FORT KNOX, Ky –
Faced with a mission where every lead counts, the Army has streamlined the process used at events to collect, sort and provide information on potential applicants to recruiters nationwide.
The new system – EMM Connect – has been fielded at the U.S. Army Accessions Marketing and Engagement Brigade, part of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command based here. The brigade’s three battalions – U.S. Army Mission Support Battalion, U.S. Army Parachute Team, and the Army Marksmanship Unit – are now using EMM Connect to collect leads.
“Older leads systems were more difficult to use and unreliable,” said USAMEB Command Sgt. Maj. Steven R. Laick. “EMM Connect is faster and easier to use and simple. Thanks to the app, you can use your iPhone or iPad to collect the data, and it uploads automatically to the system.”
Previously, recruiters created leads on laptops or used paper forms. Going mobile gives recruiters an edge, according to Laick.
EMM Connect feeds information to the Army’s Enterprise Marketing Management system by wireless network and then on to the recruiter. Key to EMM Connect, functionality is the ability to create a lead by scanning a driver’s license.
And it works, according to U.S. Army Accessions Mission Support Battalion exhibitor Sgt. 1st Class Richard Sullins, who used EMM Connect during the annual Miramar Air Show in San Diego, California.
“Every recruiter can download the app on their government cell phone,” Sullins said. “We’ve had no problems with it. EMM connects to the leads system and prospect data shows up instantly in the system.
“EMM Connect makes it easier to collect leads,” Sullins said. “The driver’s license scan feature means you don’t have to manually enter leads data. That provides more time to engage more people at events.”
EMM Connect collected over 1,000 leads at the event.
Launching and testing EMM Connect is part of continued efforts by USAMEB to support Army accessions, according to Laick. The brigade has become a testbed for technology, researching new ways to get after the mission of Army recruiting.
“USAMEB is the Army’s only brigade dedicated to marketing,” Laick said. “The brigade provides awareness, engagement and activation at Army events across America.”
Nowhere is the impact of EMM Connect more visible than the Mission Support Battalion’s Mobile Exhibit Company and National Conventions Division. The battalion provides rolling and static displays that help connect America with America’s Army.
Members of the Mobile Exhibit Company travel 750,000 miles across the United States for 10 months a year, supporting over 600 events for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, U.S. Army Recruiting Command, and the U.S. Army Cadet Command. Mobile Exhibit Company includes the Mission Support Battalion’s fleet of vehicles including Interactive Semis, Adventure Semis, Adventure Trailers and the Army Extreme Truck.
The National Conventions Division is a subordinate unit to U.S. Army Accessions Mission Support Battalion and supports more than 90 Army conventions a year at sites across the United States.
To find out more about EMM Connect and how to download it, log in to the USAREC portal at: http://ikrome.usaac.army.mil/documents/25610/5622853/EMM_Connect_app_final.pdf/67893a14-3f5a-f110-2c90-9e9fb55085ff