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Today, an assortment of technology is used by the typical drug salesperson, ranging from laptop computers to consumer-grade personal digital assistants (PDAs) to beepers and cell phones. Even with all these tools, critical applications like signature capture for compliance are often still handled manually, which defeats the true benefits of sales force automation.

In addition, most drug companies leverage customer relationship management (CRM), sales force automation (SFA) applications or an internal, proprietary program. However, many are unable to realize the full return on these software investments. This is because sales force adoption and usage remains low.

Investing in technology without getting the full return is a key barrier to overcome for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Outside sales teams are mobile, revenue-generating professionals who require tools that bring all the functionality of a desktop into on-the-road conditions. In the past, this level of integration was unavailable. Today, a new enterprise mobility system exists that meets the diverse needs of mobile sales forces at drug companies.