Enterprise Nation

Sarah Probert is Director of Segment Marketing at Research in Motion, the company behind the incredibly successful BlackBerry. We ask Sarah about her favourite model of smartphone and why every home business owner should have one.

When did you join Research in Motion?

I joined Research In Motion in May 2004 and in the four and a half years I’ve been here, the company has significantly grown!

Which is your favourite BlackBerry smartphone? And which applications do you use? 

I’m a big SureType fan and have been using the BlackBerry Pearl ever since we launched it in 2006.  SureType is the predictive text technology available on our narrower devices that combines two letters per key in a QWERTY-keyboard layout.  However, this week, I’ve managed to get my hands on a brand new BlackBerry Pearl Flip which will soon launch in the UK.  It’s a fantastic new flip style phone which I think is great fun yet it’s still really useful as I can see emails, messages, calls etc appear on the front screen without having to fully open the phone.

We currently have over a thousand third-party partners who have created an impressive collection of applications, so there are tools out there that suit every interest and business need. I’ve recently started using Worldmate which is a really useful travel application. My job requires me to travel quite a lot between our key markets and over to Canada to visit HQ.  WorldMate gives me access to flight schedules, real-time flight status, currency converters and even global weather forecasts!  I’m often able to avoid hanging around departure gates for hours on end, because I can check the flight status ahead of time!

Why should every home business own a BlackBerry? 

You know, I really believe that the benefits that anyone derives from a BlackBerry are heightened for a ‘homeworker’ as there is never enough time in the day.  I’m sure home business owners are always trying to juggle several different tasks – from servicing existing clients, to winning new business, to managing their IT infrastructure and the list goes on.  The beauty of using a BlackBerry smartphone is that you can convert ‘dead time’ throughout your day into productive time by responding to clients or colleagues while you are on the move, in between meetings, on trains etc. In fact an independent survey undertaken by a company called Ipsos Reid assessed that the average BlackBerry user converts 60mins of their day into productive time.

Will we see new BlackBerry business products come to market in the next 6 months or so?

Since the BlackBerry was launched in the UK market in 2001, we have seen no shortage of innovation. The devices themselves have got sleeker and more exciting and, I’m sure will continue to do so.  Just last week we launched the BlackBerry Storm which is the world’s first ‘clickable’ touch-screen smartphone.  

The software that RIM builds that allow the devices to do all that they do has continued to evolve over the years to ensure that the BlackBerry is truly an ‘all in one’ device that will meet your needs, no matter what type of user you are.

What is the one word you want home businesses to have in their head when they think about BlackBerry? 

Essential!