Are you mobile?
Sounds like a funny question. Are you mobile? Do you mean can I run, jump, or walk? Can I roll out of the pocket when a 250 lb. linebacker is chasing me down off a blitz? All valid remarks, but what we mean is “Are you MOBILE with your job?”
A few years back, Cook decided that company-issued phones and tablets would be iOS devices. Why? Because they were new, sleek, and cool? Nope. Cook chose iOS because of the promise the platform brings in delivering mobile content to our field based users.
Since then we have come a long way. We have launched several great tools for the iOS devices that make the life of field based employees easier. Some of the more recent launches have included a phenomenal tool for managing Information, Relationship, Insight, and Segue. Also known as IRIS, this Cook app is used by over 500 of our employees each month.
Another great Cook app that was launched is called Portfolio. This app helps ensure that field employees have easy access to Cook’s library of marketing material. No easy task, considering that we have thousands of marketing pieces for thousands of products. These materials are available in multiple languages and versions that need to be controlled by Regulatory approvals in individual countries. Portfolio helps deliver the current version to the right region.
Business Objects has even gotten into the mobile game. With the newest Cook app, called BI Mobile, users are able to analyze and change their sales data into countless visual graphs. We are also combining the power of Google Maps with sales data to bring an exciting new dimension to viewing sales information.
A crowd favorite and one of the first Cook apps to be released is Prices. This app gives the field employees the ability to quickly access the current price of a product for a customer! Just how well received is this app? Well, in the Americas alone it handles over 700 pricing requests per day!
Now why is all of this important? Several reasons.
#1 — iOS uses a familiar platform to deliver many types of Cook programs and data. Because users are already familiar with iOS apps, they can immediately start accessing the materials and data they need to do their job.
#2 — Mobile apps are a time saver. Let’s say it takes a Cook rep 3 minutes to boot up his laptop. Add another minute to launch Internet Explorer and log in to BO. Add another 2 minutes to navigate, retrieve, and refresh the report he wants in BO. That is a total of 6 minutes. The new BI Mobile app can do it all in 30 seconds. With all the field based employees we have, that is a lot of time that can be saved: 5 min 30 sec x 600 users = 3300 minutes = 55 hours in the Americas alone!
#3 — Users have access on the go with a lightweight device they can carry with them at all times. Our reps can answer questions from our customers on the spot. No need to waste valuable face time by answering, “I will get that info to you when I’m back in front of my computer.”
I recently read an article about mobility in the workforce. It was an eye-opening read. It said that the technology available today is outpacing the workforce’s ability to consume it. What does that really mean? Well, it means that the limits of technology are no longer what will limit an organization from deploying even more technology. It will be the rate of technology adoption that its workforce can handle. You have heard the saying, “It takes two to tango.” Well, that’s as true as it gets with mobile solutions. We are ready to advance the dance with Mobility. Are you ready to dance with us?