Mobilizing CRM: routes to success.

Over the past 15 years, the evolution of CRM has paralleled changing business philosophy--from the early days when what passed for CRM was really only a contact database that assisted the sales process, to the current, customer-centric environment in which highly complex and expensive CRM systems enable customer insights that result in the tremendous sophistication and responsiveness at the heart of virtually every world-class enterprise.

Most recently, this need to become ever closer to customers (and customer information) can be seen in many organizations' efforts to provide remote access to CRM applications for workers in the field, often using wireless networks.

The Case For Real-Time Remote Access

The business drivers for real-time, remote access to CRM are clear: making customer information available anywhere and anytime translates into dramatic increases in efficiency, responsiveness and, ultimately, customer loyalty. Consider the following:

Faster turnaround. Real-time order submission results in improved customer service and clear operational efficiencies. As soon as a customer agrees to a purchase, the field salesperson places the order, confirms adequate inventory and verifies order receipt at the warehouse. Orders placed at noon go immediately to the warehouse for overnight delivery the next day.

Instant access to customer intelligence. A sales representative retrieves customer information, including previous orders, equipment installed or when the last sales call was made. This is invaluable for discovering unmet needs, spurring sales and serving the customer more effectively.

More "face time" with more customers. Always-on access to CRM means less time spent by mobile workers on end-of-day data entry. This gives more time for the core mission, which is meeting with customers, serving them and closing sales.

More reliable service inventory. For field service applications, immediate transmission of a work order helps to track parts used during service calls. This prevents possible short-ages and verifies adequate stock on-hand for the next day's work. And when a part is not in field inventory, the crew can check the warehouse, reserve the part and reschedule the follow-up service visit. Ultimately, this improved inventory control reduces the number of unnecessary truck rolls.

More efficient crew scheduling. By knowing immediately when a service visit has been completed or is falling behind schedule, dispatchers can send crews to new service calls or alert customers to delayed visits.

Less duplicate entry. In a real-time system, CRM data entry becomes an integral part of completing a work order. This spares mobile workers from duplicate tasks of creating the paperwork for customers only to have to re-enter the same information in the CRM system later.

Improved compliance. Sales people are oriented toward spending their time meeting with customers and doing work that immediately leads to closing sales. Service personnel focus on making repairs and completing installations, not documenting them. Real-time access moves data entry to the point of service and makes it an integral part of doing the job. As a result, it is much more likely that those data will be entered, and the information will be complete and accurate.

Available Infrastructure

Advances in three key areas are aiding enterprises in the pursuit of effective remote access to CRM:

Wireless networks. Wide-area wireless data services from major wireless carriers, such as AT & T Wireless, Sprint and Verizon Wireless, are now readily available and affordable. Additionally, recent upgrades to wireless networks have resulted in transmission speeds that now approach the level of data throughput that is needed to support remote access to CRM applications. When augmented by effective network compression, wide-area wireless data speeds can consistently reach the 100-200 Kbps range.

Additionally, the increasing prevalence of Wi-Fi (both private access points and public hotspots) now offers a viable, high-speed network option for mobile workers.

Mobile computing devices. As for devices, handheld PCs and laptops are more portable and they both have longer battery life, greater storage capacity and more memory than ever before. Most important, laptops and tablets for mobile workers are now available for only slightly more than the cost of a desktop PC.

Enterprise infrastructure. Virtually every enterprise has made some accommodation for traveler and telecommuter remote access, typically via dial-up combined with a robust authentication scheme. As a result, remote access via wireless networks does not necessitate re-architecture of enterprise infrastructure.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Mobility Challenges

Even given the advances above, finding the best solution for effective remote access to CRM can seem a daunting undertaking for the following reasons:

* Most CRM applications were written for a high-speed wired environment, requiring both sufficient network speed and connection stability to function reliably. As a result, many IT managers assume that "CRM mobility" using wireless networks automatically means "expensive and time-consuming upgrades." (Some CRM vendors have reinforced this notion by offering "mobile versions" of their applications that require both extensive changes to IT infrastructure and considerable investment in professional services to deploy.)

* The wireless landscape is far different from the wired LAN. It is characterized by intermittent connectivity, varying signal strengths, coverage gaps and security issues. Additionally, many enterprise IT managers may be concerned that the wireless networks that offer greatest mobility--wide-area networks from wireless carriers--will offer data speeds that are too slow to support the intense client/server data exchange typical of CRM use.

