Microsoft CRM: data conversion import from Act!

Best Software Act! is very popular CRM for small and mid-size organization.   This system attracts business owner by its low price, plus system is very easy to use.  However if your business is growing you should reach the moment to implement more advanced CRM solution.  Natural question is how do we convert the data from Act! to new CRM solution and the mapping of your objects for conversion.  You would probably like to avoid operator data entry with potential numerous errors and mistypes.  Assuming that you are IT specialist, well give you technical side of Act to MS CRM data migration

This system attracts business owner by its low price, plus system is very easy to use.  However if your business is growing you should reach the moment to implement more advanced CRM solution.  Natural question is how do we convert the data from Act! to new CRM solution and the mapping of your objects for conversion.  You would probably like to avoid operator data entry with potential numerous errors and mistypes.  Assuming that you are IT specialist, well give you technical side of Act to MS CRM data migration:

• First you need to download Act! SDK from Best Software website
• Install Act! SDK on the computer, where you plan to do programming
• Well use asynchronous data export/import model, this means that well design the system, containing two parts: export into XML and this XML file import into the CRM
• Lets code Act! data export application, well use C# to address Act Framework classes, well need these libraries:

using Act.Framework;
using Act.Framework.Activities;
using Act.Framework.Companies;
using Act.Framework.ComponentModel;
using Act.Framework.Contacts;
using Act.Framework.Database;
using Act.Framework.Groups;
using Act.Framework.Histories;
using Act.Framework.Lookups;
using Act.Framework.MutableEntities;
using Act.Framework.Notes;
using Act.Framework.Opportunities;
using Act.Framework.Users;
using Act.Shared.Collections;

• To connect to Act! database:

ActFramework framework = new ActFramework();
framework.LogOn("Act Username", "password", "SERVER, "Database");

• Now we need Act field names to map them with the fields in the MS CRM:

private void ShowContactsFieldsDescriptions(ActFramework framework) {

    ContactFieldDescriptor[] cFields = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptors();

    ContactFieldDescriptor cField;

    for(int x = 0; x < cFields.Length; x++)

        {

            cField = cFields[x];
            Console.WriteLine("Table Name:tt{0}", cField.TableName);
            Console.WriteLine("Column Name:t{0}", cField.ColumnName);
            Console.WriteLine("Display Name:t{0}", cField.DisplayName);
            Console.WriteLine("ACT Field Type:t{0}", cField.ACTFieldType);
            Console.WriteLine("");

         }

}

• Lets get contact list and create the file for import instructions to MS CRM:

ContactList cList = framework.Contacts.GetContacts(null);
FileInfo t = new FileInfo("Contacts.xml");
StreamWriter stw = t.CreateText();

• Now we form export data:

for (int i = 0; i < cList.Count; i++) {

    string strContactXml = "<contact>";

    ContactFieldDescriptor cField;
    Object oValue;

    // First Name
    cField = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptor("TBL_CONTACT.FIRSTNAME");
    oValue = cField.GetValue(cList[i]);
    if (oValue != null && !(oValue.ToString().Trim().Equals("")))
 strContactXml += "<firstname><![CDATA[" + oValue.ToString() + "]]></firstname>";

    // Last Name
    cField = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptor("TBL_CONTACT.LASTNAME");
    oValue = cField.GetValue(cList[i]);

    if (oValue != null && !(oValue.ToString().Trim().Equals("")))
 strContactXml += "<lastname><![CDATA[" + oValue.ToString() + "]]></lastname>";
    else
 strContactXml += "<lastname>" + "N/A" + "</lastname>";

    // Salutation
    cField = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptor("TBL_CONTACT.SALUTATION");
    oValue = cField.GetValue(cList[i]);
    if (oValue != null && !(oValue.ToString().Trim().Equals("")))
 strContactXml += "<salutation><![CDATA[" + oValue.ToString() + "]]></salutation>";

