MTN has added two tools to its business applications suite, which previously consisted of only logistics and fleet management solutions.
Tebogo Mogapi, chief business sales and services officer of MTN Business, says the two applications - Data Management and Mobile Forms - are part of a complete suite of applications that MTN will unveil to corporates in the next six to eight weeks.
He says MTN developed Data Management, which allows businesses to manage and control data spend, in response to a slump in the market, and because corporates told the company they needed a way to better manage data expenses.
However, Mobile Forms, which lets users capture information via cellphones, came about after research carried out by MTN, and not an explicit request from corporates, says Nomalanga Nkosi, GM: business marketing at MTN. Nkosi explains that MTN is in talks with companies, as well as its own sales force, to identify what mobile solutions customers desire.
According to Steven Ambrose, MD of WWW Strategy, these apps are not in themselves revolutionary, but they are a sign of things to come. He predicts that as mobile devices become more pervasive, especially for business use, there will be more function-specific applications that integrate with business systems.
These applications will be fairly specific, and single function, and will only be applicable for a specific solution for business, says Ambrose. He adds that business systems will have to become more agile, and have the ability to work with information fed from multiple single function mobile applications.
“The rich, dense, and multifunction business applications running on current computing platforms will have to be reworked completely, along with the back-end business processes that support these systems,” he notes.
Mogapi says existing users of these applications include two big banks and an on-the-road sales force company. He adds that MTN has received positive feedback from everyone who has used the applications.
He also points out that the applications are secure, as MTN does not share any customer information with its developers or partners.
According to MTN, Mobile Forms is available on Windows Mobile, BlackBerry and Symbian, while Android and Apple iOS will be supported within the next three months. The Data Management app is a Web-based application that is accessible from any browser.
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