ASP tie wireless into the package
In the market for hosted wireless services but nervous about signing on with a new, untested wireless ASP? Not to worry. Soon you may be able to get hosted wireless services from the application service provider you're already using to run your enterprise ap plications.
ASPs that are already offering hosted sales force automation, workflow and other applications are increasingly rolling out wireless versions. Two smaller ASPs that have done so in the last six months are Done.com Inc. and UpShot.com.
Done.com, of Belmont, Calif., focuses on workflow management, while UpShot.com, of Mountain View, Calif., has an SFA (sales force automation) application. For UpShot customers, adding wireless to SFA means salespeople on the road can get instant access to contacts and leads. For customers of Done.com, knowing when a co-worker or customer has made a change to a project, any time, anywhere, can make projects go more smoothly.
At startup Conduit Inc., for example, the wireless component of Done.com's workflow application has helped the company land some of its most important deals. CEO Sujay Jadhav, whose company helps building material suppliers set up private exchanges, said allowing salespeople to respond to customers quickly using wireless devices has been a critical factor in Conduit's winning at least two of its five customers.
Conduit, of South San Francisco, Calif., has been using Done.com for six months, first in managing recruitment. It added wireless on Wireless Application Protocol phones and Palm VIIs three months ago, and four salespeople are now using it to receive alerts when customers have sent e-mail messages about pending deals.
Using the wireless feature to help close even one deal would more than pay for the service, which costs Conduit $500 a month, Jadhav said. "The bottom line is, when you send an e-mail to someone and they respond back in 2 to 3 minutes, you increase the chances of getting the deal," he said.