    // Job Title
    cField = framework.Contacts.GetContactFieldDescriptor("TBL_CONTACT.JOBTITLE");
    oValue = cField.GetValue(cList[i]);

    if (oValue != null && !(oValue.ToString().Trim().Equals("")))
 strContactXml += "<jobtitle><![CDATA[" + Regex.Replace(oValue.ToString(), "rn", "<BR>") + "]]></jobtitle>";

• This is only portion of the data, that could be transferred into CRM, the whole list of fields is too long for small article, but your could design the whole list of desired fields.  Please, pay special attention to replace <BR> HTML tag this is required for text data transfer into CRM
• Next is import application creation.  We will not describe here connection to MS CRM details please read Microsoft CRM SDK if you need this examples.  Well concentrate on the nature of the import.

 The XML export file should look like this:

<contact><firstname><![CDATA[John]]></firstname><lastname><![CDATA[Smith]]></lastname><salutation><![CDATA[John]]></salutation><address1_line1><![CDATA[1234 W. Big River]]></address1_line1><address1_city><![CDATA[Chicago]]></address1_city><address1_stateorprovince><![CDATA[IL]]></address1_stateorprovince><address1_postalcode><![CDATA[123456]]></address1_postalcode><description><![CDATA[Toy Corporation]]></description><ownerid type="8">{4F1849C3-9184-48B5-BB09-078ED7AB2DAD}</ownerid></contact>

• Reading, parsing and MS CRM object creation look is relatively simple:

        Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.BizUser bizUser = new Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.BizUser();

        ICredentials credentials = new NetworkCredential(crmUsername, crmPassword, crmDomain);

        bizUser.Url = crmDir + "BizUser.srf";

        bizUser.Credentials = credentials;

        Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.CUserAuth userAuth = bizUser.WhoAmI();

        // CRMContact proxy object

        Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.CRMContact contact = new Microsoft.Crm.Platform.Proxy.CRMContact ();

        contact.Credentials = credentials;
        contact.Url = crmDir + "CRMContact.srf";
        CorrectXML("Contacts.xml", userAuth.UserId);
        StreamReader reader = File.OpenText("Contacts.xml");

        string input = null;                       

        while ((input = reader.ReadLine()) != null)

        {

            string strContactId = contact.Create(userAuth, input);
            Console.WriteLine("Contact {0} is created", strContactId);
            log.Debug("Contact " + strContactId + " is created");

}

• Just consider in more details CorrectXML function it places OwnerId into XML contact tree:

        private void CorrectXML(string fileName, string userId) {

           File.Move(fileName, fileName + ".old");
           StreamReader reader = File.OpenText(fileName + ".old");
           FileInfo t = new FileInfo(fileName);
           StreamWriter writer = t.CreateText();
           string input = null;

           while ((input = reader.ReadLine()) != null) {

               input = Regex.Replace(input, "{_REPLACE_ME_}", userId);
               writer.WriteLine(input);

           }

           reader.Close();
           writer.Close();
           File.Delete(fileName + ".old");

        }

• Finally, we are launching export, import, opening MS CRM and looking at the contact list, transferred from Act!
• Separate task would be Sales data from Act!, Notes etc. we plan to describe them in the future articles

Good luck with integration!  If you want us to do the job - give us a call 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577! help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer at Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), serving Microsoft Great Plains, CRM, Navision to mid-size and large clients in California, Illinois, New York, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Washington, Minnesota, Ohio, Michigan

Microsoft CRM USA Nationwide Remote Support

Remember old good days when your company probably had Great Plains Dynamics? If you are in San Francisco Bay Area you had local Great Plains Software partner consulting company, who served you basically coming onsite and charging you four hours minimum, even if the problem deserved 5-min fix? This was at the end of 20th century and remote support technologies were not very advanced Citrix was making good progress and taking market over from Symantec PCAnywhere. Today, when Microsoft Terminal Server and Citrix are remote support standards and IT department uses them to host application server for nation-wide and world-wide users, you should probably be thinking of getting remote support for your ERP and CRM systems. In this small article well take a look at Microsoft CRM remote support, customization, reporting, implementation and integration.

