With more customers using mobiles devices, the pressure on businesses to always be available can seem like an impossible request. Luckily, software like CRMs exist to help businesses stay on top of demands, without being buried under the pressure.

But it’s not enough that you have a CRM for your office laptop. Mobile CRMs are here to empower business owners, wherever they are.

So, what are the important features of a mobile CRM? It can do everything your desktop CRM can, with the added bonus of flexibility and portability. Your portable CRM allows you to access all the information you need and share it freely to team members. Mobile versions also feature dashboards that can highlight important stats and metrics at a glance.

In this article, we explore seven key features of mobile CRMs and how to integrate them into your operations.

What Is Mobile CRM and Why Is It Important?

Businesses need a way to stay on top of their customers and performance, and it’s hard to do that if your data is stuck in the office. With more companies acknowledging the benefits of working remotely, business tools are adopting to more nomadic operations, allowing companies to run their ship wherever they are.

A customer relationship management (CRM) software is used to manage and track interactions with customers and leads. A mobile-friendly CRM allows field agents and sales reps to have access to vital customer information on-the-go.

In turn, this flexibility allows organizations to maintain their momentum when getting leads, improving relationships with customers, and marketing their brand whether or not they’re at the office.

Why Go Mobile

Tons of CRM software are available on the market and it can be difficult to choose one that fits your business. Aside from key features such as real-time customer tracking, streamlined information sharing, and process automation, the one feature your CRM should have is the ability to go mobile.

What Increasing Mobile Usage Means For Businesses

Mobile dependency increases year after year. These stats show just how mobile devices have become integrated into modern life:

• The number of mobile phone internet users in the US is predicted to increase from 237 million in 2017 to 275 million in 2022
• 92% of Facebook’s advertising revenue in 2019 came from mobile devices
• In 2018, more than half of the internet traffic comes from mobile devices
• 4 out of 5 customers use phones and apps to shop online
• 75% of opened emails in the US are accessed through smartphones and apps

With more and more consumers turning to their mobile devices to search for, interact with, and buy from brands, it’s clear that mobile-preparedness is imperative for businesses.

What It Means For Your Business

Think about it this way: if the average consumer spends the majority of their time on a mobile device, they have the flexibility to interact with brands whenever, wherever.

This translates to increased demands for brands to stay on top of customer concerns, no matter what. Keep in mind that customers send in requests and make purchases 24/7. Keeping crucial information available only from the typical 9 to 5 setting will definitely harm your business.

A mobile CRM is a way to stay on top of your customers. With crucial data ready at the palm of your hands, you can track customer satisfaction and improve relationships as needed. If you need to access vital information urgently, all you have to do is look at all the information ready on your fingertips.

What It Means For Your Sales Team

A mobile CRM is a definite gamechanger for your sales force. Field agents and sales reps know that a delay of two minutes can easily make or break a sale.

With a powerful tool like a mobile CRM installed on their phones, pivotal decisions can be made on the spot. Your team can also perform in any corner of the world and still do their best.

With reports and insights available on-demand, your sales team can be more confident in pursuing leads and closing contracts. With streamlined sharing, your sales team doesn’t have to worry about missing out on important information, because they can get important updates and useful information the instant they are encoded into the system.

Ultimately, mobile CRM can mean a more productive sales team. Instead of being tied to a desk, your sales force can actually venture into the world, attend conferences and social events equipped with all the information they need.

Mobile CRM Benefits and Disadvantages

Just like any business tool, there are pros and cons to using a mobile CRM. The good thing about the disadvantages is that various steps can be taken to prevent these from happening.

PROS

No set-up required

In most cases, the only thing you have to do with a mobile-friendly CRM software is to install it on your mobile device. These softwares are made to run on Android and iOS devices, making it easy to set up and configure.

Once the app is installed on your phone, there is usually no need to migrate data if you’re using cloud-based software. This means data available on computers and tablets can now be accessed on mobile devices. Updates, fixes, and edits are instantaneously available across all devices.

Portability and flexibility

Portability has to be the best selling point of mobile CRMs. It’s the pocket-sized equivalent of a chunky file cabinet storing all crucial information on your customers. Everything you need, from customer name, address, contact details, preferences, are available on your mobile device.

Information sharing can also be controlled. Most CRMs allow role-based access control in order to safeguard sensitive information. You can assign roles across your organization and only share information relevant to specific teams and individuals.

Data made timely

Whether you’re in a meeting or preparing for a call, a mobile CRM can help you look up metrics and data points in an instant. This gives sales reps more confidence when speaking to their prospects, allowing them to make smart decisions based on stats, insights, and customer history.

CONS

Compromising data

While mobile CRMs are generally secure from hacking efforts, the risk of compromising company information is still possible. In most scenarios, organizations allow employees to use their current devices to host the mobile CRM application. In events where the mobile device is lost or damaged, sensitive data may be compromised.

An easy solution is to train employees to safeguard their mobile devices and treat these as confidential reports. Policies can be developed in order to ensure that users remain responsible for their mobile devices.

Unfriendly UI

Not all CRM softwares are created equally. You might end up investing on a mobile CRM only to find that its interface is more burdensome than helpful.

