Mobile CRM for iPhone and BlackBerry (photo: Frank Völkel)
iPhone or BlackBerry – Comparing the Future of CRM
The iPhone and the BlackBerry communicate through servers with CRM applications or databases. At the CRM-expo 2009 in Nuremberg, Germany, Sybase demonstrated its solution for mobile customer relationship management, revealing fast access to SAP CRM as well as good graphics display.
In the market for wireless phones with computer-enabled features – or smartphones – there are essentially only two players: the BlackBerry and the iPhone. And this is truer than ever when innovative functions such as mobile data synchronization with the company server are what’s called for. The iPhone, which entered the consumer segment two years ago, is now going from strength to strength in the business world. And let’s not forget the mobile Internet, which has transformed itself from a passive information medium to a useful helper.
It’s no longer just about e-mails, calendar entries, notes, and contact details that need to be permanently updated and synchronized. The world of mobile CRM now involves accessing a company’s retailing system, checking delivery stock, prices, and deadlines, and monitoring the status of projects, customers, and complaints. Unsurprisingly, the target group is those who are rarely in the office – sales reps, field service employees, and top managers. At the CRM-expo 2009, the overriding consensus was that sales representatives are now assuming the role of customer manager.
Not so long ago, the first mobile CRM features were only available on the BlackBerry, but now more and more solutions are emerging for the popular iPhone. For example, CRM-expo visitors had the opportunity to see a fully fledged version of Sybase’s CRM mobility solution connected to the SAP Customer Relationship Management application (SAP CRM) in a protected area. And it became evident that this CRM solution runs much faster on the iPhone than it currently does on the BlackBerry Storm.