• Why Microsoft CRM Remote Support? Microsoft CRM market niche is still narrow and MS CRM consulting companies do not have enough clientele in their respected locals markets: Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York even in these hypermarkets. In order to survive Microsoft CRM VAR went to nationwide and even international markets to get clients base.

• Technology-driven consulting companies. Microsoft CRM has web and MS Outlook clients and so by its nature it is web application. When you are considering hosting your web site you typically do not care where hosting company is located you consider price and quality. Microsoft CRM could be hosted with .Net hosting companies and implementation could be done remotely with web-session-based training.

• Customization. Today, even if Microsoft Business Solutions has open technology Microsoft CRM SDK the complexity of the specific tasks (messaging through Lotus Notes Domino, generic MAPI, advanced MS CRM Exchange connector) requires precision programming, which should be outsourced to nationwide development centers. As our experience indicates clients are demanding the expertise, not just cheap generic developers. Whoever comes for the cheap price they usually get poor results.

• Large Business ERP. Microsoft CRM proved its market strength and ability to automate large publicly traded corporation. It sits in Microsoft SQL Server and uses all the spectrum of Microsoft technologies: .Net, Active Directories, MS Exchange, Full-Text Search, Crystal Reports Enterprise. We are confident in Microsoft CRM ability to automate Aerospace & Defense, Pharmaceutical, Supply Chain Management, Medical & Hospitals, Distribution & Logistics, Oil & Gas, Wholesale & Retail, Education, Non-for-profit

• Integration. Microsoft CRM has standard integration tool with Microsoft Great Plains, Navision and Axapta integrations are on the way. However you can integrate Microsoft CRM with heterogeneous databases, such as Oracle, DB2, Lotus Notes Domino, Sybase, Pervasive SQL or Ctree/Faircomm.

• Web-Sessions and Skype training. Web Seminars are normal these days and you should be OK with the idea of remote web training. This will allow you to get the best expertise with moderate price.

You can always have us help you, give us a call: 1-630-961-5918 or 1-866-528-0577, help@albaspectrum.com

Andrew Karasev is consultant and CTO in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) Microsoft Business Solutions partner, serving clients in Illinois, New York, California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Virginia, Minnesota, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, Asia, Russia. He is Microsoft Great Plains certified master, Great Plains Dexterity, Microsoft CRM SDK C#.Net, Crystal Repots developer.

help@albaspectrum.com

Customer Relationship Management System

Customer Relationship Management Systems is a tactical and strategic tool. If used correctly, this tool can forecast trends and help a company with the top and bottom lines. Today, many businesses do not look the same as they may have many years ago. They have definitely left their core competency to move onto something more profitable. The internet and information technology have made that possible.

General Motors and eBay are two companies who have reduced focus from their original purpose to reflect financing. They have both learned that keeping the customer in debt through interest bearing finance for longer periods of time is more beneficial to the business. Another example is from the best seller Good to Great. This book lists Kimberly Clark as a successful company that thrived in a dying industry. This company moved from being a supplier of coated paper to consumer goods like Huggies and Kleenex.

How did these companies transform to this kind of success? I believe it was from a keen insight into customer relationship management. Even at its primitive form, before current software availability, the astute business leaders recognized the trend in the market place. It wasn?t hard for the visionaries at places like GM, eBay and Kimberly-Clark to see the potential for huge profits. Like many explorers and adventurers, each of the CEOs and other leaders received harsh criticism and ne?er do wells from peers and medial alike. Many engrained in tradition expressed disappointment. The leaders were left with dreams, plans, execution and the true possibilities displayed in sales history, demographics, profiles, and shifts in buying trends.

This CRM uses sales force automation to expedite sales and assist the sales force, customer service and support to align sales with suppliers, and marketing management and analysis to find the market. These interact to align the business with customers? needs and meeting them more promptly at the point of sale.

