Like most enterprise applications, the ERP platforms are also going mobile. In case you are not already planning on mobilizing your implementation, well, you should. It’s not just because everyone else is doing it.
There is serious business sense in investing in the initiatives. There are a number of sound business reasons why the ERP systems should be inked to a mobile interface. Below is a list of the top 10.
1. It makes you more productive – The biggest advantage of mobility in the enterprise resource planning domain is the improved productivity. Your teams are better connected to the core systems irrespective of their location. This allows them to access the right data at the right time. Your warehouse manager knows exactly what orders are in the pipeline with one look at his smartphone.
2. It improves efficiency – The reduction in the time required to access and act on data leads to efficiency gains. Think about the improvement in your production cycle if the assembly lime manager does not need to be chained to his / her desk in order to know the demand and spares statistics. You can cut down on the wastage and have more efficient operations.
3. It improves customer service – All the toils of any enterprise are directed towards the single goal of acquiring new customers and keeping the existing ones happy. Mobility enhances the customer experience by improving the interaction and customer service. The service desk has access to the customer data at their fingertips, literally, and that helps when interacting with them.
4. It helps you control costs – Mobility saves cost of service for the enterprise. Take an example of the field services. Businesses today are replacing their clunky handhelds with smartphones and tablets. Doing away with handhelds saves a lot of money in purchase and maintenance of the same. Cost is further saved because the enterprises do not need backend software and infrastructure to pull data or charge those monsters.
5. It improves visibility – Top execs need access to data on the go. Getting them a mobile dashboard back fed by the ERP data can go a long way in helping them take informed decisions. This functionality goes a long way in improved business outcomes. Important decisions need not be limited to board meetings. They can now be taken in a restaurant, on a flight, or even on a golf green.
6. It fosters real ‘Intelligence’ – A number of BI initiatives do not succeed just because the intelligence created does not reach the right people at the right time. Mobilization puts the power of intelligence in the hands of the right people, and promotes better utilization of the knowledge in business decisions.
7. It stimulates sales with mobile CRM – Customer relationship management has often been called an art more than a science. What if the artists (your sales teams) are empowered with the scientific analysis of the data? The always on the go sales teams, enabled with the knowledge of the CRM database can transform the way business is done. The commitments to the customers can be much more realistic if you have a tap on the inventory and the pipelines.
8. Improve market reach, grow the pie – Mobility allows you to reach out to hitherto unexplored markets, the ones you could not explore because of commercial and logistic considerations. Even within the existing markets
, you can create new opportunities by engaging potential customers and influencers in a positive interactions.
This was a guest article from Jennifer Lewis.
The author works with one of the leading healthcare app development solutions company in India, with headquarter in Dallas. The mobility consultants firm has team of enterprise application developer has created over 300 applications on major mobile platforms.
