A Software as a Service-based offering eliminates the cost of developing, purchasing and maintaining an in-house technology solution for its users. IBM offers advanced hardware, software and infrastructure technologies to help IBM Business Partners, such as iEnterprises, deliver secure and scaleable cloud-enabled services with a wide variety of SaaS offerings.

MAPP Construction, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based construction company, uses iEnterprises' SaaS offering, Empower CRM. This software helps its users to better manage their business and gain instant access to the latest client interactions and company information from the office and remotely from mobile devices.

MAPP Construction, like other mid-sized construction companies, had relied on basic spreadsheets for several years to keep track of multiple customer-related activities. To handle expansion, company leaders realized they needed a more centralized and automated system as greater risk of human error, security measures and the inability to consolidate information became increasing challenges.

As a result, MAPP Construction sought an affordable, hosted CRM solution that was not only configurable enough to handle opportunities, contacts and other traditional CRM tasks but also able to support and streamline extensive pre-bid requests required to help ensure that projects would be a positive financial venture. Additionally, they required software that could eventually be deployed behind their firewall if needed, and would accommodate the company's mobile workforce.

"We needed an affordable solution that was easy to use and could handle our specific industry needs," said Derrick Jackson, systems manager, MAPP Construction. "Empower CRM allowed us to be smart about what we wanted from a CRM system as it was easily integrated with our IBM WebSphere server and gave us mobile access to important information without extreme costs and time constraints."

By design, iEnterprises' Empower CRM is easily configurable, and MAPP's entire implementation occurred in less than two weeks. MAPP now can automatically grade the potential of each project bid and more easily categorize and identify project type by industry, profitability and bid procurement status -- even showing if the bid was invited, negotiated or made public. These capabilities have enabled the company to get a firm grasp on all proposals and share updates across the entire company quickly, when changes occur. Additionally, with Empower CRM's mobile integration, updates can be shared across the company from an employee's BlackBerry handheld device. (continued...)

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