I’m beginning to think that the world can be separated into two distinct groups: those who Candy Crush and those who don’t. I, for one, fall into the never-have-probably-never-will category. Although I haven’t succumbed I have been advised by reliable sources that it is a hugely popular and seemingly addictive downloadable game. 

Taking ERP onto a mobile platform may not be quite as entertaining as Candy Crush but, in my opinion, it is definitely one of the more useful mobile technologies to have been developed lately. Apologies gamers …

However, in the age of ‘there’s an app for that’ few people equate ERP to that ‘app’. In this blog I’m going to look at some of the business benefits that a mobile solution offers; specifically for the sales force.

Think about the sales process before the advent of mobile devices. Sales people scurrying between customer premises and the office with to-do lists, customer queries, unfulfilled orders, and an armful of other administrative bumf.

Now fast forward to the era of digital intervention. Armed with a smart phone, or other nifty mobile device, the salesperson is able to offer a far more responsive service. This service can be substantially more effective if the mobile device is also equipped with instant access to business intelligence.

The salesperson is no longer forced to leave a customer in order to check stock availability, order status or the standing of a customer’s account. A tablet or smart phone can now resolve all of these issues in real-time ensuring a faster, more accurate customer service. And switching between devices as the sales rep logs on to a laptop or desktop when they head back to the office still allows them to pick up exactly where they left off.

In today’s consumer-led economy, the company is understandably under considerable pressure to provide these immediate services and responses to customers. For sales staff, this could mean the difference between closing a deal and losing the business.

An additional advantage of mobile access to ERP is the geolocation feature that provides a visual reference map of the customer address which reduces the risk of being late or getting lost.

Overall, mobile ERP solution is a sales enabler that provides specific answers to specific questions and improves customer service.

In conclusion, here is a quick recap of the most valuable aspects of this solution:

• Take an order on a smart phone while with a customer, and check if stock is available
• If it is, the customer can confirm the sales order by signing on the phone
• Then transmit the order to the warehouse so that the picking and shipping process can begin
• Don’t waste time looking for customer sites, as the geolocation feature provides a visual reference map of customer addresses.

Recommended Reading: The Benefits of SYSPRO Espresso in Key Roles