Apple and IBM have unveiled their first wave of mobile applications aimed at enterprises, enlisting the backing of Citi for financial services-targeted efforts.
First announced during the summer, the IBM-Apple partnership has now seen Big Blue deliver 10 business apps for iPhones and iPads across a range of sectors, including retail, telecommunications and government.
With Citi onboard, financial services has proved one of the main focuses, spawning three apps. The first, called 'Advise & Grow', promises to put bankers on premise with their small business clients, giving them authorisation to access profiles and competitive analyses, gather analytics-driven insights, and secure transactions.
'Trusted Advice' allows advisors to access and manage client portfolios from anywhere, gain insight from powerful predictive analytics and to test recommendations with modelling tools.
Meanwhile, an insurance app called 'Retention' gives agents access to customers’ profiles and history, including an analytics-driven retention risk score as well as smart alerts, reminders, and recommendations on next best steps and facilitation of key transactions like collection of e-signatures and premiums.
Heather Cox, chief client experience, digital and marketing officer, global consumer banking, Citi, says: "There’s terrific energy in our collaboration with IBM and Apple around the goal of equipping our professionals with mobile capability that will create new competitive advantage and enable us to re-imagine how we share our knowledge to improve the quality of life for our clients."