Before committing to a platform, try and secure a demo with the provider so you can test drive the app before implementing it across your organization. It’s also crucial to bring your sales force early on in the adoption phase to make sure they are comfortable with using the device and that the app becomes a seamless part of their operations.

Reliant on connectivity

Being in an area with limited or no internet connection might impact your decision-making abilities. Since most CRMs have online-only features, you will become reliant on internet connectivity in order to access crucial data.

You can always screenshot or save crucial information in advance. This way, you can talk to customers equipped with the right information.

Sales team might become overconfident

With information available in an instant, your sales team might start getting overconfident and sloppy. Instead of preparing for calls and customer interactions, they might begin to rely on old data when making new decisions.

Mobile CRMs need continuous data input in order to help companies thrive. Without your sales team making new discoveries, your business’s performance can stagnate or even decline.

As long as you train your sales force to see your CRM as a partner and tool, you can continue to improve your company’s performance.

Top 7 Functions of Mobile CRM

1. Accessible Dashboard

Sometimes you just need to see all the data you need at a glance. A helpful mobile CRM allows you to customize your dashboard so you can keep track of your most important information.

Your CRM dashboard can feature real time progress on leads, sales, and service activity. Alerts can be displayed on-screen so you don’t have to worry about missing deadlines.

At Commence, we offer nifty features like adding company news, deadline tracking, and even the ability to compose and respond to emails on the dashboard. This helps busy execs get a bird’s eye-view of everything going on in the business without ever leaving the dashboard.

2. Real Time Customer Support

Mobile CRMs built with customer service and support functions allow you to respond to customers instantly. Instead of leaving time-sensitive inquiries until the next working day, sales reps can respond to quote requests, inquiries, and complaints whenever necessary.

With customer information stored on the platform, your customer service team can serve existing customers better by knowing the buyer’s history with the company. Service ticket management allows relevant customer reps to address concerns without any hiccups.

The real time customer support function also increases cross-sell opportunities. With timely customer service, your brand can inspire customer loyalty and encourage customers to recommend your business to friends and family.

3. On-Demand Reporting and Analytics

Decision-making is a crucial part of sales. Luckily, mobile CRMs are equipped to produce reports and analytics on the fly. Instead of spending all your time trying to make sense of patterns, see data for what they are through smart and graphical reporting. Commence uses powerful custom report generators so you can extract the information you need using only your mobile device.

This means your sales team can look at trends and use historical data to predict the outcome of ongoing deals. This is useful when your field agents are faced with crucial decisions that need immediate answers. Just one look at mobile CRM insights will result in lower risks and better opportunities.

4. Hands-On Project Management

Staying on top of multiple projects outside the office can feel impossible. With a mobile CRM platform, you can manage projects and even collaborate on them using only your mobile device.

Your team no longer has to lug around an entire laptop’s worth of documents. This also eliminates needless messaging and file sharing between teams and individuals. With file storage and cloud-based sharing, all documents can be reviewed, analyzed, and utilized through only one mobile app.

Project managers can allocate resources, coordinate calendars, and stay on top of projects remotely. High-priority projects can be updated and dealt with swiftly, improving your relationship with vendors, organizations, and customers.

5. Automated Marketing

Your mobile CRM will be especially useful when crafting time-sensitive marketing campaigns. Leverage ongoing trends and get on top of the market buzz immediately. Commence’s email sync feature allows you to link Commence with Outlook, Gmail, and other email apps so you can send emails in a timely manner.

Commence also implements smarter marketing features such as landing page integration. With this function, you can immediately record possible leads and automatically add them to the sales pipeline.

One of the more impressive features of a CRM app is marketing-focused analytical reporting. Campaigns can now be analyzed by industry, allowing you to understand each contract’s actual value and predict future outcomes. Combine that with automated email marketing campaigns and you can set your marketing campaign in motion through automation.

6. Share and Streamline Information

By storing important documents in your CRM platform, your team members don’t have to worry about missing out on crucial information. Instead of using multiple apps to share and open documents, you can use your CRM platform as a corkboard where you can store and highlight important documentation.

Developing a reliable and updated knowledgebase for you and your team members has never been easier. Whenever high-level individuals are not present to make decisions, approve operations, or answer questions, documentation detailing organization protocol and FAQs can be accessed with ease. This eliminates the need for unnecessary messaging and improves the functionality of your business.

7. Easy Customer Management

Managing customer relationships is at the heart of every CRM platform. With your app, you can monitor social media engagements on Twitter and Facebook.

More importantly, you have a record of every single interaction a customer has with your company. This makes it easier to understand their preference and create tailored recommendations based on their buyer history.

Customer tracking also involves the ability to understand where leads are in the sales funnel. With reliable customer management functions, you can focus on more profitable leads and abandon less promising ones.

Getting the Most Out of Your Mobile CRM

These CRM features won’t mean anything if you don’t have a strategy on how to use it. Businesses that end up uninstalling their mobile CRM apps fail because they didn’t come up with a strategy on how to take advantage of its functionality.

A CRM may be capable of many tasks but don’t depend on it to run your business. At the end of the day, it’s just a tool waiting to empower your processes. With the right strategy, you can work with your CRM to scale your business faster than ever.

Want to learn how Commence has helped dozens of businesses? Try our free demo today.