Mobility: Changing Business Practices
Going mobile in a business is old news yet still extremely popular and relevant. IT consultants have been talking about the importance and advantage of businesses implementing mobile apps, BYOD and mobile Commerce for years now. Many large enterprises have embraced this ‘hard trend’ quickly and efficiently, as they knew doing so would allow them to gain a competitive advantage and stay ahead of the game. Unfortunately, smaller companies have not kept up as fast and have been mislead to believe it is only beneficial for larger enterprises and that it is way over their budget. With the emergence of cloud computing, mobility and affordable high-quality ERP solutions, every business can pretty much be on the same playing field in terms of business technology. There is no more reason why small companies cannot equip their on the road sales teams with mobile apps on their tablets or smartphones to input and send orders or have employees work remotely from home or out of the office if need be.
According to a study done in 2010 from the University of Texas, “if the average Fortune 1000 business increased the usability of its data by 10%, it could realize a $2.01B annual revenue increase”. In order for companies to increase data usability they can allow remote access to their network through mobile devices. Revenue increases, albeit less than the figure above, can also happen for companies of small to mid size.
The hardest part for many executives is being ready for change. There are always improvements or updates in technology and we can see that in our everyday life with the latest smartphone or application releases. We see it all the time where consumers will wait in long lines to have the latest iPhones or gadgets. Why aren’t executives just as excited for the latest business applications or gadgets – especially with the knowledge that these apps or solutions can increase revenue for their company? Most of us already carry around the latest mobile devices for personal use; why not use it at work for maximum efficiency?
However, changing business practices, even if it is for the better, is not easy. Employees and management are used to working a certain way and don’t want to switch things up. Also, knowing which business solution is right for the company is also difficult. Some companies may not need a mobile business application but may need a mobile Commerce site. We always recommend sitting down with an IT consultant to get information unique to their business needs first.
Enterprise mobility can be very powerful and have major benefits that for many businesses can change a lot and make big differences in the way decisions are made and projects are handled.
Some benefits include:
- Increased productivity and speed of shared information
- Elimination of paper & pen for employees on the road or any unnecessary manual input of data
- Better tracking of projects and tasks for groups
- Better decision-making (access to important data is available in real-time)
- Reduction of errors and improvement quality of information
Therefore, before getting too comfortable with out-dated software solutions or old business practices, think about the future of business technology and how far it can take your company, in terms of growth and success. Times are changing and improvements in business practices are being made – don’t be the last to change for the better. Consult with our IT experts on your business mobility needs.
Also, to see how to get your business mobile-app ready, check out this informative blog.
