CRM- September 2008 - (Page I2) 2 September 2008 CRM magazine Best Practices Series: Mobile Apps Take Aim at Field Downtime Field salespeople are mobile. They’re lead hunters. They don’t want to be pinned down to a desk, nor should they be. They’d rather be pressing the flesh with customers and prospects. And, if your organization is at all interested in growing top-line revenue, it should be doing everything possible to support this behavior. The best companies in your sector probably are. In the article, “The Real Benefits of Mobile SFA” (www.destinationCRM.com, April 8, 2008), Senior Editor Marshall Lager cites a recent Aberdeen Group study that reveals “57 percent of ‘best-inclass’ companies make reduced field downtime the chief definition point of productivity in relation to [sales force automation].” The article further states that, in contrast, “only 15 percent of industry laggards focus on reducing downtime.” For the purposes of the study, Aberdeen Group deemed the top 20 percent of evaluated firms as best-in-class companies. This elite group of performers averaged a year-over-year revenue improvement per sales rep of 24 percent, a bid-towin ratio of 58 percent, and an 85 percent sales performance against quota. Laggards—the bottom 30 percent—averaged a year-over-year revenue decline per sales rep of 8 percent; a bid-to-win ratio of just 8 percent; and a 60 percent sales performance against quota. Simply put, savvy companies understand that when salespeople are in the field they should spend as much time selling as possible. But how do you reduce field downtime? The answer is to find tools that give salespeople more opportunities to sell. Wireless CRM solutions are a compelling option. These tools enable salespeople, from their mobile devices, to send and receive information that is critical to closing the deal. “Mobile SFA offers both the end user and management a great deal more than the basic functionalities many sales reps use within traditional, wired CRM tools,” writes Peter Ostrow, vice president and group director for customer management technologies with Aberdeen, and author of the report. “One needs only to think about a day in the life of a best-in-class organization’s typical field sales rep[s] to understand how productivity can be positively enhanced with more comprehensive tools at their disposal.” Some of the benefits companies can expect from wireless CRM applications over traditional, wired CRM systems are increased deal-making productivity; better pipeline accuracy and visibility; and improved scheduling, customer accessibility, and quota updates. No longer must salespeople be tethered to their desks to update the company’s CRM system. (This is likely why so many salespeople resisted early CRM systems.) The benefits to salespeople are enormous and will likely enhance user adoption of their company’s CRM system. If you’d like to emulate the performance of Aberdeen’s best-in-class companies, then wireless CRM solutions should be an arrow in your sales quiver. For more information on wireless CRM solutions, take a look at the vendors presented in this white paper. Their wireless solutions should help your company hit its sales targets. This section is also available for download, in PDF format, at www.destinationCRM.com/WhitePapers. David Myron Editorial Director dmyron@infotoday.com http://www.destinationCRM.com http://www.destinationCRM.com/WhitePapers
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