Mobile Sales Force Automation

Mobile sales tools are becoming indispensable for businesses attempting to build effective and productive sales forces in an increasingly mobile environment. In order to capitalize on this emerging opportunity and rapidly gain advantage over rivals, vendors are competing to provide organizations with tools that extend and enhance their sales force automation (SFA) capabilities. This promotes increased adoption and use of SFA that enables higher return on investment (ROI) for mobile SFA.

This landmark Frost & Sullivan research provides an overview of the various types of mobile SFA devices, such as wireless, offline PDA, and laptop SFA, that sales organizations use to improve interactions and increase productivity. It analyzes drivers and restraints to the adoption of these tools and provides strategic recommendations to vendors and end users. The research also examines the vertical industries showing maximum demand for mobile SFA and corresponding highest value-add solutions to fulfill this demand.

Catering to Customer Demand Key to Mobile SFA Adoption

With sales organizations becoming increasingly diversified and disparate, managers need tools to keep their sales forces focused on delivering the right messages to the right prospects at the opportune moments. "The competitive landscape for mobile sales is in flux with the convergence of mobile and wireless technology and the increased demands for value-added customer interactions," says the analyst.

The advent of more robust devices and applications is likely to meet these demands and allow an easier justification of ROI. The market is also tackling the demands for various types of devices and requirements for real-time information and transactions as opposed to disconnected, batch-synchronized solutions.

Identification of Niche Markets of SFA Key to Growth

With the lines blurring between mobile and in-house users, the need for ‘virtual’ SFA seats is moving mainstream. SFA vendors must identify niche market areas, recognize current and future selling processes that customers are most likely to deploy, and tailor mobile offerings accordingly. They need to enhance the expertise of their sales forces by incorporating mobile sales vision and core competency in their products.

As various wireless carriers begin adopting high-end network standards such as 3G, demand for wireless applications is set to accelerate. Systems integration is expected to remain a challenge as businesses consolidate multiple applications sourced from diverse systems. "By providing solutions that are, robust, flexible, and easy to implement and integrate, mobile SFA vendors can induce market adoption," says the analyst.