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A BlackBerry
is a handheld device made by RIM (Research In Motion) that is marketed primarily for its wireless
email handling capability, though it also provides access to other Internet services. BlackBerry is
also a personal digital assistant (PDA)
that can include software for maintaining a built-in address book and personal schedule, and it can
be used as a pager. BlackBerry's makers provide software that forwards a user's incoming mail from
the user's individual email account or to a user's corporate email address through a
customer-selected wireless network to the BlackBerry where it is stored for reading. Outgoing email
goes directly to the addressee from the BlackBerry but a copy of the email also goes to the user's
home email box.
- Find out more about tools for effective sales with our Sales Force
Automation Learning Guide.
Bluetooth
is a telecommunications industry specification that describes how mobile phones, computers, and
PDAs can be easily interconnected using a short-range wireless connection. Using this technology,
users of cellular phones, pagers, and personal digital assistants can buy a three-in-one phone that
can double as a portable phone at home or in the office, get quickly synchronized with information
in a desktop or notebook computer, initiate the sending or receiving of a fax, initiate a
print-out, and, in general, have all mobile and fixed computer devices be totally
coordinated.
- Learn more about incentives when training
sales reps on mobile technology.
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GPS
messaging is a wireless messaging system for location-specific rather than
recipient-specific messages. The messages are sent and received by people with GPS (Global
Positioning System) locators in their wireless devices; messages are linked to the location of
the sender and accessed by any equipped mobile user entering that location. GPS messaging is
sometimes called mid-air messaging, because that's where the messages seem to be located.
- Read more in this expert response on evaluating
mobile technology for a sales force.
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A handheld
computer is a computer that can be stored in a pocket and used while you're holding it. Today's
handheld computers, which are also called PDAs, can be divided into those that accept handwriting
as input and those with small keyboards. Today, the most popular handheld that accepts handwritten
input is the PalmPilot from 3Com. Philips, Casio, NEC, Compaq, and other companies make handhelds
with small keyboards. Handheld computers are typically used for personal information manager (PIM)
types of applications.
- Get expert advice on mobile CRM and sales from sales
force automation guru Liz Roche.
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Mobile
device management (MDM) refers to any routine or tool intended to distribute applications,
data and configuration settings to mobile communications devices, such as laptop computers, cell
phones and PDAs. Mobile device management allows administrators to oversee the operation of
conventional cell phones, smart phones, and similar devices as easily as is done with desktop
computers. The ideal mobile device management tool is compatible with all common handheld device
operating platforms and applications, can function through multiple service providers and can be
implemented directly over the air, targeting specific devices as necessary.
- Test your knowledge of mobile
CRM vendors and news in this quiz.
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A mobile
VPN is a network configuration in which mobile devices such as notebook computers or PDAs
access a virtual private network (VPN) or an
intranet while moving from one physical location to another. An effective mobile VPN provides
continuous service to users and can seamlessly switch across access technologies and multiple
public and private networks. The functioning of an effective mobile VPN is transparent to the end
user without compromising security or privacy.
- Read the latest news about sales'
frustration with CRM systems.
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Sales force
automation software is a type of program that automates business tasks such as inventory
control, sales processing, and tracking of customer interactions, as well as analyzing sales
forecasts and performance. Businesses may have a custom version developed specifically for their
needs, or choose from among the increasing number of sales automation software products, such as
Interact Commerce's ACT! and GoldMine Software's GoldMine. SFA packages typically include a
Web-ready database, an email package, and customizable templates.
- Find out what criteria to use when evaluating
SFA software.
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A short
message is a brief text message sent to or from a mobile phone subscriber through the Short
Message Service (SMS).
The standard short message consists of up to 160 alphanumeric characters. A short message is
exchanged between two mobile devices or between a nonmobile device and a mobile device (for
example, a short message can be sent from a PC hooked up to the Internet to a mobile subscriber).
Short messages are stored in and forwarded from a Short Message Service Center (SMSC) so the
recipient can get messages that arrive when their mobile device is not turned on.
- Read tips on sales strategy with this chapter on using
technology to improve sales.
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SMS
is a service for sending short messages to mobile phones that use Global System for Mobile (GSM)
communication. GSM and SMS service is primarily available in Europe. SMS is similar to paging.
However, SMS messages do not require the mobile phone to be active and within range and will be
held for a number of days until the phone is active and within range. SMS messages are transmitted
within the same cell or to anyone with roaming service capability. Typical uses of SMS include
notifying a mobile phone owner of a voicemail message, notifying a salesperson of an inquiry and
contact to call or notifying a service person of the time and place of their next call.
- Learn more about mobile sales forces in our guide to
SFA.
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Wireless
is a term used to describe telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves (rather than some form
of wire) carry the signal over part or all of the communication path. Some monitoring devices, such
as intrusion alarms, employ acoustic waves at frequencies above the range of human hearing; these
are also sometimes classified as wireless. Common examples of wireless equipment in use today
include cellular phones and pagers, GPS, cordless computer peripherals and wireless
local area networks.
- Find more details on mobile
CRM access for sales reps.
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