iPhone CRM Grows–But Will 2010 Be All About Android CRM?

In terms of mobile CRM, it looks like 2010 is going to be the year the iPhone and Android duke it out. Research in Motion reported better than expected Q3 earnings, but both the iPhone and Android are honing in on the BlackBerry’s livelihood: the enterprise market. (Needless to say, blackouts like the one BlackBerry had this week are also unpleasant.)

Practically since the iPhone’s inception, all the major players have developed iPhone CRM applications: Salesforce.com, Oracle, NetSuite, and the list goes on. Smaller companies are also jumping on the iPhone CRM bandwagon, and it’s no doubt that mobile components are especially important for any CRM vendor that wants to remain competitive. Each of these iPhone CRM apps vary in functional range—from NetSuite’s view-only data, to Bella Solutions’ fully functional application, announced today. As a vendor of web-based field-service management platforms, Bella Solutions is a company that acknowledges the importance of keeping commercial travelers informed, and their iPhone CRM application allows mobile users real-time access to back-office data.

But even if buyers are clamoring for iPhone CRM now, will they be within a year? It’s hard to take the iPhone’s “it” status away, but the Android is certainly trying. And not only is the phone being positioned as hip, but it is also going after enterprise customers in an attempt to poach from BlackBerry. Major CRM vendors already have Android CRM applications, and it’s likely smaller vendors will join in, as they have with the iPhone. Also, while this may not pertain to CRM applications, many developers are decrying Apple’s app-approval process; development on the Android, however, is only getting easier.

It’ll be exciting to see whether the iPhone takes the CRM torch away from BlackBerry, or whether the Android will pick up speed and dominate the enterprise market.

Tags: Bella Solutions, Google Android, iPhone CRM