With evolving technology and high tech consumers, we can expect many more companies to leave their original core competencies to ones that earn them more money with fewer costs. Much business is growing on-line. Without the proper risk of visionaries, and data used properly from CRM a company may die in its antiquity.

Jeffrey W. Bennett is the Founder and director of LayMentor Ministries. This ministry is dedicated to training church and other volunteer leaders to be more effective. Jeff speaks and writes on similar concepts taught in most MBA courses and makes it easy to adapt to all leadership levels. The volunteer drives our churches and communities and the impact can be amazing. For PowerPoint presentations of this article, visit http://www.jeffreywbennett.com/index_files/resources.htm He is also the author of the Missionary/Adventure novel Under the Lontar Palm available on line at http://www.jeffreywbennett.com or in major and online bookstores.

The Reality About Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

While Customer Relationship Management (CRM) technology has promised much, the reality for many has been disappointing. Industry analysts estimate 50-60% of implementations fail, or produce marginal return on investment. Our exposure to small and medium enterprises (SME) suggests that this rate may well be significantly higher. The irony is that the problem lies less with the technology itself (though that may receive much of the blame), but in much more easily addressed flaws in the way that organizations approach and implement CRM projects.

CRM technology should help organizations generate more leads, convert a higher

proportion of them, and retain customers longer through enhanced service, and more profitably through the more effective promotion of additional products and services.

CRM technology is a unifying technology supporting the operational needs of ?front-office? departments such as sales, marketing, and customer support, sharing a single database of information about customers, prospective customers, channel partners, suppliers, competitors etc. The CRM database works as a central repository of data typically integrated into other key systems such as finance. The system is designed to be accessed remotely to meet the needs of organizations spread across multiple locations, and staff who may not be office based. Typically this unifying CRM technology aims to benefit marketing, sales and service departments.

Successful CRM isn?t that difficult, but there?s more complexity involved, and more commitment required than many organizations had envisaged. With greater levels of planning, executive support, and awareness of the challenges surrounding user adoption, organizations can effectively drive CRM technology to deliver the promised vision. With so many struggling to get it right, the rewards for those that do will remain very high.

In summary, CRM technology should help organizations generate more leads, convert a higher proportion of them, and retain customers longer through enhanced service, and more profitably through the more effective promotion of additional products and services. Our ?Vision and Reality? white paper sets out our views on why this has happened, and outlines strategies for minimizing the risks and maximizing the returns from CRM.

Read more about why the current approach to CRM - Customer Relationship Management is marginalizing returns on investment and why you should work with an independent CRM consultant at http://www.mareeba.co.uk

Customers Want a Relationship

Would you rather go out to a different store every time you want to buy something, never being completely satisfied with what you get, and having to look for a new store on each new shopping trip or would you rather go to the same store and get everything that you need and want each time you go? The same is true for your customers. Just like anyone seeking a relationship, customers want a long-standing business relationship not a one night stand. To get your business to flourishing you need to focus on your customers and their satisfaction.

The real value of your customers is found in the second and third purchase and every one after that. You can grow the value of your business by growing the value of your customer base. When you create a marketing campaign, look at both the immediate return on investment you expect as well as the long term customer value that you are providing.

You need to get in your customer?s shoes. By having an intimate knowledge of what your customers really want from your product or service or what their real pain or desire is you will be able to create customer-driven marketing. Rather than a traditional campaign that screams ME, ME, and more about ME, a company with a customer relationship focus approaches it from the opposite angle of YOU, YOU, YOU. Try using secret shoppers. This doesn?t need to be an expensive initiative but it can yield a priceless return. Sit down and make a list of what needs to happen to create an excellent customer experience for anyone interacting with your company. Have someone test your operational process on how you do in each of these criteria. Identify areas for improvement and come up with a way to implement those improvements.

