Mobile CRM is gaining traction in SA, as tough financial times force companies to think innovatively about how they use technology.
This is according to Mark Carter, Maximizer Software marketing manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, who was in the country recently visiting local channel partners.
Carter pointed to this year's Forrester CRM report: “Forrester conducted a survey on mobile CRM, which shows that half of respondents lost business opportunities because they could not make a sale immediately.”
According to Forrester research, involving 1 000 IT and business leaders, 22% of respondents had deployed a mobile CRM system, while 52% had plans to roll one out in the next 12 to 18 months.
In addition, the survey revealed companies spend about $13 billion a year on mobile CRM globally, primarily using SAP, Oracle and Salesforce.com.
Eyeing SMEs
Carter says Maximizer Software has been aggressive in the enterprise space, but adds the software company also aims to drive its solutions with RIM's BlackBerry device to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
He argues their needs don't differ that much compared to larger enterprises, although SMEs tend to deal with scarcer resources and fewer staff numbers.
Carter notes: “In tough economic times, people are looking to do more with less, looking for better services, improved business results, increased productivity, to close more sales deals and retain existing customers. We are offering SMEs a five-user CRM solution. It takes three days to get the system up and running, plus training.”
Etien van Loggerenberg, Maximizer Software territory sales manager for Africa, says more affordable, high-capacity broadband is needed for the technology to gain strong footing in the South African market.
However, he adds that over the past few months, interest and awareness in mobile CRM has increased.
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