To achieve Arbill’s wireless
CRM goals, Copeland needed to replace an ancient, text-based TeleMagic CRM
product that faced Y2K-related obsolescence. The reliance on a dumb-terminal-based
package hampered the company’s ability to embrace the Internet and the opportunities
presented by e-commerce and other Web-based technology, which Arbill saw
as a competitive disadvantage.
Installation and deployment
of the SalesLogix software at Arbill was simple and straightforward and
done over a weekend, says Copeland. The most time-consuming part was importing
existing CRM information from the old system, she says. Arbill worked with
Practical Sales Consulting Inc. of Blue Bell, Pa., to create custom software
to read its antiquated systems information. The telephone deployment took
less then two weeks to implement. Interact Commerce provided extensive training
on the new package well in advance of product rollout.
Cost of the installation
from the systems integrator for the first year was approximately $74,000,
including customization, back-office integration, and training. Aside from
the costs regularly associated with cellular services there are no additional
charges for providing mobile connectivity. Since cellular telephones were
already a part of the mobile sales reps’ tools, no additional expense was
needed to supply them. Telephones are supplied by Arbill for all users and
are provisioned with sufficient minutes to support virtually continuous
access. “The increased number of successful sales calls easily justified
the project cost,” Copeland says.
| Lessons Learned About Using Wireless CRM Software |
|
technology and intelligent devices carry great potential for empowering mobile workers, including increased communication between road and office workers; instant access to customer data; and impressive technology capabilities that demonstrate the ability for better customer service. to select individual wireless providers for each specific geographic region. corporate infrastructures to support wireless capability now that is also scalable for the future. access to data increases customer satisfaction. |
Know Your Needs
and Capabilities
When planning IT infrastructures,
companies should do as much as possible to anticipate the impact of mobile,
intelligent devices. “All