In-store surveys are another easy way to determine the level of your customers? satisfaction. If you or one of your employees speak with your customers ask them to be candid with you about your product or service and ask them to tell you what they are satisfied or dissatisfied with (always asking for both so you can get an understanding of your strengths and your weaknesses). Making efforts in these areas shows your customers and your employees that you are creating a culture of continuous improvement and one that encourages open feedback. Make sure that you act on what you uncover. There is nothing worse than asking people how you can do better and then ignoring their response. Not only is it a waste of your time, it is also insulting to those you asked.

Customer relationships are more profitable than transactions. When you look at the cost of acquiring a new customer versus the cost of retaining an existing customer the mathematical conclusion is obvious. It is much cheaper to keep who you?ve already got, than to go out and try to market and sell to a bunch of strangers. Instead of launching a marketing campaign that will target new customers, look into campaigns that will encourage your current customer base to expand their relationship with you, and introduce you warmly to a friend. You can use promotional items with your existing customer base to further ingrain your brand into their life. By keeping an existing customer happy and giving them a useful gift you are enabling them to do grassroots marketing for your business by toting your brand name around. They are more than likely to promote you to their friends and family when they?re happy and it?s very likely that those people are also your target customers, as birds of a feather tend to flock together. With this tactic you can kill two birds with one stone, making this both efficient and effective.

You also need to focus on how your employees treat customers. A company that encourages employees to mirror their customer?s mood, being extra friendly to customers that are seeking that kind of relationship and being quietly at the ready for a new customer that seems to not want to be bothered by a salesman is a company that is going to earn long-standing relationships with all sorts of customers. Training videos can be a useful way to teach employees these kinds of techniques when working with different types of customers. You can disseminate the information widely and have it for posterity, and not have to reinvent the wheel each time you hire someone new.

Without customers you don?t have a business. Keeping that at the forefront of your business plan, and making every effort to find and keep good customers, your business is sure to flourish. For more information on how you can form lasting relationships with your customers, visit www.flourishingbusiness.com.

Elizabeth Gordon, founder and President of The Flourishing Business, LLC, is a visionary leader who has a passion for helping others achieve their entrepreneurial dreams and enjoy more of the best in life. With a vast and diverse background in many business arenas, Elizabeth regularly has the opportunity to share her business acumen with clients, large and small. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Atlanta and the Board of Directors of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Atlanta. She is an Accredited Executive Associate of the Institute for Independent Business (IIB) and a certified Life Coach.

Mobile Sales Force Automation - How companies doubled its sales volume with wireless technologies

Introduction

In countless vertical business markets, mobile professionals are roaming far from their corporate campuses with laptops and cellular phones in tow. The increasing ubiquity of Wi-Fi hotspots and high-speed cellular networks, in part, has made these road warriors depend on real-time access to email, calendars and other corporate information systems.

Similarly, Sales force workers equipped with mobile devices such as Tablet PCs and ruggedized handhelds can be found in retail stores, on construction sites, in manufacturing plants, on service calls and everywhere else business is being done. Mobility gives them the tools they need for order-entry, shipment tracking and business intelligence reports. The use of mobile devices increases accuracy and eliminates redundancy, so there?s no need to carry around a stack of manuals.

Throughout business locations such as factories, offices, hospitals and other facilities a new breed of mobile worker, often referred as corridor warrior are seen armed with lightweight, handheld devices linked to wireless local area network (WLANs). The real-time communications and information access made possible through these complete mobile solutions is redefining the ways professionals perform at their jobs and consequently the costs of doing business.

These solutions are helping to raise the standards that both businesses and their workers are held to. This White Paper will discuss how the benefits of mobile solutions, are empowering Enterprises and their employees to improve revenue, engage in industry best practices and offer the best practices possible with its new features, functions and capabilities.

