Study Reveals Mobile Solutions Reduce Costs, Generate ROI
By 2013, the consumer packaged goods (CPG) mobile workforce will exceed 950 million. CPG market leaders are taking advantage of this trend by deploying mobile applications that go beyond simply connecting workers to corporate systems such as e-mail and ERP systems. Today, sophisticated hardware and software are focused on reducing inefficiencies and enhancing productivity throughout field-based business processes.
In parallel, CPG companies are staying abreast of customer buying patterns and preferences by tapping into real-time consumer feedback made possible by mobile devices.
The challenge then that CPG companies around the world face revolves around how best to leverage enterprise mobile solutions to add value both to the company's productivity and the customers' user experiences in a manner that will reduce overall costs and generate significant ROI for the company going forward.
To answer this challenge, IDC Manufacturing Insights recently completed a study that assessed the business value of a mobile solution. On December 6, 2011, during a CGT web event, Stephen D. Drake, program vice president, Mobility and Telecom for IDC, and Shakil Haroon, president of Spring Wireless, revealed the findings of this study. Below are some highlights from the web event:
-- Drake started out by going over some key factors and trends that will determine the future of the mobile enterprise. This includes the explosion of consumer applications, cloud computing as a game-changer, and mobile’s influence in developing nations that will create meaningful mobile business opportunities. He also revealed the findings of a study conducted by IDC where the ROI model drew upon surveys conducted of IT professionals who deployed a Spring Wireless MEAP solution. The overall ROI gained in the study was 212 percent. Other major benefits include a reduction in travel, elimination of paperwork, and the tracking of task and time materials among others. “Really the greatest benefit… is the opportunity to put that data into usable form and into the hands of the mobile users. And it wasn’t only sales. We looked at merchandizing, delivery, repairs and even customer service. So, it really helped optimize a broad set of mobile workers,” he explained.
-- Haroon rounded out the event by offering best practices and sharing real-world examples for using a mobile solution. He explained how companies can significantly enhance the customer experience via mobile devices, how to gain mobile workforce productivity and reduce costs, such as travel, by 15 percent to 20 percent. “With the rate of change in the mobile industry, we probably haven’t seen an end to the revolving door of what happens to be the device of choice,” closed Haroon.
To listen to this event in its entirety, click here.