Aberdeen study finds 79 percent of top performing enterprises will implement or enhance mobile sales solutions in next 12 months
Apresta, innovators in providing wireless access to enterprise data, a division of enterprise software solutions and CRM specialists, Saratoga Systems, has today reported that nearly 80 percent of the top performing companies plan to invest in mobile sales productivity tools to drive top-line growth within the next year. The findings based on a study conducted by Aberdeen Group and underwritten by Apresta, also found that these initiatives are receiving sponsorship from C-level executives from these companies as a reflection of the strategic nature of these investments.
The "Mobile Sales Solutions Benchmark Report: How Mobility Grows Revenues and Customers through Increased Sales Productivity," also reveals that 83 percent of the best-in-class organisations are already providing sales professionals with real-time access to mobile data, such as: inventory availability, order inquiry, key customer account information, product catalog and pricing, and lead and activity management. The research reflects intelligence gathered from more than 150 companies, across multiple industries.
"In the past, utilising mobile technologies within the sale force gave early adopters the competitive edge," said Guy Tweedale, Managing Director of Saratoga Systems, Northern Europe. "Today, empowering the sales organisation with mobile sales solutions has become a requirement in order grow market share and compete in a dynamic, global marketplace."
A number of factors are driving investment in mobile solutions. Most notably, selling within a "24/7" global environment fosters demand for real-time access to pertinent customer data in order to maximise sales performance and better serve customers. Executives surveyed acknowledged that this can mean the difference between a multi-million dollar order and a lost deal. According to the report, top performing companies who have deployed mobile systems cite revenue growth, increased productivity and enhanced customer loyalty and retention, as key measurements of the success for their mobile sales initiatives.
"Mobile CRM technologies are maturing at varying rates, but the 'tipping point' of each organisation centres around pressure to grow revenues and customers," says Leslie Ament, Practice Leader and Research Director, Customer Intelligence at Aberdeen Group. "According to our benchmark data, organisations that currently utilise CRM applications are challenged most in selecting an optimal set of mobile device and information access services. Providers of vendor agnostic services or solutions offering native access to CRM data, are well positioned to add value by reducing integration challenges and deployment timeframes."
Other findings from the report include:
o In 67 percent of top-performing organisations, line of business (LOB) drives mobile CRM investment decisions, with executive level support;
o IT organisations in enterprise-class companies have a limited role in the development of mobile strategies or driving specific initiatives;
o Most companies are already wired for mobile access and utilise a variety of wireless technologies;
o More than just a Sales initiative, mobile CRM and sales automation solutions are being used by Marketing and Customers Service & Support departments, as well as executive management.
"While the benchmark data illustrates the growing popularity of mobile sales initiatives, our customers are finding that simply providing access to front-end sales applications is not enough," continued Guy Tweedale. "Delivering secure access to multiple systems - CRM, ERP and home grown systems - is critical to providing sales personnel with the information they need to effectively serve customers and prospects and produce optimum business results."
The Mobile Sales Benchmark Report examines the challenges and opportunities related to mobile sales initiatives, it evaluates the performance metrics that companies are using to measure the effectiveness of their mobile investments, and provides actionable recommendations for performance improvements for companies at all maturity levels.
