ERP Insights >> Magazine >> August - 2016 issue
New Digital Frontiers for Your Mobile Enabled-Workforce
Author : Sameer Wadhwa, Director
Friday, September 16, 2016
Many CIOs today are invested heavily in mobile applications for their field force �be it the mobile customer relationship management (CRM) app for sales personnel or the enterprise mobility apps for service staff. These mobile applications have proven to be consistent favourites because of their tangible impact on sales and customer experience.
According to a recent survey by ZIH corporation, organizations with significant field force operations are in a pressing need to undertake re-engineering of existing mobile applications. More than 70 percent of respondents have received budgets to re-engineer field force mobility that meets margin pressures and manages increased business complexity. As a consequence, CIOs are weighed down to derive more from their investments in mobile application assets than ever before.
Mobile Data Skyrockets
Across the globe, mobile broadband usage is skyrocketing. As per a recent report from Ericsson, the mobile broadband subscriber base will reach to 7.7 Billion by 2021, amounting to 85 percent of all the subscriptions. This scenario is all the more relevant for India, where the mobile data usage is growing at the rate of 50 percent YoY.
This growth is further set to accelerate in 2016, with the launch of new 4G services and entrance of new players who will fuel a price war for mobile data. As of July 2016, many of the leading players have decreased the mobile data subscriptions price by almost 67 percent.
This means that CIOs can now do more with leaner budgets for mobile applications. At the same time, employees today are instinctively more tuned to using mobile applications than what one has seen before. And this is only going to increase, making adoption of enterprise mobile applications much easier.
Consumer Devices Come of Age
All the four aspects of field force operations�field sales, field service, direct store delivery and asset management�have traditionally used rugged devices. These devices provide better Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)when compared to consumer devices because of their larger lifespan.
However, this trend is changing now. The current breed of smartphones, which run on latest versions of iOS and Android, pack enough processing power to be able to handle enterprise applications. For example, Apple�s A8 chip in the iPhone 6 is 50 times faster than the chip in the original iPhone and the GPU 84 times faster. Moreover, many smartphones now provide basic ruggedness � such as fall protection, and water proof operations etc. For enterprises, Bring your own Device (BYOD) as a trend has also mitigated the risk of shorter durability that are typical to a smartphone.
Hence CIOs today can release enterprise mobile applications and be assured of significant adoption without having to invest in capex for rugged mobile phones.
New Digital Frontiers for Field Force Applications
b>
Enterprise users today are faced with four new digital frontiers.
� Synchronous Moment of Truth (SMOT):
With improved smartphones and cheaper mobile data, the roll-out of field force applications is not limited to the field force supervisor alone. Subject matter experts, finance, marketing and all the departments can be weaved in seamlessly to create a collaborative environment to resolve any customer issue faced by the field force personnel. In our organization, we call it the �Synchronous Moment of Truth�and believe that it is one of the most powerful levers to upgrade customer experience today.
� Visual Communications:
Improved access to mobile broadband data has resulted in communications becoming more �visual�. Traditionally, the communication from field was more like a �workflow�. The field force personnel would update the mobile application, and it would sync up with enterprise systems in the batch mode. Today, with better mobile broadband connectivity, the field communication is not only instantaneous, but also involves sharing of visuals such as images and videos from the field. This helps in speedy analysis of issues and their remediation.
� Upgrading Existing Mobile Assets:
In general, organizations have invested a lot of time, effort and money in field force applications. More than the application itself, the effort involved in training the field force and setting up support infrastructure for the current mobile assets is significant. Most organizations are now turning to modular, embeddable assets to improve ROIsof existing mobile applications rather than launching new ones.
� Decrease in Cycle Time:
The complexity of rolling out field force application is reducing as the factors enabling organizational mobility become easily accessible. With 4G in the offing, and smartphones coming closer to mobile computers, there are no �special equipment� needed to implement mobility for field force anymore. Correspondingly, CIOs are facing significant and unprecedented pressure to roll out features and improvements at a much faster pace.
I believe that above changes will significantly disrupt the way organizations look at mobile applications in the foreseeable future. Instead of being tools for undertaking transactional tasks from the field, mobile applications will widely emerge as strategic tools for enhancing customer experiences, generating revenue and improving collaboration across the entire industry value chain. CIOs should reassess the portfolio of mobile applications and plan for their upgradation to align with the opportunities arising from the transitions in the telecom ecosystem.
