By Ashley Furness, Guest Blogger and Market Analyst for Software Advice.
Two years ago when Steve Jobs walked the iconic reveal stage bearing the first generation iPad, a light bulb went off in Boston Scientific CIO Rich Adduci’s head.
Jobs described the device as an entertainment portal, but Adduci immediately realized its enterprise potential. A week later he scrapped all of his company’s mobile plans, bought more than 2,000 iPads and commenced crafting one for the most aggressive outside sales plans in the company’s history.
Asked recently about their success, he admitted it wasn’t the device alone that upped the company’s game. It was the strategic plan. With this in mind, I set out on a mission to find out what steps company leadership can implement to ensure they make the most of their iPad investment. Today I’d like to share a few tips I picked up along the way.
• Monitor Usage – Specify utilization goals and performance indicators for measuring success. For example, if you launch a new product, mandate the team go through training videos, view competitive analyses and download marketing materials. Then, watch which marketing assets (shown on the iPad) lead to the the most conversions and shift attention to those with the best success rate. This can be done with tools such as SAVO Mobile, Jive Mobile or any other sales enablement software.
• Go Beyond PowerPoint – Myriad companies now offer presentation generators specifically for tablets, such as MediaFly, Showpad and Upsync. These solutions integrate interactivity, sharing buttons, video, HTML5 and other tools for dressing up your digital assets.
• Think Big – Don’t just mobilize CRM or create one app for your team right out of the gate. Involve a mobile solutions developer that can create a platform specifically for your team. Too often companies just want to create something immediately and end up spending excessive time & money on disparate apps that frustrate more than enable sales.
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Ashley Furness is a Market Analyst for technology consultancy Software Advice. Her blog provides expert reporting on CRM software, Marketing Automation and sales strategies. She can be reached at (512) 582-2314 or ashleyfurness@softwareadvice.com
