Salesforce.com launches Chatter Mobile to keep on-the-go employees updated

Salesforce.com, a company that creates applications for sales and customer support, today announced the launch of Chatter Mobile, a mobile application for colleagues to stay up to date on work activities while out of the office.

The mobile application leverages Salesforce.com’s Chatter feature, which allows users to share information and collaborate in real-time from their desktop, and brings it to their mobile devices. Users are alerted through the application when colleagues make status updates or make posts to conversations or documents. The ability to make updates and comment on conversations from a mobile device is also available. The application will be available on Apple iPad, iPhone and the new iPod touch, Google Android and RIM BlackBerry.

Competition in the enterprise collaboration space has been rapidly evolving lately. Yammer originally launched as a Twitter for businesses to bring the microblogging service’s sort updates to internal corporate conversations. It’s now probably Salesforce.com’s biggest competitor, having recently announced its launch of social-network-infused enterprise applications, which already supports all mobile clients.

Jive Software, a well-funded collaboration-tools startup backed by Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia Capital, also has mobile features for its social business software.

Salesforce.com claims 20,000 customers are currently using Chatter, which accounts for close to 25% of the Salesforce.com’s total customer base of 82,400, according to the company’s announcement. With a good chunk of current customers using Chatter, the likelihood that employees will adopt Chatter Mobile while out of the office or in a conference room may be pretty high.

Salesforce Chatter and Chatter Mobile are included with no additional charge for subscribers to Salesforce’s CRM and Force.com services.

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Tags: Chatter, Chatter Mobile, mobile alerts, mobile applications, mobile updates, social applications, Social networks, twitter for businesses