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07.14.09 Adding Mobile CRM Connectivity To Your Brands  By Jim Berkowitz Here are several excerpts from an article by Dianna Dilworth, Brands Find Mobile Adds Potential to CRM Mix: More brands are looking to add the mobile channel to build relationships and be a part of the CRM mix. Sears, FedEx, The Weather Channel and 1-800-Flowers are all using this medium to engage consumers on a deeper level. Sears, for instance, has added customer service on mobile, showing if items are in stock. "Most of what we are seeing from mobile CRM has been SMS-based, but we are now starting to see click-to-call, store locators, ‘view our catalog' and ‘buy our product' buttons," said Michael Dulong, SVP of business development/founder of Billing Revolution, a mobile billing platform. "There is a lot of potential here." Some brands are integrating mobile with other channels in a move to build customer databases or to keep a consumer more engaged with the brand. "We're seeing brands increasingly realize that every single [mobile] ad is a CRM opportunity, and that is by virtue of the fact that a mobile phone is in a consumer's hand almost all the time," said Adam Lichstein, COO at ShopText, which works with clients running these integrated campaigns to build a customer database. While mobile has benefits for CRM programs, it also has its challenges. They include, rendering issues on different screen sizes and resolutions, as well as varied carriers, networks and devices.
"The budget challenges also remain. Merging media are often a low priority in terms of media spending," he added. "As mobile evolves, we'll see it become even more important for a CRM channel, but for now it is still in its infancy," said?Matt Harris, CEO of iLoop Mobile. "Now, we can track if someone uses a coupon from a mobile phone, but we can't track what they have bought. It will evolve so that we can track this information and put it into the funnel." Comments About the Author: Jim Berkowitz is a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of professional services and project management experience related to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Financial Management (Accounting & ERP) software solutions for small, mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies. As a Sales Force Automation and CRM Consultant, Jim has assisted more then 100 companies with the design and implementation of custom CRM solutions. Mr. Berkowitz is the founder and President of CRM Mastery, Inc.; a company dedicated to serving small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) by offering affordable tools and guidance to help them plan for and succeed with their CRM initiatives. |
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