As the iPad and other tablets become more and more popular in the business world, the need for business-specific software is also increasing. These devices are perfect for field sales and service work – they are light, they can be ruggedized, they are intuitive, and they have plenty of computing power for most needs. To some degree, they are a “throw away” device. If one is broken or lost in the field, a new one can be purchased for $500-$800 and the data restored in a matter of hours. Try doing that with a laptop!
For those users who need to access customer data in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, there are a few existing apps available that bring CRM data to the device. Two of the most popular are CWR Mobility and Resco. Both programs provide users with an intuitive interface, integration with Exchange, and offline capabilities. There are also an endless number of other apps that can provide additional functionality such as signature capture, mapping, mobile forms, document sharing, etc.
In some cases, a collection of individual apps can satisfy a company’s needs, but does flipping back and forth between apps cause problems and confusion? And, can actions taken on the device then be tracked back to the respective account records? For those companies with unique needs and processes, they may want to consider a custom app to streamline processes and avoid unnecessary complication.
