Monday, November 29, 2010

Mobile enabled CRM vs CRM enabled Mobile

The replica of a Mobile Enabled SaaS CRM is not a CRM just as the thought of a process is not a process.
I had no intention to return to my blog anytime soon until I received a mail a few minutes ago.
Mobile CRMs come to stalk my work more than ever now. Just when I thought I had him reasonably compelled the CIO of a hot prospect sent me an email asking my views on a flier he had just received. A cheap, to the point, friendly mobile CRM provided and supported by the largest mobile instrument company in the country (by user base).
I am not surprised. While the big guys are busy putting together and selling flashy expensive and mostly overburdened CRM systems that are "Mobile Enabled" here is an example of a basic mobile CRM that is also "Internet Enabled". Alas! the SaaS biggies know less of mobility then they like to think.
Are mobile CRMs like these an elusive competition to conventional SaaS CRMs or a supplementary component that improves their capability? (Or something else that is still to take shape) Anyway, here is a honest opinion.
Mobile CRM is-
> About 140 times cheaper and does not need BBs or iPhones to run on
> Pre-existing install base across the spectrum
> Extremely Limited Functionality
> Further limited product road-map
> Super limited sponsorship
> Valuable for low value - have volume transaction environment
> Definitely not a CRM, a data gathering tool at best
> Clearly a useful extension to the typical CRM that helps improve their capability.
Do drop a comment if you'd like to deliberate further.