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iPad friendly CRM

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#11
Been using elead on my iPad and it works good. Sometimes I have to refresh the new lead page a few times here and there but other than that it's pretty good. The emailing through the iPad works awesome Overall I guess I'm very happy with how it works but I dont have it connected to any printers.

Ill just print my forms from my desktop but the iPad is very useful for getting trade info at the car and having it save directly and then I just do a quick refresh on the desktop when I get inside.
 
#12
Did a little digging around during NADA. Found that most of the CRM services that have mobile solutions for iPad, offer some printing option as well.

I'll confirm that Elead works and you can print from the iPad.

A few others I checked into...
Dealer.com new CRM
Auto Accelator
Higher Gear
DealerSocket

I was able to confirm all of the above allow you to print.

Some CRM services are using native apps and some have a version compatible with mobile browsers (safari).

Another topic of discussion... Dealer CRM - mobile applications or mobile browser compatible? Which is better??
 
#14
Really Shawn? What's your point Shawn? The thread revolves around CRMs that provide a mobile app or web interface that also allows you to wirelessly print.

Several of us are providing feedback on different CRM services that have this feature.
 
#15
From a developers perspective, I think mobile applications are much better than mobile browser "compatible" CRM's (or web apps, etc.) There is just no comparison. The speed, accessibility, integration to hardware (camera, maps, apple's proprietary port, offline access, push notifications, etc.) of a native app are all items that you need to consider when looking into the mobile space.

Yes, it is easier from a development perspective to develop a web based app. However, from a sales person's perspective, it takes away things that you can do with the device and the integration.

Here is a good question to ask yourself - if you are using your iPhone or iPad to look up a youtube video what do you do? Do you start up the native YouTube app? Of course you do. You don't fire up Safari mobile browser, then go to the youtube site (even though they do have a mobile site) and start watching videos - you just start up the YouTube app. Why? Because of the native experience it gives you. The speed of the app. The design and the UI (something a lot of developers have forgotten about these days). I don't fire up a browser to work on my google calendar. I just have my account synced with the native ipad calendar app because it's so fast and easy to use and can still be used offline.

When dealing with customers on the floor room show (or out in the lot) do you want to have to rely on a shaky wifi connection? Or would you want something that can be offline or online with all the up to date information?

Also, to respond to Shawn - I don't think I (or anyone here) was advertising here. Yes, we have an iPad app. But, so do other CRM vendors. It is up to the individual dealership to decide what solution will best fit their needs. We are just trying to offer some suggestions as to what to look for and how to make that choice. :)

Hopefully, this helps someone here come to a decision when it comes to the mobile app space and how the iPad will fit in the dealership sales process. Try them all out, take them for a test drive and request some demos. Find out which one works best for you. You'll be happy you took the extra time to look at them all.
 
#16
Very interesting, Scott!! (as I sit here reading/writing from Safari on my iPhone, clicking video links that open a Safari session...).

Honestly, this is complete Greek to me. I didnt even know that there was a You Tube app, but i assure you I am the absolute lowest level of Apple user. You mention speed is a factor, and you also mention that Safari would not allow other functions that an app would enable. Like what?

Thanks!
 
#17
JQuinn - offline access would be a big one right now (although html5 technologies are catching up with native). But, try this on your device - goto settings, and put it in airplane mode (this takes it offline).

Now, let's say you are needing to look up an appointment on a calendar. Try and open up Safari to get to your google calendar. You won't be able to do it because you do not have a connection. Now, open up the calendar app (which is native). You will be able to see all your appointments, create new appointments, etc. without being connected.

That is just one of the main differences between native and web apps.

A good article to read about native vs. web apps is here:
Web Apps vs. Native Apps

That one is pretty good at a brief description of what can and cannot be done. directly from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, and Maps

The new iOS 5 twitter integration is a great example (if you haven't upgraded your iPhone software for a while and can get the latest version you definitely should do it :)

The new iOS 5 software that Apple released a few months back includes a really cool twitter integration feature which allows you to tweet from just about anywhere directly from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube, and Maps, etc. Now, Apple also released this feature to developers when they released the latest SDK (software development kit) to us. So, now, I am going to be including this cool little twitter functionality within our App here pretty soon. This would not be available to me if I had developed a web app which is accessed through Safari.

Hope this all makes sense. :) Please feel free to ask more questions on this or if I can provide a better explanation.

Here is another good article about it:
Sam Soffes - Web App vs Native App

By the way, don't get me wrong - I am not "anti-web app". I love the HTML5 technology and where it's going. I wish we could have used it to build our app. But, the fact is, it is just not there yet when it comes to speed and access to the devices functionality. I think it will get there some day. But, for right now, native it definitely the way to go.
 
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