MOBILE APPLICATION : Killer Apps

Enterprises from across the verticals are embracing the idea of adopting

diverse mobile applications that offer tangible benefits like cost savings,

making mobile applications an integral part of their communications strategy.

Increasing demands have led enterprises to a process of adding applications and

moving toward a sophisticated mobile strategy for fully integrating workforce

with various back-end systems.

Till some time back, email and browsing were the only applications popular

among enterprises. But increasing competition and dynamic business environment

have fast changed the scenario. Where earlier the services offered by service

providers were few, today there is a bouquet of mobile applications for

enterprise customers. In other words, there are considerable opportunities for

mobile operators to find ways through the complexity of enterprise mobility, and

offer solutions ranging from voice to email to mobilization.

But, the enterprise mobile applications industry is still in its nascent

stage and mobile applications users are yet to mature. Also, service providers

have to gear up to offer innovative solutions to meet the increasing

technological demands of enterprises.

Mobility Apps & Enterprises



Mobility demands differ from industry to industry, and the segments really

driving mobility are retail and finance. The requirements of the retail industry

are such that mobile applications play a critical role in inventory management.

According to Arun Gupta, group CTO, Shoppers Stop, “We have deployed mobile

applications at our stores and distribution centers for inventory management on

specialized mobile hardware from Motorola. The application is used for receiving

goods at the warehouse and stores, and then put away or move to shelf

respectively. Using the mobile device allows for data entry at the first point

of transaction and reduces the time cycle to complete the activity by 30%. It

also reduces the possibility of errors during data entry, as the current

application accepts data via barcode scanning. The device is also used for

inventory reconciliation within the store.”

Apart from the above, Shoppers Stop has also deployed Windows Mobile and

BlackBerry as messaging tools for its customers.

“We don't have much applications on mobiles for our industry (BFSI) because

one cannot do investments on mobile. At this point of time, we are only using

the SMS gateway for our customer. But we are in the process of evaluating more

and more. We need applications, which are very simple to use,” says CTO of ING

Investment, Tarun Pandey.

Talking about the latest technology deployment, Suresh A Shanmugam, national

head, Business Information Technology Solutions (BITS) and CIO, Mahindra &

Mahindra Financial Services, says, “Being a non-banking financial company (NBFC),

which works in a customer-driven market, expectations from the customer in rural

markets from mobility is more. Further, mobility applications to confirm

pull-push information for both internal and external customers in terms of

business are an ongoing task. We have deployed hand-held device to get operated

both online and offline at all rural outlets through the MFConnect 3000 project,

which serves as a mini-branch between customers and executives.”

He adds, “we have also deployed LAN-based hand-held device which requires

customer information to be given to the customers without any dependency on

infrastructure for 8 hrs, and is chargeable within 2 hrs. This has reduced a lot

of frustration for direct visit customers. Once we receive the EMI for even

rural customers, the device sends an auto acknowledgement about the payment

details on the customer cell.”

A majority of the information captured and transformed through customers is

on mobility applications. Over a period of time all the applications related to

customers will have the mobility-based solutions.

Zameer Syed, VP, IT, HDFC Bank, says, “Presently, we are using mobile

applications like m-banking options check statements and money transfer.

Besides, we are also using some mobile applications like booking and selling

tickets, buying flowers, etc. We are in the process of exploring maximum

benefits by using these mobile enterprise applications.

Arun Gupta, group CTO, Shoppers Stop	Tarun Pandey, CTO, ING Investment management

Enterprise Demands



In the current scenario, enterprises are looking for three basic things from

mobile applications-high quality, reliability and availability. Commenting on

the demands, Gupta of Shoppers Stop says, “We are now exploring voice over Wi-Fi

as an add-on applications at our locations. The vision is to use devices at the

warehouse for all the activities carried out effectively, thereby reducing the

need to use multiple computing devices and applications.

He adds, “Our wish-list includes improved screen size and resolution, an

industry standards browser, faster processor and longer battery life.

Applications can be easily developed and deployed using multiple mobile

frameworks available. Some standardized offerings from ERP vendors will help

reduce the cost of development and maintenance”.

There is an increased demand for simple-to-use applications from the

enterprise segment. Apart from that the segment is also looking at applications

that are secure and reliable and give confidence to end-users to carry out

transactions on mobile.

“The most urgent need is unity among service providers. Easy to use

applications and good network are some other major demands. But above all, the

most important requirement, especially for financial sector is security built

up. Applications should be secure and data confidential. In this context,

BlackBerry is a very good example. It has a good service and strong encryption.

So, basically we need applications with security features. Accuracy of

information at shortest possible time is also a very crucial prerequisite. This

accuracy of information is not present in India but we have to look forward for

this,” says Pandey of ING Investments.

“More VAS services should be available for customers, so that they don't have

to come to banks for small banking needs. Applications available today are OK

for general use but there are no enhanced applications. There are lots of

regulatory issues in India as compared to other foreign countries.

Infrastructure is not strong, and customers are yet to experience substantial

benefits of using these applications,” says Syed of HDFC Bank.