New Digital Frontiers for Your Mobile Enabled-Workforce
Author : Sameer Wadhwa, Director
Friday, September 16, 2016
Many CIOs today are invested heavily in mobile applications for their field force �be it the mobile customer relationship management (CRM) app for sales personnel or the enterprise mobility apps for service staff. These mobile applications have proven to be consistent favourites because of their tangible impact on sales and customer experience.
According to a recent survey by ZIH corporation, organizations with significant field force operations are in a pressing need to undertake re-engineering of existing mobile applications. More than 70 percent of respondents have received budgets to re-engineer field force mobility that meets margin pressures and manages increased business complexity. As a consequence, CIOs are weighed down to derive more from their investments in mobile application assets than ever before.
Mobile Data Skyrockets
Across the globe, mobile broadband usage is skyrocketing. As per a recent report from Ericsson, the mobile broadband subscriber base will reach to 7.7 Billion by 2021, amounting to 85 percent of all the subscriptions. This scenario is all the more relevant for India, where the mobile data usage is growing at the rate of 50 percent YoY.
This growth is further set to accelerate in 2016, with the launch of new 4G services and entrance of new players who will fuel a price war for mobile data. As of July 2016, many of the leading players have decreased the mobile data subscriptions price by almost 67 percent.
This means that CIOs can now do more with leaner budgets for mobile applications. At the same time, employees today are instinctively more tuned to using mobile applications than what one has seen before. And this is only going to increase, making adoption of enterprise mobile applications much easier.
Consumer Devices Come of Age
All the four aspects of field force operations�field sales, field service, direct store delivery and asset management�have traditionally used rugged devices. These devices provide better Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)when compared to consumer devices because of their larger lifespan.
However, this trend is changing now. The current breed of smartphones, which run on latest versions of iOS and Android, pack enough processing power to be able to handle enterprise applications. For example, Apple�s A8 chip in the iPhone 6 is 50 times faster than the chip in the original iPhone and the GPU 84 times faster. Moreover, many smartphones now provide basic ruggedness � such as fall protection, and water proof operations etc. For enterprises, Bring your own Device (BYOD) as a trend has also mitigated the risk of shorter durability that are typical to a smartphone.
Hence CIOs today can release enterprise mobile applications and be assured of significant adoption without having to invest in capex for rugged mobile phones.
New Digital Frontiers for Field Force Applications b>
Enterprise users today are faced with four new digital frontiers.
� Synchronous Moment of Truth (SMOT):
With improved smartphones and cheaper mobile data, the roll-out of field force applications is not limited to the field force supervisor alone. Subject matter experts, finance, marketing and all the departments can be weaved in seamlessly to create a collaborative environment to resolve any customer issue faced by the field force personnel. In our organization, we call it the �Synchronous Moment of Truth�and believe that it is one of the most powerful levers to upgrade customer experience today.
� Visual Communications:
Improved access to mobile broadband data has resulted in communications becoming more �visual�. Traditionally, the communication from field was more like a �workflow�. The field force personnel would update the mobile application, and it would sync up with enterprise systems in the batch mode. Today, with better mobile broadband connectivity, the field communication is not only instantaneous, but also involves sharing of visuals such as images and videos from the field. This helps in speedy analysis of issues and their remediation.
� Upgrading Existing Mobile Assets:
In general, organizations have invested a lot of time, effort and money in field force applications. More than the application itself, the effort involved in training the field force and setting up support infrastructure for the current mobile assets is significant. Most organizations are now turning to modular, embeddable assets to improve ROIsof existing mobile applications rather than launching new ones.
� Decrease in Cycle Time:
The complexity of rolling out field force application is reducing as the factors enabling organizational mobility become easily accessible. With 4G in the offing, and smartphones coming closer to mobile computers, there are no �special equipment� needed to implement mobility for field force anymore. Correspondingly, CIOs are facing significant and unprecedented pressure to roll out features and improvements at a much faster pace.