Obstacles in traditional SFA

A firm that has mobile sales force has been facing a lot of obstacles in recent times. They must continue realigning as the market changes. Earlier SFA Applications served the basic needs of field workers such as access to emails, contact management, calendaring and scheduling. Even though these features remain the dominant in SFA, the portfolio of capabilities has started to expand. A firm must adjust the pace of rebuilding the mobile force to match expected obstacles. The common anticipated obstacles are

• Focus ? Wasting time, money and resources on uninterested prospects. Instead of focusing on best prospects, sales force spends time on all the prospects.
• Access ? The Sales person often are not able to satisfy customer needs as they do not have access to the information that are sitting elsewhere in a database back at the office.

This led to the expansion of Mobile Sales Force Automation.

Expansion in Portfolio of Capabilities

• Quick Access to Information ? Imagine having outdated and inadequate information when you are in a sales call. Sales people should have critical facts and figures on the field that help them to close a deal. By providing the sales people with quick access and communicate information to and from the field allows the sales people to get the most from the time they spend with the customer.
• Shortened Sales Cycle ? Sales people can access current product information, check inventory and quote prices during a customer meeting which gives an outlook that they are very responsive. During the sales call customer can be informed about their accounts receivable status and credit standing with the push of a button. By using their mobile device the sales professionals can remove tedious tasks and reduce the delay in sending accurate information about customer meetings. Remote order entry capability also eliminates manual input of data into ERP. With these sales cycles are shortened, accurate information is gathered, customer is satisfied and revenue is increased.
• Sync Capability ? Synchronization provides a simple method of sharing data and merging new and updated information between offline users and the Mobile Server. When the offline user comes online he should be able to retrieve the updated information from backend server through mobile server and the information in his mobile device should be updated with the backend server. This ensures timeliness and accuracy of the information. The changes made outside the wireless coverage should be reliably conveyed to the backend. This ensures the sales professionals have most recently updated information and at the same time they need not reenter data again and again into the database. For Example, the corporate network of a major banking industry is designed to provide sales professional with reliable real-time access to their server. In a customer?s place network coverage is not stable always, it gets lost. They need to use their mobile device and enter data as they interact with customer and then make that data available to the server as soon as the connection returns.
• Always On Sometimes Connected ? During sales call, sales professionals are in consistent time constraint. They need to deliver their messages efficiently as well as effectively so that they don?t waste the face time with the prospects. The required boot of the laptop can waste a considerable amount of time in front of the prospect, which makes it less optimal. In such cases, sales professionals needs a mobile device which can help them access critical information in a small screen. ?Always On capability is a must and the sales professionals can connect sometime to retrieve information.? An efficient and powerful search capability is an important requirement.
• Security ? With the growing functionalities in today?s SFA security plays a very important role. The primary security requirement is that all users should authenticate themselves as a verified user into the corporate systems. This ensures the sales professional accessing into critical information is an authorized user. And also an insecure connection or a lost device can cause a loss to company?s proprietary data, in turn lowers competitive advantage. Mobility devices should have strong encryption capabilities for application data as it is transmitted over a network using a standard communication. A strong encryption system such as Triple AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) or DES (Data Encryption Standard) is necessary in ensuring the application data on the device is protected. In case of any lost or stolen devices, they should have the ability to remotely disable it.

SFA Mobile applications open up new frontiers

Recent advances in both wired and wireless Internet access solutions have spurred faster growth of mobile sales force population in the last couple of years, with hosted applications promising to open up new frontiers. The following features emerged into SFA applications, assures companies to maximize its capability to effectively and efficiently manage mobile users and devices.

