CAMPBELL, Calif., October 17, 2006 -- Apresta, innovators in providing wireless access to enterprise data, reports that nearly 80 percent of top performing companies plan to invest in mobile sales productivity tools to drive top-line growth within the next year, based on a study conducted by Aberdeen Group and underwritten by Apresta. In addition, these initiatives are receiving sponsorship from C-level executives from these organizations as a reflection of the strategic nature of these investments.

The report, "Mobile Sales Solutions Benchmark Report: How Mobility Grows Revenues and Customers through Increased Sales Productivity," also reveals that 83 percent of the best-in-class organizations are already providing sales professionals with real-time access to mobile data, such as: inventory availability, order inquiry, key customer account information, product catalog and pricing, and lead and activity management. The research reflects intelligence gathered from more than 150 companies, across multiple industries.

A number of factors are driving investment in mobile solutions. Most notably, selling within a “24/7” global environment fosters demand for real-time access to pertinent customer data in order to maximize sales performance and better serve customers. Executives surveyed acknowledged that this can mean the difference between a multi-million dollar order and a lost deal.

"In the past, utilizing mobile technologies within the sale force gave early adopters the competitive edge,” says Rich Koch, Vice President of Marketing at Apresta. “Today, empowering the sales organization with mobile sales solutions has become a requirement in order to grow market share and compete in a dynamic, global marketplace.”

According to the report, top performing companies who have deployed mobile systems cite revenue growth, increased productivity and enhanced customer loyalty and retention, as key measurements of the success for their mobile sales initiatives.

Other findings from the report include:

In 67 percent of top-performing organizations, line of business (LOB) drives m-CRM investment decisions, with executive level support;

IT organizations in enterprise-class companies have a limited role in the development of mobile strategies or driving specific initiatives;

Most companies are already wired for mobile access and utilize a variety of wireless technologies;

More than just a Sales initiative, mobile CRM and sales automation solutions are being used by Marketing and Customers Service & Support departments, as well as executive management.

“M-CRM technologies are maturing at varying rates, but the ‘tipping point’ of each organization centers around pressure to grow revenues and customers,” says Leslie Ament, Practice Leader and Research Director, Customer Intelligence at Aberdeen Group. “According to our benchmark data, organizations who currently utilize customer relationship management (CRM) applications are challenged most in selecting an optimal set of mobile device and information access services. Providers of vendor agnostic services or solutions offering native access to CRM data are well positioned to add value by reducing integration challenges and deployment timeframes.”

Adds Apresta’s Rich Koch, “While the benchmark data illustrates the growing popularity of mobile sales initiatives, our customers are finding that simply providing access to front-end sales applications is not enough. Delivering secure access to multiple systems – CRM, ERP and home grown systems – is critical to providing sales personnel with the information they need to effectively serve customers and prospects and produce optimum business results.”

The Mobile Sales Benchmark Report examines the challenges and opportunities related to mobile sales initiatives, it evaluates the performance metrics that companies are using to measure the effectiveness of their mobile investments, and provides actionable recommendations for performance improvements for companies at all maturity levels. For a complimentary copy of this report, go to: http://www.apresta.com/aberdeen.

About Apresta

Silicon Valley-based Apresta™, the world leader in mobilizing business processes, creates advanced mobile solutions that deliver real-time, relevant information at the point of need. Apresta's end-to-end solution provides secure access to enterprise systems including ERP, CRM, SCM, financial systems, legacy and more, from handheld devices. Apresta uniquely organizes back-end data into powerful new mobile enterprise workflows, resulting in increased productivity and competitive advantage. Apresta is a division of Saratoga Systems, a global supplier of enterprise software solutions to the mid-large enterprise market. Apresta is on the Web at http://www.apresta.com.

Apresta/Saratoga Systems
Orly Mager, Marketing Director, 408-558-9604
omager@apresta.com