Meghdut, the data analytics startup that launched a couple months ago, announced a new product called FieldForce, a cloud-based SaaS product which works as a CRM and logs manager for field operations team.
Co-founded by Wasik Mursalin, Meghdut provides a platform to businesses for data analysis who find it difficult to assimilate all sorts of data and put it to use because of the lack of proper technology or expertise.
In its initial plan, the startup did not collect data directly, rather helps in analyzing data that a company already has. With FieldForce it is moving away from that. Now you can, not all companies, though, collect data through FieldForce and analyze it by using Meghdut platform. This particularly works for companies that have field force or sales team and need to track visits and meetings. FieldForce allows teams to plan, schedule, manage, track and measure entire field operation.
Originally developed for its existing clients who have extensive field or sales force, the startup is now opening up the product for all.
In order to use FieldForce, users need to sign up and create an account, configure their operation hierarchy, invite their team by email and design one or multiple forms to define what sort of data to collect from each visit. “At this moment we do these configurations by ourselves but we'll be gradually rolling out features so that these can be done directly from the customer's panel, says Wasik Mursalin”
After initial configuration, the field team can join the system using FieldForce mobile or web app. They can manage their contact list (i.e. Doctors list), schedule visits and enter visit logs. These schedules and visit logs become available to their managers instantly and these data also gets indexed in Meghdut.
FieldForce app provides some basic analysis capabilities. For advanced analysis, people will have to use Meghdut Dashboard. The data collection module is only on mobile for now. But team Meghdut plans to make it available on web app soon.
While FieldForce sounds a good idea, there already is a startup offering similar service called Field Buzz which offers a software system that uses smartphones to help organizations manage their remote or dispersed operations. However, Wasik disagrees, “purpose-wise and application wise we are different from Field Buzz”, he adds.
“Field Buzz requires customization. It has to be fully purchased where FieldForce can be used just by paying the monthly subscription. And we offer 30 days free trial period as well,” says Wasik. “Another difference with Field Buzz is that it covers sales tracking which FieldForec does not cover yet. Our use case covers field visit related use cases such as Medical Marketing, Insurance / NGO agent visits etc,” says Wasik.
Wasik argues that there is a solid need for such a product. “We have found out that a large number of companies record these visits details in pen and paper which is not only cumbersome but also inefficient. Using FieldForce a weekly visit plan can be created and shared with management in 1/2 minutes and they don't need to prepare any report at all. Which enables them to focus on what they do best: field visit.”
