports a Facelift,” www.destinationCRM.com, December 4, 2007), and the results have met with positive reactions. “There were certain nasty comments about our previous UI,” says Florian Weigman, chief solution architect and vice president of SAP AG. “We took user feedback and revamped the interface with these comments in mind.” (See page 31 for a before-and-after comparison of the two.) Weigman’s vision for SAP’s new GUI combines utility and clarity, but doesn’t sacrifice presentation.“The UI is intended as an overview; the personalization options are important, but they must fit within the business needs while fitting to user work style,” he says.“The new UI is about providing the end user with the best possible experience using highly interactive widgets and Web 2.0 concepts, optimized for a PC/laptop form factor. In the area of mobile apps the form factor is radically different, so in this case we are partnering with [Research in Motion] to bring SAP CRM to the end user with native BlackBerry applications.” Despite the improved UI and its customizability, at heart SAP’s CRM products are still all business.“At the end of the day, we weren’t focused on the user group, but on business needs,” Weigman says.“The new UI supports different flavors, but allows density of information. There can be lots of info, but that’s not always what the user needs. So we support a highly flexible UI.” That flexibility comes from SAP’s new browser-based interface. Some—including Entellium’s Johnston, whose Rave product is not delivered in the software-as-a-service model— would argue that the browser’s flexibility is a tradeoff with installed software’s depth and power. Weigman is ready to let agility rule the day, as new Web technologies continue to Some relevant facts from the Entertainment Software Association (www.theesa.com). • Sixty-seven percent of American heads of households play computer and video games. • The average game-player is 35 years old and has been playing games for 12 years. • The average age of the most frequent game-buyer is 40 years old. In 2008, 96 percent of computer game-buyers and 86 percent of console game-buyers were over the age of 18. • In 2007, 26 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from 9 percent in 1999. • Thirty-five percent of parents say they play computer and video games. Further, 80 percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that playing games has brought their families closer together. • Forty percent of all game-players are women. In fact, women over the age of 18 represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population (33 percent) than do boys younger than 18 (18 percent). • Forty-nine percent of game-players say they play games online at least one hour per week. • Thirty-six percent of heads of households play games on a wireless device, such as a cellphone or PDA, up from 20 percent in 2002. appear. “If I had no boundary, I would give the browser more capability,” Weigman says. “But we are prepared to switch paradigms as needed.” A view of a CRM-specific interface for the BlackBerry handheld device. John Carini, the chief software architect for mobile applications developer iEnterprises, says that mobile devices need clarity to account for the small screen and limited navigation options. THE VIEW FROM THE ROAD Since Weigman mentioned BlackBerry, what about mobile? In addition to perennial favorite RIM BlackBerry (see image, left), businessfolk use many other handheld devices when on the road, or even when at their desks. Palm Treos, Windows Mobile devices, smartphones, and now the Apple iPhone all have carved space for themselves in the business mobility arena; each has its own requirements. How does a designer cope? For that, we turn to one of CRM’s 2007 Rising Stars, iEnterprises. The company, a developer of mobile CRM and sales force automation applications for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices, gets its GUI direction from Chief Software Architect John Carini. More so than with a desktop or laptop computer, Carini says, mobile devices need clarity to account for the small screen and limited navigation options. “The key is an intuitive interface—it should look great, but also be usable,” he says. “When I open the application, it should be immediately clear what to do and how to do it.” The spatial limitations of a mobile device can actually be seen as a strength by those—often salespeople—who rely on the devices. “With mobile, you get all your information in one place, so apps should be customizable and configurable—put what you want on the screen,” Carini says. In other words, www.destinationCRM.com http://www.theesa.com http://www.destinationCRM.com http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - August 2008

CRM - August 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point Maximum Security A Code Win Doesn’t Blow Forming the Platform CRM on Twitter CRM Class Is in Session Making CRM Mandatory for University Administration Required Reading Cover Story: Calling it Quits Wouldja Look at That? 8 Enterprise Strategies That Stick CRM Searches for Search All Lines Are Not Busy UC: As Easy as A-B-C Even Contact Centers Have Room for Improvement Money Lying Around? Secret of My Success Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - August 2008

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