New research released today by Vodafone UK says CIOs agree that developing business applications is a priority for 2010.
Of the 200 CIOs surveyed, 46 per cent said they are currently developing their CRM applications, while data collection is the priority for 45 per cent. Database management applications are close behind (44 per cent). In a further sign that maintaining customer service is a major motivation for UK businesses, 33 per cent of CIOs said they are evolving their e-commerce applications, while 21 per cent are developing apps for download by their organisation’s customers.
Encouragingly, says Vodafone, end users from the 1200 surveyed across 500 companies agreed that improving access to existing corporate systems – such as job scheduling and mobile stock checking – was most likely to help them work more productively, and provide a better service for customers.
“From the front line to the boardroom, apps that can improve customer service are the killer ‘apps’ for business” said Jonathan Rutherford, Head of Large Business Marketing, Vodafone UK. “Across the UK, we see that mobile communications, including user friendly applications, are being used to develop new ways of working that enhance employee satisfaction, increase productivity and improve customer service.”
End users all agree that what they want most is the tools necessary to do their job. When asked for an open response, the most frequently cited ‘apps’ employees wanted to see were: the availability of flexible and collaborative working tools such as remote access, apps to locate colleagues and the ability to contact the team at the press of a button. For end users, business applications are more important to get things done at work than introducing the use of their own mobile device.