Being the boss with ubiquity

By Mike Richardson, Managing Director, Maximizer Software EMEA.

Being in two places at once is usually reserved for those who also walk on water, fly or have a silver DeLorean that can time travel. However, it is a power many senior managers would surely rank as sorely needed, especially on those days when the world conspires against you. Whether it be a natural disaster, the rail system being shocked by the fact that it has rained in one of the wettest places on earth or simply leaving your keys on the kitchen table, you don’t have to remain helplessly sat there envisaging your company or department in all kinds of exaggerated danger.

CRM can give the impression of you having such supernatural abilities – if it has web accessibility. Any solution worth considering should offer mobile access as standard, which will allow you to manage others and check your company’s KPIs whilst simultaneously wrestling with rail commuters.

Most CRM providers will boast some form of mobile capability – it is the latest ‘thing’ after all – but many of these will charge extra, or severely limit the functionality, so that you can do little more than send an email.

Fully formed CRM solutions should provide a purpose-built mobile interface for all its web accessible products at little or no extra cost. In terms of functionality, you should expect to have access to: the main databases to create and edit contacts; the system calendar to set and manage tasks and activities; and of course to some form of visual dashboard to take a view on current activities.

In fact, if you do a little hunting around the very best CRM solutions will actually provide access to the database, various search functions, customer service management, sales management, customised real time indicators, the system calendar and plenty more to help your company or department run smoothly – even when your life doesn’t – and this should be available for every user, enabling them to become superheroes with web accessible products.