I believe that above changes will significantly disrupt the way organizations look at mobile applications in the foreseeable future. Instead of being tools for undertaking transactional tasks from the field, mobile applications will widely emerge as strategic tools for enhancing customer experiences, generating revenue and improving collaboration across the entire industry value chain. CIOs should reassess the portfolio of mobile applications and plan for their upgradation to align with the opportunities arising from the transitions in the telecom ecosystem.
According to a recent survey by ZIH corporation, organizations with significant field force operations are in a pressing need to undertake re-engineering of existing mobile applications. More than 70 percent of respondents have received budgets to re-engineer field force mobility that meets margin pressures and manages increased business complexity. As a consequence, CIOs are weighed down to derive more from their investments in mobile application assets than ever before.
Mobile Data Skyrockets
Across the globe, mobile broadband usage is skyrocketing. As per a recent report from Ericsson, the mobile broadband subscriber base will reach to 7.7 Billion by 2021, amounting to 85 percent of all the subscriptions. This scenario is all the more relevant for India, where the mobile data usage is growing at the rate of 50 percent YoY.
This growth is further set to accelerate in 2016, with the launch of new 4G services and entrance of new players who will fuel a price war for mobile data. As of July 2016, many of the leading players have decreased the mobile data subscriptions price by almost 67 percent.
This means that CIOs can now do more with leaner budgets for mobile applications. At the same time, employees today are instinctively more tuned to using mobile applications than what one has seen before. And this is only going to increase, making adoption of enterprise mobile applications much easier.
Consumer Devices Come of Age
All the four aspects of field force operations�field sales, field service, direct store delivery and asset management�have traditionally used rugged devices. These devices provide better Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)when compared to consumer devices because of their larger lifespan.
However, this trend is changing now. The current breed of smartphones, which run on latest versions of iOS and Android, pack enough processing power to be able to handle enterprise applications. For example, Apple�s A8 chip in the iPhone 6 is 50 times faster than the chip in the original iPhone and the GPU 84 times faster. Moreover, many smartphones now provide basic ruggedness � such as fall protection, and water proof operations etc. For enterprises, Bring your own Device (BYOD) as a trend has also mitigated the risk of shorter durability that are typical to a smartphone.
Hence CIOs today can release enterprise mobile applications and be assured of significant adoption without having to invest in capex for rugged mobile phones.
New Digital Frontiers for Field Force Applications b>
Enterprise users today are faced with four new digital frontiers.
� Synchronous Moment of Truth (SMOT):
With improved smartphones and cheaper mobile data, the roll-out of field force applications is not limited to the field force supervisor alone. Subject matter experts, finance, marketing and all the departments can be weaved in seamlessly to create a collaborative environment to resolve any customer issue faced by the field force personnel. In our organization, we call it the �Synchronous Moment of Truth�and believe that it is one of the most powerful levers to upgrade customer experience today.
� Visual Communications:
Improved access to mobile broadband data has resulted in communications becoming more �visual�. Traditionally, the communication from field was more like a �workflow�. The field force personnel would update the mobile application, and it would sync up with enterprise systems in the batch mode. Today, with better mobile broadband connectivity, the field communication is not only instantaneous, but also involves sharing of visuals such as images and videos from the field. This helps in speedy analysis of issues and their remediation.
� Upgrading Existing Mobile Assets:
In general, organizations have invested a lot of time, effort and money in field force applications. More than the application itself, the effort involved in training the field force and setting up support infrastructure for the current mobile assets is significant. Most organizations are now turning to modular, embeddable assets to improve ROIsof existing mobile applications rather than launching new ones.
� Decrease in Cycle Time:
The complexity of rolling out field force application is reducing as the factors enabling organizational mobility become easily accessible. With 4G in the offing, and smartphones coming closer to mobile computers, there are no �special equipment� needed to implement mobility for field force anymore. Correspondingly, CIOs are facing significant and unprecedented pressure to roll out features and improvements at a much faster pace.
I believe that above changes will significantly disrupt the way organizations look at mobile applications in the foreseeable future. Instead of being tools for undertaking transactional tasks from the field, mobile applications will widely emerge as strategic tools for enhancing customer experiences, generating revenue and improving collaboration across the entire industry value chain. CIOs should reassess the portfolio of mobile applications and plan for their upgradation to align with the opportunities arising from the transitions in the telecom ecosystem.