• Policy-based Management ? Can provide a way to allocate network resources, primarily network bandwidth and security (firewalls), according to defined business policies. Users can be defined as individuals, groups, communities, and have specific management capabilities applied to them. This can be easily changed, and can be tied to a directory.
• Broad functionality ? Can function with a wide variety of applications and data requirements. Most of the applications have the needed interfaces to allow customization and additions.
• Directory integration ? Can interface with already defined directory structure and policies so a stand-alone or duplicate directory is not needed.
• Scalability ? Can provide management for a large number of users with a large number of devices.
• Single console for all network/application/device/security ? can provide a single console from which it can define, control, deploy and maintain all aspects of the device, application, network and security.
• Web-based console ? can be managed from a web-based console from any standard browser, allowing management from local or remote locations, and on a variety of devices.
• Support for diversity in devices, platforms, and networks ? supports a variety of devices, connections and platforms, and will continue to expand on the device types and OS flavors.
• Security components ? Provides at least a minimum set of security capabilities within the product. Can be integrated with higher-level security tools.
• Bandwidth aware ? can adjust for whatever bandwidth is available for the particular connection (e.g., delivering massive file updates on a slow connection).
• Dashboard ? can provide a management dashboard of information on processes, users, devices, performance, etc.
• Backend management integration ? can integrate effectively with other back-end management infrastructure already deployed within the organization without needing to retrain existing staff already familiar with the application.

Emerging trends in Mobile Capabilities

Today, an assortment of technology is used by sales professionals, ranging from laptop computers to consumer-grade personal digital assistants (PDAs) to beepers and cell phones. These top features provide a solution for everything a sales professional may need while out of the office.

• Integration ? Ability to integrate with enterprise-level business applications.
• Operating System ? Defining a standardized OS environment has greatly eased deployment of devices. Much like the PC desktop environment, the ability to deploy a single platform to all users means allowing a uniform distribution of SW, and a consolidated support requirement. Can support Familiar Microsoft Windows Mobile-based operating system.
• Deployment platform ? Companies ultimately deploy applications on one of two major platforms: Microsoft .Net, or Java. However, many organizations will deploy both. Can run in either environment (e.g., running a JVM on a Windows Mobile device supporting .Net).
• Third party application availability ? Many application vendors now offer mobile extensions to their application suites, providing a convenient means of extending applications to a mobile sales professional. However, not all vendors provide such capability, nor do they support all platforms. Third party middleware extensions provide needed functionality when not available within the application.
• Asset Management ? Deploying devices to users is only part of the challenge. The greater part of the challenge is managing the deployed assets. Devices deployed in enterprise settings provide the appropriate tools to mange the devices adequately, even when used with a third party asset management application.
• Connectivity ? Companies are relying on the notion of the ?real time enterprise? which requires up-to-date data acquisition of business activity information, as well as empowering employees with the data necessary to make the proper decisions. Mobile devices offer connectivity, even if not immediately used with the expansion of WiFi deployments within companies, as well as in public places. Can also allow a choice of radio connectivity options.
• Battery Life ? Battery life varies greatly depending on usage factor but the bottom line for most users is, can mobile devices get the user through the workday without a recharge? Most consumer PDA devices are challenged to provide a full day?s operation when using a wireless connection (WiFi). Can provide sufficient powerful batteries to provide at least one day?s operation, and allow full recharge overnight. Further, can provide field replaceable battery, as most batteries will only withstand about 300 charge/discharge cycles.
• Data Capture ? Data capture options provide linear and two-dimensional scanning or imaging.
• Voice telephony ? Voice telephony for push-to-talk (PTT), peer-to-peer (P2P), private branch exchange (PBX), one-to-one or one-to-many communications.

Future Technology Accelerators

Tablet PC

Tablet PCs combine the touch screen and handwriting features of the PDA with the computing power of a notebook computer in a compact and light weight design. End-user experiences the same look and feel in the office as in the field. Other advances in battery life and wireless capabilities are also eagerly anticipated.

Voice

Emerging technologies that allow natural text to speech dictation will allow easier data capture by both sales professionals and other members of the sales channel. Such services can run on mobile devices or via telephone services to a central server. Such solutions will tie directly into sales and marketing applications and can help increase the amount of useful data that can be captured in the field.

Extending into Field Analytics

As wireless networks improve, our ability to access information throughout the enterprise increases. Through integration of analytics into a mobile environment, we bring the sales professional in closer contact with the home office and help them to better highlight customer needs. We will be able to better measure and predict behavior and the interactions with the customer and, in turn, support changes in the business landscape, such as product launches and formulary changes.

