Mobile World Congress - Featured Article

February 18, 2009

Maximizer Ups BlackBerry Version

By David Sims, TMCnet Contributing Editor

Maximizer Software has debuted Maximizer CRM 10.5 Freedom for BlackBerry smartphones from Research In Motion at the GSMA Mobile World Congress (News - Alert).

The product is being billed by the Maximizerians as a tool to "position small to medium-sized businesses one step closer to a smartphone-only workforce." The latest mobile CRM offering is pitched as something to "free" executives and managers from laptops, and "reduce downtime in the field for sales and service professionals."

The product allows real-time wireless access to business intelligence data through mobile dashboards, letting users monitor sales performance and services activities from their mobile devices. Additionally, the new release provides IT administrators with the ability to wirelessly deploy mobile CRM to business users, Maximizer officials say, "offering simple one-click installation." It's also available for the BlackBerry (News - Alert) Storm, a clickable touch-screen smartphone.

Other new features exclusive to BlackBerry include one-click e-mail integration between BlackBerry e-mail and Maximizer Mobile CRM enabling users to take quick action on e-mail in the CRM system.

William Anderson (News - Alert), executive vice president of technology at Maximizer Software, said the product lets users "decrease maintenance and total cost of ownership with a mobile CRM workforce."

"Small to medium-sized businesses often seek competitive advantage through mobile technology and this segment represents an excellent opportunity for mobile CRM deployments," said Jeff McDowell, vice president of Global Alliances at Research In Motion.

Last month TMC's Rajani Baburajan reported that Maximizer's mobile CRM product is now compatible with HTC (News - Alert). This followed on news that Google debuted Google G1 in late Q3 2008 with T-Mobile. The phone is powered by Android, an open source mobile device platform and operating system.

For HTC, users can access Maximizer Mobile CRM through a wireless Web browser. Additionally, they can view and update customer, sales and service information in real-time, directly from the smartphone to the corporate CRM system.

David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David’s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.

Edited by Tim Gray