Evaluate mobile CRM only after improving sales force automation processes

Evaluate mobile CRM only after improving sales force automation processes

Can you give some examples of companies who have seen immediate sales increases with a mobile CRM implementation? I've been assigned with making a business case for mobile CRM and I'm looking for some real-world examples.

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This may not be what you want to hear, but before you go hunting around for examples of mobile CRM success stories, I would ensure that your sales organization has covered the points I've make in previous posts about sales force automation (SFA) utilization, forecast accuracy, etc.

I'm guessing that somewhere in your organization is the idea that CRM is not being used because it's not "portable" and it's a time drag on sales reps. If this is the case, then promise me. you'll question that general idea before you invest in mobile anything. I can almost guarantee that among the utilization issues is the notion that the system doesn't mirror the sales process.

Ok, jumping down off my soapbox, I wish I had some statistics, but I don't. I would check some vendor Web sites for case studies on mobility. I noticed a few good ones on the Salesforce.com Web site and I'm sure that anyone with a mobile solution (like Oracle or SAP) is also going to have case studies.
Caveat emptor: these case studies are obviously "tuned" to showcase the vendors' particular solutions and implementation.

This was first published in August 2006