iPads in the field help sell seed Since the iPad was first launched just under three years ago, companies have found ways to exploit the portable computing power of Apple's device to enhance their mobile sales operations. The field salespeople at AgReliant Genetics, now the third-largest field seeds company in the US, have been using iPads and a customer relationship management software package from UK-based Sage called SalesLogix CRM. AgReliant, based in Westfield, Indiana, credits the combination of iPads and the Sage software, now used by most of its 300-strong field salesforce, with helping to turn the independent corn and soyabean producer into the fastest growing independent seed company in the industry. "SalesLogix helps our reps reduce "windshield" time and prioritise visits with customers most likely to buy," said Steve Thompson, AgReliant's director of IT. We needed a way for reps to work more comfortably out in the field and still access CRM data. With SalesLogix running on iPad tablets, they have everything needed, from territory maps that drill into account details to speech-to-text notes that go right into the CRM database. As a result he says: "Our sales and customer satisfaction have improved because reps can now manage most opportunities or issues right on location." AgReliant markets five seed brands in Midwestern corn and soyabean states. Each representative works with a customer list of farmers, dealers and retail operations, travelling approximately 50,000 miles a year working out of their trucks. On average, they each visit more than 300 farmers a year. The company's initial laptop-based CRM deployment highlighted the importance of collecting detailed prospect and customer information, managing seed orders in CRM software, "scoring" prospects for sales prioritisation and automating marketing campaigns. But only 5 per cent of the company's mobile salesforce adopted the new software because to the inconvenience of carrying laptops in the field. AgReliant IT team, working with a Sage business partner, developed a customised SalesLogix iPad app. After initially testing the mobile CRM software with a cross section of employees, the company decided to provide an iPad to each sales rep. Within six months, SalesLogix became a company-wide CRM system used by nearly 95 per cent of sales employees. The company discovered that its mobile sales reps prefer visuals over to-do lists, so the app developers made most of the apps functions visual and voice-activated rather than keyboard-based. The reps use Google Map on their iPad tablets with colour-coded pins to help visualise SalesLogix data indicating a farmer's current acreage, how recently seed was purchased and each farmer's unique agronomic specifications including soil type and equipment preferences. Pin colours change to indicate new sales opportunity forecasts based on previous units purchased. Another screen indicates where each opportunity is in the sales process, so sales reps can determine exactly whom to call on next. Sage SalesLogix also shows reps which customers and prospects are purchasing seed from competitors. AgReliant says the speech-to-text note capability is the most popular among sales reps because it enables them to simply speak into their tablets after sales visits to record notes that are automatically transcribed and associated with the appropriate SalesLogix contact, account, opportunity and to-do fields. Built-in security provisions include the ability to remotely wipe any tablet that is lost or stolen. The next step for AgReliant will be to used the software's marketing functionality, which allows the rep to control the launch of a unique marketing program for a specific prospect or customer across its entire portfolio of brands. AgReliant Genetics" Wensman Seed brand was the first to implement this type of CRM-automated marketing and claims a 35 per cent increase in sales growth since rollout.