RFID [Spell out] ? Radio Frequency Identification

An RFID system comprises three main elements: electronic tags, tag readers and software to store collected data.

The tags, which consist of a silicon chip and an antenna, provide each individual object to which they are attached with a unique identifier. When scanned, the tag transmits a wireless signal to the reader, which in turn sends the data to a database. The reader can also write information to the tag if required.

RFID technology is becoming prevalent in logistics where the movement of mobile tags, for example on pallets of consumer goods, is read by static readers, say, in goods in/out bays of a warehouse. However, for Sales Force Applications, this concept is reversed: the tags are static and the readers are mobile, i.e. carried by the sales professional. Tags can be attached, say, to a fixed location for proof of attendance, or to a specific item of machinery to be checked.

Top 5 reasons to make SFA MOBILE

• Company conducts business in a national or global market.
• Sales professionals spend more than 25% of the time out of office.
• Business depends on quick and informed decisions from people who are frequently on the road.
• Sales professionals need to have quick access to information and provide quick answers to the customers when they are on the call.
• Nimbleness is a competitive advantage for the sales professional.

Sample Case Study

Challenge

A famous Banking company needed a robust tool for managing sales leads and opportunities with visibility of the sales pipeline. The company desired a web-based, customizable solution that would be a good fit with that company?s mobility offerings to their sales professionals. It also desired a low-risk solution that could scale as the company grews. They also wanted their sales professionals to have up-to-date information about the leads they handle.

Solution

They selected ZSL?s middleware technology for its wireless capabilities, ease of deployment, configuration and customization. Through ZSL?s middleware technology the sales professionals were able to wirelessly access the provisioning functionalities such as sales order management systems and hosted prospect database. In addition, they were impressed with ZyPrism?s ability to synchronize data?s with reliable real-time access.

Results

Because of availability of data at real-time sales professionals were able to respond to customers at a quicker rate, shorten the sales cycle, increased their productivity and greater revenue generated. Because leads are pushed via alerts directly to sales professional?s Mobiles, sales professionals started experiencing faster response times to people who register interest via the web or its sales call center.

Conclusion

By providing quick access to information to sales professionals available at back-end data and applications helps them to shorten the sales cycle, gather accurate information, improves customer satisfaction and increase revenue. Sales professionals become more responsive to customers through expansion of capabilities in SFA.

With Synchronization feature in SFA sales professionals are equipped with real time and updated information, which in turn helps them to provide customers with up-to-date prices and inventory available. Remote order entry capabilities reduce the burden of entering the data again in the database residing at the server and help them to close the sale quickly and efficiently.

Business productivity and customer satisfaction can be achieved when mobile and wireless solutions are used wisely. Mobile solutions have truly come of age and can literally transform business to newer heights. Now is the time to evaluate how becoming more mobile sales professionals can be more productive. Its time to craft your mobile strategy otherwise your competitors are likely to go mobile giving them the competitive advantage.

Expansion in the capabilities of Sales force automation applications holds great promise for improving the efficiency of mobile sales professional and reducing the overall cost of sales. The enterprise network should be properly equipped to provide reliability, security, bandwidth, adequate remote connectivity and management controls. Mobility can give all the business advantages with these capabilities.

 

John Solomon is with ZSL. ZSL realizes that salespeople are mobile by definition. ZSL uses technology to make sales team more focused and successful. ZSL?s solution is customized in such a way that sales professionals get the direction they need and managers get the information they need. The bottom line is increased profits.

ZSL is an ISO 9001 certified provider of Onshore, Offshore & Near shore technology services. ZSL offers substantial cost savings and enhanced performance associated with a secure and effectively managed global development model. For over 10 years, ZSL has been partnering with a loyal following of clients seeking to leverage our proven delivery methodology, as well as 24/7 access to the very best technical resources and development tools available anywhere.http://www.zslinc.com