Stand in any public place these days and you 
will more than likely spot a new breed of mobile worker,
there busy working away on their Smartphone or Tablet PC.
In a recent survey conducted by Cisco it was revealed that
32% of employees now rely on more than one mobile
device during their typical working Day.
This is driven by a number of factors; including faster
3&4G Mobile networks, reducing data costs,
plus a wider availability of cheaper, more powerful
mobile devices such as Smartphones and Tablet PC’s.
Every growing number of tech savvy employees
Equally importantly is and an ever growing number of employees who are tech savvy,
so they are adapting to using these devices very quickly as they already use similar devices in their private lives.
Here are some advantages a business can gain by using these devices
- Enabling employees to access internal office emails, Attend online meetings with colleagues,
Track to-do’s, organize notes, assign tasks and reminders, update and access data while they are away from the office. - Arming sales staff with digital applications that are connected direct to the office IT infrastructure enabling :
Remote ordering, access the latest product updates direct from suppliers, access to stock levels, promotional presentations.
Allowing them to share info and collaborate together remotely, enabling them to work on sales presentations and collaborate on responses to tenders and other important sales related activities. - Using these devices can improve after sales services by providing a centralised web based after sales and support service allowing for greater collaboration on after sales matters between staff and clients. Also enabling immediate feedback from customers, this can lead to faster product upgrades and therefore increased customer satisfaction.
- Enabling the IT support team to access remote desktops and manage servers and internal network resources even troubleshoot and solve IT issues, even when they are away from the office.
- Help increase overall collaboration between all employees in various departments by connecting everyone together in one virtual environment, encouraging participation, collaboration and internal innovation. Sales staff out on the road might have an idea to improve after sales support, so it can only be constructive to encourage the sharing of new ideas internally.
- These devices eliminate paper-based processes, completing and submitting digital forms costs only a fraction
compared to paper based forms, also digital forms can be send via the internet and arrive in the office literally
instantly allowing for more productive ordering.
This results in increasing internal organizational flexibility, a happier and more productive workforce,
competitive differentiation, and in most instances significant cost reductions in operating expenses.
In short: Better and faster communications improves efficiencies and reduces costs.
This increases the bottom line.
These are perhaps the reasons why many business managers worldwide are wondering
how to effectively position their firms to benefit from a new wave of increased
productivity and capability for their mobile workforces.