Enterprise Software Goes Mobile
“Going mobile” with your enterprise software may be one of your top concerns this year. It certainly reflects one of the most important trends in manufacturing.
According to an IDG survey conducted on behalf of Sage; among manufacturers, the top concerns are integrating new technology with legacy systems, automating business processes to better manage cash flow, and using mobile technology to make sales and customer service more efficient.
In fact, fully 72 percent of respondents indicated they’ve shifted their priorities to include integrating mobile channels and ecommerce to improve sales and customer service. It’s a big priority, and an important one in an era in which real-time anywhere access via mobile devices has become commonplace.
Going Mobile: The Challenges for Enterprise Software
A Wasp Barcode Survey of small to midsized businesses indicated that if business owners had unlimited cash to invest in technology, 10 percent would choose implementing a cloud-computing solution. This is probably to address enterprise software needs for mobile access.
Cloud computing technology has made real-time anywhere access a reality for enterprise software. Gone are the days when your team was tied to their terminals to answer customer calls, take orders, or respond to customer queries. Today’s sales and customer service teams may be on the road trouble shooting, visiting vendors or stopping by manufacturing plants, but they’re still fully connected to the home office via mobile enterprise software.
How Mobile Enterprise Software Boosts Customer Service and Sales
When customers call, they don’t want their message to go to voicemail. They expect to speak immediately with their salesperson. They want to deal with someone they know, not an anonymous customer service rep working in a call center miles away from your building. It’s not just a matter of answering the phones, either. People demand answers – now!
Fortunately, with mobile enterprise software, those answers are at all employee’s fingertips. New cloud-based enterprise software can be accessed anywhere, anytime. As long as you have internet access, you can look up an account, check on payments and delivery dates, and confirm information for anxious customers.
Success for Those Who Invest in Mobile Enterprise Systems
The IDG survey also asked manufacturing leaders who have invested in mobile upgrades whether or not such upgrades were a smart investment. Among the 70 percent who invested in mobile systems to make sales and customer service more efficient, fully 78 percent saw an improvement as part of that investment.
Some improvements you may potentially see include:
- Faster response times to customer inquiries and complaints
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Enhanced retention rates among existing customers
- Increased reorders among existing customers
- Lower complaint volume as customers receive better information
Clearly, investing in mobile enterprise systems to improve sales and customer service is a win-win for most manufacturing businesses. When your sales and service teams have real-time information at their fingertips, they can do a better job serving customers. And that translates into satisfied customers who will return to order more.
Mobile Enterprise Systems and Solutions from IWI
Going mobile doesn’t have to be a challenge. With IWI by your side, you’ve got a business partner who focuses on the right sized solutions for your business. From enterprise software to business systems and more, when it’s time to go mobile, contact us. Call IWI at 1-866-916-3851 today.