Page 39 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

18 � mAnAgIng the moBIle workForCe

` moBIle plAtForms need to Be IntegrAted Into
the Core oF exIstIng BusIness systems

Your IT leadership will have to take the lead on providing the technol-
ogy solutions your mobile workforce will require but you should have
a working knowledge and familiarity with the various systems which
may be needed, depending on your organization’s size and purpose.
There are a number of ways to integrate new technology into the
existing framework of business systems. The paragraphs that follow
describe five predominant ones. These enterprise tools are the primary
components of a comprehensive mobile workforce integration solution.

enterprise resource planning
Generally associated with an enterprise, the Enterprise Resource Plan-
ning (ERP) system is responsible for providing secure data to serve all
departments within the enterprise. It manages that data and ensures
that there is access to it. The ERP system interfaces within the enter-
prise back-end software services, such as order entry, accounts receiv-
ables, general ledger, purchasing, warehousing, and human resources.
This is not a complete list; however, it defines the primary functional
responsibilities of the ERP.

Customer relationship management
In addition to the ERP, many enterprises use a customer relationship
management (CRM) system to plan, schedule, and control the sales
efforts and activities of the organization’s sales teams. Many success-
ful companies utilize CRM to increase their profitability. They do so
by engaging the entire enterprise, on a daily basis, in efforts to collect
information about their customers and report on their activities. This
intranet and extranet solution allows instant access to secure cus-
tomer data about prospecting, presales activity, and postsales activity.
Customers who are entered into the system can be tracked to show