Mobile CRM is booming in SA, according to customer relationship management (CRM) solutions provider, Maximizer Software.
Mike Richardson, Maximizer Software MD of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, says the South African CRM market is following a similar pattern to the UK market. Richardson, who took over from Vivek Thomas, says this is due to the growing adoption of mobile CRM software in SA. “What's happening quite quickly in SA is that having CRM at the centre of business is key to the way people are doing business right now.”
The mobile world is changing the way people collaborate, notes Richardson: “The benefit of the CRM solution for the user is the fast speed at which the user can react to a potential sale. The first person to get the foot in the door generally gets the deal.
“Because sales staff are working faster with mobile CRM, this has a knock-on effect throughout the entire company, which is then forced to raise its game to keep up with the pace of sales,” he adds. “This means that what we are seeing is a shift or blurring between work and home life.”
One of the biggest inhibitors, says Richardson, is that the majority of South Africans use pay-as-you-go methods of cellular payments instead of data contracts, which would allow the user to use the CRM application more affordably. “Businesses are very careful about the investments they make and they want to see the value it will bring to the business, as well as return on investment.”
Maximizer Software is evaluating CRM voice recognition technology, Richardson hinted, which allows the user to speak to the device rather than type in the information. This technology has been around for a while, but hasn't yet gained widespread adoption.
Since 2004, the worldwide CRM application software market has grown steadily, at 11% to 23% per year, according to Gartner. The analyst firm estimates that total revenue for the CRM application software market in 2008 amounted to nearly $9 billion worldwide, and will reach $10 billion in 2009, a 7% year-on-year increase. This includes licences, maintenance and subscription revenue.
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