Commenting on this issue, Udesh Dassani, CFO, Apollo Hospital Enterprises

said, “Right now we are not using any of the mobile applications. But we are

planning to develop by our requirements. In future, we plan to use mostly

instant messaging for patient status. We are planning to have mobile ticketing

(A process whereby patients can book, pay for, obtain, and validate bed

tickets), easy profile management, and adaptive network environment. We would

also like to have remote access to our available resources with the help of

mobile applications.”

“On our front, we need full, end-to-end transactions. But as part of a bank,

security is a major concern and is an integral part of enterprise mobility

solutions. It should be ensured that all transactions are secured. So, we need

handsets enabled with such security applications. Only then can we ensure

customer confidence and satisfaction,” says Syed.

Pankaj Sethi, president, Value Added Services, Enterprise Market Planning,

Tata Teleservice, says, “While our focus will certainly be on new VAS

applications in the current environment, mobile Internet and mobile TV are the

key driving forces that are gaining immense popularity among consumers. We are

also looking forward to developing VAS for 3G applications for end-users.”

While video telephony is going to be important for consumers, it would be

interesting to see how operators succeed in this area, especially keeping in

mind that utilizing spectrum efficiently is a big challenge in itself.

Shanmugam of Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services says, “Mobility

application is nothing but to reach the customer at his interest. Further,

customers in today's scenario want mobility to be an instrument to be used when

he is in need for anything, irrespective of the time. This demands vast options

of providing the taste of interest at the level of comfort, which is set by the

customer.”

He says, “In the current business dynamics, inflow and outflow of information

should be positioned to mobility and be prepared for the change. To provide

information in multi-language, especially for our rural customers, there should

be applications using voice in local language. It will have a major impact when

our ISPs have more visibility in rural areas for mobility transactions.”

Major Concerns



In any industry, to reach customers, mobile applications are a very

cost-effective and successful medium. It is one of the hottest segments and

companies are increasingly adopting enterprise applications for their core

business activities. But, there are lots of concerns regarding the mass

deployment of different mobile applications.

Shanmugam says, “Reach and speed is the driving factor for today's business

to survive, and if the information or the design doesn't support this then we

cannot beat competition. Technology that ensures transparency, non-dependency,

timeliness, accuracy, and empowerment through processes will have huge impact on

mobility. Besides, another major concern regarding mobility in remote locations

is availability and serviceability.

The finance sector believes that service providers are unable to provide good

network necessary for these kinds of applications. “Today most mobile

applications are for the retail sector. These applications completely depend on

the network, and no service provider is providing a good network,” says Pandey.

Sayed echoes a similar view, “Robustness of network is one of the primary

requirement. In the future, customers will want to use mobile as ATMs. Hacking

and sufficient bandwidth are also major concerns. These problems should be

worked out.”

According to Udesh Dassani, one of the major concerns at present is that the

data transfer speed is very slow and these applications will require high-speed

data transmission. With the launch of 3G iPhone and further enhanced server and

network we hope all will be possible in the near future.

Future Plans



The first wave of mobile applications during 2002-04 failed to take off due

to hardware limitations, especially on consumer-owned devices. Over the last 2-3

yrs, enterprises have recognized the value of mobile data and computing on the

go. This is also evident from the number of vendors in the market offering

solutions for this growing segment. In the coming future, mobile application

usage will become mainstream for most companies rather than an option. The

ability to capture data at source and with agility brings significant advantage

to any enterprise.

Gupta of Shoppers Stop says, “We are developing additional applications that

will help us improve processes within the store back office as well as in our

interactions with the customer. With customer service being the key

differentiator, we believe it will give us an advantage in the short-term in

engaging with our customer.

The demand is certainly increasing for enterprise mobile applications and

service providers need to come out with innovative and industry-specific

solutions to capture a maximum share of this burgeoning market.

“Mobile applications are very critical for every enterprise. As customer base

is growing, people want to use mobile for banking facilities. So, in the future,

we would like to exploit all available and upcoming mobile technologies to

satisfy customer demand,” says Sayed.

Talking about future plans, Shanmugam says, “It is very clear that any

communication which drives business verticals has to rely on mobility. As a

business requirement, our enterprise is already geared up toward mobility. We

believe in using the people process technology with the right mobility solutions

to build a strong relation and competition, to ensure doorstep services to our

customers. ”

He also says, “All our executives and customers have already started

demanding information and their pays through locally available mobility models.

As a business strategy, mobility is a proven differentiator at different parts

of collection. Business task will reach more people with new methods of

mobility.”

Converged communication should be further customized for the common man

according to his needs, making transparency, accuracy, timeliness, and reach

required features to drive mobility.

In a nutshell, mobility in enterprise is a growing market and is expected to

reach all corners of the country. Enterprise mobile applications can keep cost

under control. Realizing its true potential, enterprises and service providers

are putting in their best effort to deploy more and more mobile applications and

have started to experience the difference.

Arpita Prem



arpitap@cybermedia.co.in