* Most IT managers believe they must choose between two similarly costly and time-consuming options: extending fully functional CRM access (as enabled by the kind of expensive development referenced in the first bullet point above) to mobile workers using laptops or tablets; and "mobilizing" their CRM application for use on a handheld device (which also requires substantial custom development).

Mobilization Strategies

Enterprises generally employ one of three mobilization strategies, each of which offers advantages and disadvantages.

Synchronization/offline access. Using this method, field workers (typically using handheld computers and a "mobilized" CRM application) periodically synchronize client data on mobile devices with the central CRM database. Usually the mobile worker "syncs" at the beginning and at the end of the work day, using a wired connection (dial-up or broadband) from his or her remote location. The device remains offline and out-of-touch through the rest of the day.

This type of access may be adequate for companies (and customers) that can afford to wait overnight for order fulfillment and updated customer records. However, this approach is inadequate for any business in which rapid response, highly accurate inventory management or real-time access to customer information is a requirement. For example, using the sync method, a customer order placed at noon and batch-entered at night would not be sent to the warehouse until the next day. As a result, an order that could have been delivered the day after the order was placed will instead be delivered two days later.

In addition, for the synchronization method to be effective, mobile workers must remember to synchronize their devices each day--an additional task at the end of what may already be a long workday. Clearly, compliance is not guaranteed.

OEM solutions. As previously mentioned, many CRM vendors have begun to incorporate some capacity for mobility into their solutions, usually via new software platforms or paid upgrades to existing deployments. Typically, this option provides mobile workers with a subset of the functionality they currently enjoy when using a wired version.

An advantage of this approach includes the ability to create a tailored solution that presents mobile workers with only the key CRM functionality they need for their field work. This approach also may be used to create a CRM user interface specifically for Pocket PCs or other handheld mobile computing devices.

In terms of disadvantages, it is not unusual for such "mobility upgrades" to necessitate entirely new CRM architecture and require considerable investment in professional service fees to support implementation. Also to consider, as with the synchronization model above, most OEM solutions currently rely on some form of batch transmittal rather than real-time wireless access and, as a result, suffer from the same limitations.

Mobility management. Mobility management solutions, sometimes called "middleware," provide a software solution that insulates CRM applications (and mobile workers) from the challenges of wireless data networking. Typically, a mobility management server acts as a proxy for mobile devices in the field, maintaining a constant connection with the CRM server, even when wireless coverage in the field is intermittent. Mobility management solutions may also maintain application sessions when mobile workers move through network coverage gaps or switch from one network to another (e.g., wide-area to Wi-Fi or Ethernet).

On the client side, mobility management software handles the chores of authenticating to the various wireless networks, roaming from network to network and providing security through a wireless virtual private network (VPN).

The key advantage of this approach is the ability to reliably extend access to existing wired CRM applications over wireless networks without requiring the kind of modification or upgrades necessary for either the OEM or synchronization models.

A disadvantage of this approach includes the introduction of a new software element into the IT infrastructure mix, which may be of concern to some IT managers.

Reducing Risks, Reaping Rewards

The greatest hurdle in implementing a mobile CRM solution may be human nature. We've all heard stories of CRM deployment failures caused, not by the underlying technology, but by staff resistance to new and cumbersome tools and processes.

So as you consider your approach to real-time CRM access, bear in mind that a solution that requires extra steps, hassles with network connections or mobile worker retraining may be at much greater risk of failure.

Regardless of the approach taken, it is clear that providing to mobile workers anything close to real-time CRM access requires careful consideration, due diligence and substantial work on the part of IT managers. However, for those who make the effort and investment, real-time access to CRM results in dramatic and real financial and operational improvements, as well as long-lasting, financially rewarding business relationships.

If you are interested in purchasing reprints of this article (in either print or HTML format), go online to www.reprintbuyer.com or contact a representative via e-mail at [e-mail] or by phone at 800-290-5460.

For information and subscriptions, visit www.TMCnet.com or call 203-852-6800.

BY Aaron Burnett, NetMotion Wireless

Aaron Burnett joined NetMotion Wireless (www.netmotionwireless.com) as senior director of marketing in August 2003 after nearly a decade in senior leadership positions with a major wireless carrier and a nationwide broadband ISP. NetMotion Wireless' products aim to help make the increasingly complex wireless network landscape more manageable and allow organizations to leverage their existing applications without modification.