Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog: IT Departments Are Under Mobile Attack

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Источник: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/crm/archive/...le-attack.aspx
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Guest Blogger Mark Corley is the CEO of CWR Mobility presents a compelling solution for those wanting to be adroit in their adoption of the mobile phenomenon.

IT Departments are under siege – from the proliferation of mobile platforms and devices – and what are they supposed to do about it?

We can probably track the initial mobile “assault” back to the launch of the Apple iPhone in June of 2007. Senior executives in many organizations were early adopters. These key decision makers completely ignored corporate policies requiring a single mobile device standard. They purchased mobile devices on their own and then marched into IT departments and demanded product support. Companies were soon well on their way to device proliferation.

Hard to believe, but having just two mobile platforms is starting to look like the good old days. Today, users are not just buying BlackBerrys, iPhones, Androids and Windows Phones; they’re also acquiring iPads, Galaxy Tabs, Xooms and, soon, PC-based Slates. I work with enterprise IT departments every day and I haven’t run across a single CIO that thinks they can put the mobility genie back in the bottle. No longer can IT departments lock on a common standard and force users to conform. When it comes to your mobile users, it’s time to recognize that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Beleaguered IT departments may wonder if Mobile is worth all the effort. The proof is in the data. In a recent study on sales mobility called “Sales Mobility: Quotas Untethered,” Aberdeen Research Group reported that companies adopting mobile CRM have an 11 percent advantage in quota attainment, a 6 percent advantage in customer retention rates and a 3.5 percent advantage in lead conversion rates over the average for all companies. Mobility is king, and IT departments are king-makers. (Note: Download this report for free at www.cwrmobility.com),

The good news is that solutions like Microsoft Dynamics CRM and those from CWR Mobility enable IT departments to meet the conflicting demands of internal customers clamoring for various platforms. With CWR Mobile CRM, IT configures CWR just once, using the common Dynamics CRM point-and-click configuration tools, and then deploys CRM across all the major phone platforms. Users get the mobile device of their choice, management gets the visibility into sales and service it seeks, and IT gets to simplify its rollout of CRM technology.

By hiding the complexity caused by the explosion of mobile platforms, CWR Mobile CRM enables IT to serve internal customers the way they want to be served. IT can now go out to users proactively and show them how they can use the latest mobile devices, devices of their own choosing, to achieve their sales or service goals.

IT no longer needs to be under siege by mobile devices. Rather, in a judo move using the power and appeal of mobile devices, IT can now use mobility to improve user adoption, quota attainment, customer retention, lead conversion rates, AND management visibility and insight.

Instead of feeling attacked by mobility, IT can now employ it as a tool during rollout to drive user adoption. Promote mobility as a productivity tool for users. Start the CRM rollout by first distributing leads to reps, making marketing literature available, providing account and contact access, and providing insight into order status and cases. When the initial CRM rollout focuses on delivering value to users first, companies secure high CRM adoption. Management visibility into sales will follow naturally, and the mobile explosion will no longer be a threat. It will be an opportunity…and IT will be the hero.

Cheers,

Mark Corley







Источник: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/crm/archive/...le-attack.aspx