What Is a Mobile CRM?

What Is a Mobile CRM? [Definition & Benefits]

Businesses today need agile tools to provide a seamless customer experience across channels, even when employees work remotely or are on the go. One of the most useful tools customer-facing employees need access to, regardless of where they are, is customer relationship management (CRM) software.

But not all CRMs are mobile-friendly, so it’s crucial to choose a solution that makes customer accounts accessible for employees when they’re not at their desks. That’s where mobile CRMs come in.

This post will explain what a mobile CRM is, what the top benefits for businesses are, and how to choose (or build) the right tool for your business needs.

What is a mobile CRM?

Mobile CRM refers to software that allows employees to access customer accounts from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. This enables sales professionals, customer service agents, and other employees to manage customer relationships, view past interactions, and update data in real time.

With mobile CRM software, businesses can give employees access to the tools they need to provide great customer experiences on the go. Ideally, a mobile CRM tool should offer the same functionality as a desktop CRM but in an easy-to-navigate mobile application.

Use cases for mobile CRM software

A mobile CRM tool enables employees to provide personalized service in the following uses cases:

• Relationship management: Customer-facing employees like account managers can reference and update customer accounts on the go as they interact with customers and build relationships.
• Customer service: Remote customer support agents can connect with customers and access real-time data from mobile devices, gathering the context they need to provide a positive customer experience.
• Sales: Field sales professionals can access and update data as they meet new and existing customers. They can manage leads from anywhere, such as conferences and trade shows, and create new leads while networking.

Benefits of a mobile CRM

Adopting a mobile CRM app can improve the experience for customers and employees alike. Here are the top 4 benefits for businesses:

1. Boost efficiency with data access

A mobile CRM enables employees to access real-time customer data and update customer profiles regardless of where they work. This is especially useful for employees who work in the field, whether networking at events or meeting customers in person to nurture relationships.

Ease of access to customer data can increase efficiency by ensuring that all team members have up-to-date information, allowing them to provide streamlined service and avoid asking repetitive questions.

2. Facilitate team collaboration

With mobile access to the business CRM, all the teams that touch a customer profile can communicate on the latest interactions, allowing for more collaboration.

For example, say an account manager for a software solution meets with a customer and learns they have technical issues with the product. After the meeting, the account manager can use the mobile CRM to add this information to the customer’s profile. This gives customer support agents the context of the interaction and prepares them to handle incoming support requests from the customer.

Depending on its functionality, a mobile CRM can also enable teams to share files, see the marketing campaigns a customer has interacted with, and communicate with other team members.

3. Improve the customer experience

A mobile CRM allows employees to provide personalized support at every stage of the customer journey. With the right data and context, employees can create a positive customer experience, reduce friction, and nurture customer relationships.

Continuing with the previous example, let’s say the customer contacts customer support to address the technical issue they experienced. The customer support agent can see the latest interaction with the account manager and can jump right to the solution without asking the customer to repeat the conversation. This makes for a frictionless experience on the customer’s end, strengthening their relationship with the business.

Learn more about how businesses can create a better customer journey through data and personalization.

4. Drive revenue

The benefits we’ve discussed so far lead toward the most important one for many businesses: driving revenue. That’s because providing a better customer experience leads to customer loyalty, ultimately impacting revenue.

Nurturing customer relationships, as we discussed above, is crucial for retention—56% of consumers say a frustrating customer support experience would prevent them from doing further business with a company. By providing personalized service with little-to-no friction, you can help boost your return on investment—80% of businesses say customers spend more on average when they have a personalized experience.

What to look for in a mobile CRM

Looking to adopt a mobile CRM solution? Here’s what to look for when choosing a provider:

• User experience: Look for a tool with an intuitive interface that’s easy for employees to use so they can be more efficient.
• Ease of deployment: Look for a solution that you can deploy in a matter of days, not months. Legacy software solutions can take months to implement, but agile cloud-based solutions take much less time and fewer resources to adopt.
• Integrations: Look for a solution that seamlessly integrates with your tech stack to facilitate the flow of data and allow employees to connect with customers on any channel from a single platform.
• Scalability: Look for a solution that can scale as your needs grow, whether you need to add more seats or expand your communication channels. The best mobile CRM apps have the flexibility to grow with your business.

Build a custom solution with Twilio Flex

If you already have a CRM your team loves, you might not be excited about the idea of switching to a new one for its mobile capabilities. The good news is you don’t have to switch. Using the Twilio Flex API, you can build a custom solution that integrates with your existing CRM and gives you the mobile capabilities your team needs.

Flex is a digital engagement center that gives you full control over how you communicate with customers and prospects. With its native omnichannel capabilities and access to real-time data, Flex empowers customer-facing employees to deliver personalized engagement at every stage of the customer journey.

This flexible platform integrates seamlessly with your full tech stack, including any CRM—whether cloud-based, on-premise, or custom-built. This means you can keep your current CRM and embed it within Flex (or embed Flex within your CRM).

With Flex, you can build a custom platform for desktop and mobile, freeing up employees to engage customers wherever they are. Plus, you can fully deploy your solution in a few days, continually adapting it as needed.

Ready to give it a try? Check out how to build with Flex for mobile, then connect with our team to learn more about what you can do with Flex.