One of the most common questions I hear from customers is: “Should our field staff use the Sage CRM Desktop theme on tablets, or should they stick to the mobile-optimised interface on phones?” The answer depends on how your team works in the field — and what kind of experience will help them be most productive.
The Desktop Theme on Tablets: Power, with Trade-Offs
The full Desktop theme gives your team access to all Sage CRM features, including custom entities, dashboards, reports, and detailed workflow screens. On a tablet, this can be useful for users who need the full CRM toolkit — perhaps when working from a site office or during longer engagements with clients.
However, the Desktop theme isn’t touch-optimised. Buttons and tabs may be harder to tap, especially on smaller tablets. Zooming and scrolling can slow down workflows. If your staff are constantly on the move, this interface may be more of a burden than a benefit.
The Mobile Theme on Phones: Simple, Fast, Field-Ready
The Mobile theme is designed specifically for smartphones and touch-based use. It’s fast to load, easy to navigate with your thumb, and focuses on the essentials: Companies, People, Opportunities, Communications, and Appointments. It’s ideal for field sales reps or technicians who need to check appointments, update records, or log notes between visits.
The trade-off is that some features — especially custom modules and reports — are not available in the mobile interface unless explicitly customised.
How to Decide
Ask these three questions:
- What devices do your field team use most — tablets or phones?
- Do they need full CRM access, or just the essentials?
- Will they be using touch only, or do they have keyboards and styluses?
If they rely on phones and quick updates, the Mobile theme is the right choice. If they use tablets as laptop replacements and need advanced CRM functions, consider the Desktop theme — but review the layout on the device first.
Pro Tip
You can also create custom mobile screens or codeless design to bring key features into the mobile interface. See the free video lessons on the Sage Support & Training YouTube Channel: Sage CRM - Customizing the Mobile Interface - YouTube