The second part of the guest post about Salesforce mobile adoption by our friend Barbora at Resco.net, who will analyze the issues to avoid when planning Salesforce mobile.

Barbora Piatrova (marketing specialist at Resco) takes her passion for digital marketing & Mobile CRM everywhere she goes. Currently, she’s involved in creating & mastering content strategy at resco.net – one of the leading companies in the world for Mobile CRM. She is now actively also discovering and participating in new thriving communities for Salesforce enthusiasts.

Issues to avoid when mobilizing your Salesforce data

Are you on edge when it comes to mobilizing Salesforce data to your users? Going mobile was never as easy as it is today. But is it secure and safe?

Well, it can be. If you choose the best possible scenario & set the right strategy. The goal is to get your sleek & robust Salesforce organization into phone and tablet – without losing the tools you know and prefer. And at the same time – gaining the productivity perks of native mobility as an extra.

Do you want to get your field reps prepped for a full-fledged mobile experience? Then be aware of the following issues. They cannot occur in your new application for Salesforce.

Integration & supported licenses

ISSUE: The app does not tie neatly into your Salesforce ecosystem and/or does not work with all the Salesforce licenses starting from the most basic one (Salesforce Essentials).

Platform availability

ISSUE: The app is not available on all major operating systems, for example it works only on iOS, Android, excluding Windows.

Security

ISSUE: Mobile data storage is protected, but only by user’s PIN. This means that if the user session (automatic logout after a few minutes) and app protection APIs are missing, the application and hence user data are not truly protected. All of this must be developed from the ground up. This requires complex engineering with a high risk attached to even a smallest oversight.

Offline syncing

ISSUE: The user is not able to determine what functions and formulas will operate when the app is being used offline.

ISSUE: The admin cannot regulate when and what is available for users to sync (manual & background sync, delayed publishes of Salesforce schema changes, etc.).

ISSUE: The app doesn’t allow sync of data when online for later offline backup or it syncs very slow in general.

Offline experience

ISSUE: The app is not reliable in offline mode, runs slowly and does not allow users to go offline for days without losing any of the previous work and data.

ISSUE: Admins and users can’t directly see how is the business logic mapped to the app execution.

ISSUE: When multiple users aren’t able to access, edit or change the same data offline.

ISSUE: Users are not able to configure offline datasets within the app or affiliated configuration tool.

Look ‘n feel to an end user

ISSUE: UI is not advanced and is out-of-date – the app lacks slick animations, static forms, sliding menus, interactive videos, scrolling text, interactive charts, tables, reports, and more.

Reputation & brand recognition

ISSUE: The app does not seem trustworthy, tested and proven. It doesn’t have the best reputation, bad ratings and reviews, customers that have bad experiences and do not recommend it.

Enterprise readiness

ISSUE: Your company purchases a mobile solution for Salesforce, but still doesn’t achieve the anticipated ROI. One of the reasons? It was simply not prepared for a change. Either you did not choose an app suitable for your business conditions or you did not set the right strategy, did not integrate it with your existing tools properly or did not involve your employees enough.

User adoption

ISSUE: The company does not involve users in any decision making processes, provide sufficient training, the app that doesn’t make their job any easier, because it is not easy to use, interactive and user friendly.

User tracking, audit and analytics

ISSUE: Admins are not able to track sales guys routes and locations during deployment to check compliance-GPS requirement. There is no on-site reporting or offline reports and alike features included in the app.

Flexibility in customizations & branding

ISSUE: It requires coding skills and it is not easy for a regular user to create custom objects, set rules and the functionality of objects. There are limited options to design the app for a company or even customer branding, limited object management for sales reps, and more.

Multimedia capturing

ISSUE: When all the data (photos, multimedia, geo-location services) are not captured locally. Data should be relevant to the app that is integrated with your device. It should not only enable you to capture, but to work with them – especially allow for real-time picture editing during visits and make it visible on the customer visit report.

Productivity

ISSUE: The productivity features have limitations or aren’t a part of the solution at all. Hence, the app doesn’t stress the functionalities to simplify the job of the remote workers. For example, users cannot update information on the go, and the mobile interface is not a simple action-based function, there is no easy access to notes or contact information. What else shouldn’t be missing? Contact import, calls, maps, email, push notifications, reminders, and similar.

Coverage

ISSUE: Losing connection with our product catalogue in the middle of a visit can be catastrophic and may even affect the relationship you have built with your customer. Therefore, you should be ready to always have the information available without depending on the cellular or internet connection.

Integrations

ISSUE: The more 3rd party tools and service integrations – the better. Companies increasingly demand more specific solutions to run their businesses smoother, easier and faster. If the app works as a single unit that does not efficiently communicate with external tools, it is not a suitable enterprise solution.

Language

ISSUE: Users do not have the opportunity to choose the app’s language according to the region/location, business unit or user role.

Price vs. App functionality

ISSUE: The app comes with one or more of the above-mentioned issues, and on top of that, it’s pricey? Then it may not be worth your time, money, and frustration.
If you want to mobilize Salesforce without having to run to any of such issues, here is a place to start: www.resco.net/salesforce.