The first day of the Google I/O 2018 consisted over 5,000 developers, designers, and managers gathered at Shoreline, Amphitheatre to witness the opening day with a keynote by Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

Let’s dive into the key announcements that were made!

Google I/O: Android P

Google launched Android P, the latest version of the operating system that runs on Android devices. The Android P beta is available for certain devices such as the Essential Phone, Google Pixel 2, Nokia 7 plus, Sony Xperia XZ2, Vivo and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S. Users of these devices can update to Android P beta immediately. There are a bunch of features that Google added to Android P.

Shush: This feature ensures that there are no notifications coming in from your apps when your phone is turned face down.
App Dashboard: This is a dashboard that shows how much time you spend on your apps each day. This allows you to know which apps you spend so much time on.
App Timer: With the app timer, you’d get a notification when you spend more than the allocated time specified for engaging with an app.
Slices and Actions: A slice is a piece of app content and action that can be surfaced outside of the app without opening the app itself. They are UI templates that can display rich and interactive content from your app within the Google Search app.

Google I/O: AI in Google

Google AI

Google has worked hard over the last few years on improving every aspect of their products with AI and Machine Learning. This year they made some key announcements about new products and also the existing products that are improved with AI. Google announced that its research division has been rebranded to Google AI. This rebranding came as a result of Google’s continued focus on Computer vision, Natural language processing, and neural networks.

Google Assistant

The Google Assistant has been greatly improved. It will be available in 6 new voices including the voice of popular musician, John Legend. Furthermore, Google announced a new technology called Duplex, it is an AI system for natural conversations that’ll enable your Google Assistant to make conversations on your behalf like a lunch reservation at a restaurant, and setting up a meeting.

Until now every time we need the Google Assistant to do something, we usually start every conversation with Hey, Google! Now, we don’t have to do that anymore because the Google Assistant now has support for continued conversations. Google Assistant also has a new feature called Pretty Please. This feature was added to help train kids to avoid being commanding when asking for favors. With the new Pretty Please feature, kids can be taught to always make polite requests.

Google Lens

The Google Lens is also updated with some amazing new features. Now, Google Lens allows you copy-paste text from a photo in the real world to your phone. It also provides the ability to take a photo and instantly provide information about the objects and landmarks in the photo. Google Lens introduced Style Match. With Style Match, you could take a photo of a fashion item such as a shirt, blouse, shoe, or a fancy lamp. Once captured, a blue dot appears on the photo. Tap the dot, and Google Lens will provide lists of items similar to it. What a time to be alive!

Google Maps

Google announced better navigation for Google Maps aided by AI. The Google Maps was difficult for users that are not familiar with the North, South, West, East form of directions. The new Google Maps provides a street view with a very obvious direction sign. With Google Assistant in navigation in Google Maps, it provides users a better description of routes. It also adds a navigation animal that allows the map user quickly identify the route to take.

Google News

Google is keen on getting users a seamless way of catching up with news all over the world. Google is rolling out a new AI improved version of the Google News product that provides an great way to catch up with events around the world. This improved product replaces Google Play Newsstand and Google News app. It will be available on Android, iOS and the web in 127 countries by next week.

Stay tuned for more updated from Google I/O 2018!!

Sales Applications Are Disrupting More Than Just Sales

By : Divyanjali Gupta

Published on Jun 17, 2025

Healthcare Insurance Real Estate Retail Sales AGents Sales Applications Sales Apps

Sales success today isn’t about luck or lofty goals—it’s about having the right tools in your team’s hands, wherever they go. Following our earlier in-depth exploration of sales technology, we will now examine how cutting-edge sales apps are becoming the backbone of modern industries, transforming complex workflows into seamless, growth-driving machines.

From retail to healthcare, logistics to real estate, businesses are deploying sales applications to enhance operational transparency, cut redundant tasks, and build intelligent sales ecosystems. These tools are not only digitizing workflows—they’re driving growth, improving engagement, and redefining how field teams operate.

Lead Ecosystems: Unified visibility across channels

One app. Five workflows. Zero friction.

A leading insurance brand relaunched their app—a sleek, powerful sales companion that’s turning everyday agents into top performers.

No more paperwork. More time to sell.

Here’s what changed:

Every visit is tagged, tracked, and followed through. Renewals? Never missed. Leads? Fully visible.
Attendance and reimbursements went on autopilot. No more manual logs. No more chasing approvals.
New business and renewals are tracked in real time, with accurate forecasting that sales leaders can finally trust.
Dashboards are clean, configurable, and useful—insights that move the business, not just report on it.
Seamless Integrations. API connectivity with Darwin Box, IMD Master Data, and SSO authentication for a unified experience.

The result? A field team that moves faster, sells better, and works smarter.

Retail: Taking Orders from the Frontline—Smartly

Field sales agents in retail, especially FMCG, used to rely on gut instinct. Now, with intelligent sales applications:

AI recommends what to upsell or cross-sell based on previous order patterns
Real-time stock availability and credit status are visible in the app
Geo-fencing ensures optimized route planning
Built-in payment collection modules streamline transaction closure

Healthcare: Structuring Sales with Compliance and Precision

Healthcare leaders don’t need more reports—they need better visibility from the field. Whether it’s engaging hospital networks, onboarding clinics, or enabling diagnostics at the last mile, everything needs precision, compliance, and clarity.

Mantra Labs helped a leading healthcare enterprise design a sales app that integrates knowledge, compliance, performance, and recognition, turning frontline agents into informed, aligned, and empowered brand advocates.

Here’s what it delivers:

Role-based onboarding that keeps every level of the field force aligned and accountable
Escalation mechanisms are built into the system, driving transparency across commissions and performance reviews
A centralized Knowledge Hub featuring healthcare news, service updates, and training modules to keep reps well-informed
Recognition modules that celebrate milestones, boost morale, and reinforce a culture of excellence

Now, the field agents aren’t just connected—they’re aligned, upskilled, and accountable.

Real Estate: From Cold Calls to Smart Conversions

For real estate agents, timing and personalization are everything. Sales applications are evolving to include:

Virtual site tour integration for remote buyers
Mortgage and EMI calculators to increase buyer confidence
WhatsApp-based lead capture and nurture sequences
CRM integration for inventory updates and automatic scheduling

Logistics: From Chaos to Control in Field Coordination

Field agents in logistics are switching from clipboards to real-time command centers on mobile. Modern sales applications offer:

Live delivery status and route deviation alerts
Automated dispute reporting and issue resolution tracking
Fleet coordination through integrated GPS modules
Customer feedback capture and SLA dashboards

What’s new & what’s next in Sales Applications?

Here’s what’s pushing the next wave of innovation:

Voice-to-Text Logging: Agents dictate notes while on the move.
AI-Powered Nudges: Apps that suggest next-best actions based on behavior.
Omnichannel Communication: In-app chat, WhatsApp, email—unified.
Role-Based Dashboards: Different data views for admins, managers, and field reps.

What does this mean for Business Leaders?

Sales Applications are not just tactical tools. They’re platforms for transformation. With the right design, integrations, and analytics, they:

Replace guesswork with intelligence
Reduce the cost of delay and manual labor
Improve agent accountability and transparency
Speed up decision-making across hierarchies

The future of field sales lies in intuitive, AI-driven applications that adapt to every industry’s nuances. At Mantra Labs, we work closely with enterprises to custom-build sales applications that align with business objectives and ground-level realities.

Conclusion:

If your agents still rely on Excel trackers and daily call reports, it’s time to reimagine your sales operations. Let us help you bring your field operations into the future—with tools that are fast, field-tested, and built for scale.

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