Have you ever misplaced your phone and had someone call it for you?  I will admit to having done this a few times.  It is usually at the worst possible moment and I have something that really needs to be attended to.  The last time I did this, I started to go through a mental list of all the things that I accomplish on my phone everyday.  I respond to emails, look up directions, text, view and provide feedback on documents, control my calendar, internet based research, and the list could go on.  I realized how mobile my life had become and I couldn’t imagine what I did back in the dark ages of the flip phone, or – wait for it……..bag phone!

I consider myself part of the mobile workforce.  In considering other occupations that have benefited from mobile technology, these immediately came to mind:  real estate agents, field engineers, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and the list goes on.

So, why are manufacturers still trying to force their sales team or any team member to operate tethered to the server.  It is counterproductive, and costly.  The sales team needs to be flexible and mobile.  This is your first line of contact with the customer. Customer perception is crucial from the moment of contact.  If the sales team is well informed and has the ability to access critical data away from home base, then the customer has some insight into how the product cycle and purchase of product from you will likely be a positive experience.

Infor’s Road Warrior works in conjunction with Infor 10X creating an integration of mobile and business processes that won’t become an IT nightmare.  Access to business information that may become critical for a customer order is right at your fingertips.  Road warrior also accesses other social collaboration outlets like Skype and Facetime without having to switch applications.  In fact, Esteban Kolsky stated, “…they have some of the most amazing UI I have seen for Enterprise Software in many years if not ever.  Mobile, desktop, tablet – all well covered and retaining the main attributes of the interfaces.“

PJ Jakovljevic, TEC, was also quoted as saying, “Infor has recently shown the ability to execute on its investments in cloud, social, mobile, and user interface (UI) redesign to make its major ERP application suites more compelling (beautiful, familiar, and easy to use) for existing and new customers, all while providing an upgrade path that is less disruptive for existing users.”

Infor’s Road Warrior is also relevant as a tool for attracting the next generation of manufacturing talent. Drawing from current social and mobile trends and creating a web of communication that is already familiar to new talent will further develop manufacturers’ ability to bring products to market more effectively and efficiently.