Customer Relationship Management

Per leading analyst reports, by 2015, approx 30% of tablet adaption is expected to come via Enterprises. Several of our clients have expressed an interest in mobile enabling some of their key workforce via tablets. Most of these organizations already have a mobile enabled Sales or Field Service workforce typically using a standard, enterprise approved device.

Some of the reasons that we heard for the interests in tablets were -

1) Field force is pushing IT to support tablets as these are cool devices.

2) Many field users have personal tablets and they would also like to use these for work purposes.

3) CXO's/Sr. Executives are fascinated by the exciting user experience offered by Tablets in terms of the refreshing look and feel of apps, touch interface etc (a significant change from the routine look and feel and keyboard based user experience in PCs/Laptops). They want to use the tablets during the interactions with customers and want to view metrics and reports on these devices.

It seems that the push for incorporating tablets in the enterprise is 'outside-in' ie coming from the employees Vs most other enterprise apps and devices that need to pushed to the workforce 'inside-out'.

There are also some concerning aspects that we identified during our interactions with enterprises -

1) Most enterprises don't seem to have a clear financial business case regarding how the introduction of tablets would further benefit their already mobilized workforce.

2) They also do not have a clear strategy for tablet adoption.

3) Enterprise provided tablets are an additional expense as most enterprises already provide smartphones or other devices to their mobile workforce. So enterprises want to pilot tablets for a niche set of users.

4) A 'Bring Your Own Device' scenario that is desired by the employees leads to complexities in managing these devices which was a serious concern for the IT departments.

So while the users themselves are excited about the devices, there may be some resistance from various departments within the enterprise like IT till they become ready to manage the related complexities.

 In terms of industry verticals where tablets are most relevant, my observations are as below

1) Retail - We have seen interest from high end retailers to provide 'In-store guided sales' type solutions to their store reps. They are also exploring usage of tablets to setup self-help kiosks or mobile point-of-sales solutions to provide maximum convenience to customers.

2) Financial Services -  We have seen interest from Banking customers to provide tablet based CRM apps to their relationship managers/private bankers. Many bankers are using tablets extensively during their client meetings to capture notes, make presentations and improve the overall experience for their High Net Worth customers.  

3) Pharma and Healthcare - From Doctors, healthcare professionals to Pharma and Medical devices sales professionals, tablets are becoming popular across the spectrum of users in this industry. While doctors and healthcare professionals use tablets to improve their productivity, reduce paperwork and keep themselves updated with the latest happenings in their field, the sales professionals can leverage the rich features of tablets to make most effective sales pitches in short time span.

4) Transportation and Logistics - Tablets are relevant for the field force in the transportation and logistics verticals. There is a huge potential for location based services for the mobile workforce which has primarily been using ruggedized hand-held devices so far.

5) Senior Management/Executives - This is by far the most active consumer segment for tablets. Personal productivity, client connect and viewing business intelligence metrics are some of the key requirements for this community.

The market for tablets is also very dynamic. While Apple iPad is leading the tablet market, Google's Android Honeycomb based tablets, Windows based tablets, RIM PlayBook and others are also focusing on offering Tablets/Apps for the Enterprises.

There is certainly a lot of interest and curiosity amongst enterprises for leveraging tablets in their business scenarios. Most enterprises are willing to experiment and pilot tablets. There are also a number of success stories available on the public media regarding usage of tablets specifically iPads in organizations.

To summarize -  

Are tablets useful in an enterprise?

- Definitely yes.

Will they benefit all categories of employees?

- Mostly no. It may not be of significant benefit to provide tablets to say call center personnel who are typically immobile and may need access to multiple applications and need higher computing power.

Are they likely to replace PC's or Laptops anytime soon?

-Maybe not. But they will offer capabilities that will poach a significant share of the PC/Laptop market in the future

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