Small businesses typically want to grow. However, rapidly increasing in size can be both a blessing and a curse. The latter tends to happens if the organization lacks the processes and technology to support that growth. On the flip side, a company with the right tools in place can more than thrive.

Take the Canadian-based Athena Software, a leading global provider of case management software and services for non-profit and the public sector. Athena has used Salesforce CRM to build and manage its client database almost from its inception in 2006.

When the Salesforce1 Mobile App was released last fall, they were quick to jump on board. “We thought, this might be an interesting app. We’ve all got a smartphone. Let’s download this and see what we can do with it. And it was like, ‘wow,’” says Athena Director of Business Development, Dana Fox.

The company has seen 30% growth year-over-year and has expanded beyond North America to four other continents. In addition, they have doubled their number of employees, now serve some 600 agencies, and host in excess of ten-thousand users every day.

“If somebody asked me how influential the Salesforce1 Mobile App is in helping to grow our business worldwide, I’d say it’s the foundation of our business. There’s no way we’d be able to grow at this pace without it. We would drop the ball and lose business,” says Fox.

Along with supporting rapid growth, the Salesforce1 Mobile App also aligns Athena’s team pillars of being simple, smart, and connected.

Here’s how:

Simple

The Salesforce1 Mobile App has simplified Athena’s processes dramatically. The access it gives to Salesforce CRM provides structure around managing leads and turning them into clients. Plus, when Athena’s team visits a country to onboard new reps, the training takes just a couple days, instead of the previous two or three months. “We have them download the app first. It’s very intuitive for them to use,” says Fox.

Smart

Athena’s marketing manager Wes Alkin wears many hats at the company and his role requires him to be as responsive as possible. The Salesforce1 Mobile App seamlessly integrates with his smart watch, so when he is tagged in any communication within the app, he is notified instantly via the device. “It really is something that is incredible for us,” Alkin says of the tool. “We believe in it.”

Connected

Both Fox and Alkin were the first of the early adopters of the Salesforce1 Mobile App. When other employees at Athena started to see the “cool things” they could do with it, Fox says, “Everyone just fell in love with it.” Now Athena’s sales, marketing, professional services, finance, and executive teams all use the app to collaborate and provide support to each other and clients in real-time, wherever they happened to be across the globe.

Learn more about how the Salesforce1 Mobile App can support growth at your business by clicking the button.