But this tiny thing has much more to offer to every segment of the business and also to the basic industry segments like Manufacturing, Agriculture, and Banking. The mobile base services to these segments could be instant reporting, VAS and functional services…
Manufacturing Sector:-
Most of the Indian basic industry segments were busy in implementing the enterprise wide transactional software like ERP and reporting tools like SPSS, SAS, and Cognos to assimilate the data generated in the various functions and analyze them to monitor, take corrective and strategic business since last decade.
I think most of the large scale & medium scale organizations already have at least the basic ERP system installed.
Application of Mobile:-
Now the tools like SMS or interactive WAP sites can play the major role in communicating the daily reports & analysis to the Top & Middle management by taking the reports from ERP or BI tool.
Now let’s take Scenario: -
Auto parts manufacturing company with turnover of Rs.100 corers have four manufacturing units in two different locations & having head office at third location. The company has implemented the ERP at all locations which generates the daily & weekly reports. The SMS or WAP integration with the ERP or BI system, can help the department heads of Finance, Sales & Marketing, Production, Stores & Purchase and quality with the daily & weekly reports directly on their mobile everyday & anywhere about the key performance indicators of the each function.
The same can be applicable to most of the other manufacturing segments as well depending on the KPIs
Agriculture Industry Scenario:-
Well this is one of the industry segments in India, has so far dominated the share in % GDP of India and still is unorganized and under developed. Majority of agricultural output still depends on the rainy season. The condition of the farmers across India is in worst stage since last five to seven years where farmers are taking the route of committing suicide after they find they are not even capable to feed their family through the output from the land they sow the seeds into. But as an Indian I feel very ashamed of farmers’ suicides happening in our country. There could be 100s of reasons behind this but the truth is its reality and number is not negligible………………..
Well since 1991 we are progressing in every segment except the agriculture in spite advance technological breakthroughs like BT varieties seeds available in the market.
The problem:-
I think there is something major problem in the communication of information to the grass root level i.e. to the farmers about the Weather conditions, Market trends, Govt. Schemes (which most of the times never reach to farmers and misused by local politicians middleman and bureaucrats), Allied business, Availability of Finance, Soil testing methods, Use of bio fertilizers etc…..
The Solution:-
VAS for farmer to update them periodically about the minute details about the above mentioned areas.
Financial sector:-
Financial sector is the early adopter of the various tools offered by mobile technology. Be it in the form of Mobile WAP site by Share index (BSE, NSE), VAS by share broking firms, VAS, mobile banking and M commerce by leading banks across the globe, also the alerts & updates about the insurance by insurance segment
These are really a much needed service to the end customers as they wish to be updated all the time about the share prices of their portfolio, do the financial transaction on the tip of fingers without moving anywhere, pay your bills on the move and get your account statement on your mobile.
I think M-commerce will grow exponentially in coming five years as it offers all the ease required by the end customers against only one concern about the security of information
of users account.
I would like to discuss the application of Mobile based services to other industry segments like Entertainment, Retail, hospitality, Education, Transport & logistics and service in next session.
