Today mobile apps are increasingly being used by more organizations. They have changed the way businesses interact with their customers, employees, partners etc. With the help of the mobile solutions these organizations are creating, workers can stay connected even when out of the office.
Today mobile apps are increasingly being used by more organizations. They have changed the way businesses interact with their customers,
employees, partners etc. With the help of the mobile solutions these organizations are creating, workers can stay connected even when out of the office. With the current technologies of smartphones and tablets, blended with 3G and 4G wireless networks, has made on the-go communications viable, giving individuals and organizations anytime, anywhere access to data, entertainment and more.
Users of smart devices enjoy certain luxuries not available to the traditional, non-mobile workforce.
No restraints - The users are not bound by the limitations of time or location in order to be productive. They can contribute to the task at hand from anywhere, anytime
Ease - Mobile interfaces are generally easy to use, and are designed for performance. This makes life easier for the user.
Accessibility - Accessibility to the corporate systems and data is not limited to the office or the personal computer.
Real-time - With high - speed networks, the notification of emails, work, or any issues is available to all the stakeholders in real time. No more waiting for the webpages to refresh.
Cost - Businesses save IT and operational costs and increase productivity
Convenience and flexibility – Employees get to choose the time and location of work as per their schedule. They do not have to compromise their personal lives to be on the job.
Having said that, let us evaluate the top five tasks that are generally done by the mobile workforce, and how mobility helps drive productivity in each of them.
1. Being reachable to your customers – This is a no – brainer, really. Customer is the king, and royalty does not like to be kept waiting. When a customer calls or emails you at work, you can receive the call (through call forwarding, even if you have not shared your hand phone number) and / or the email directly on your smartphone, and respond immediately, especially if the matter is urgent. This eliminates the wait for you to get back into the office next workday.
2. Taking stock – Inventory management teams are usually found close to their quarry, be it raw materials for the assembly line, finished products, IT equipment, or large shipments. These teams, instead of using clunky handhelds, can today use their smartphones to scan and validate their stock. This saves time and cost.
3. Timesheets – Imagine having to come to office just so that you can fill your timesheet. You would, if you have to, because your paycheck depends on it. However, mobile Time sheet management systems (TSMS) allow you to fill in your work details right from the screen of your favorite little shiny rectangle. This way, you can spend the time required to travel to work in a more productive manner.
4. Order and invoice management – Mobility has made the critical, customer facing function of order management and invoicing highly efficient. Now, a sales guy can populate the details of a customer’s requirement on a smart device interface, which, through its integration with the backend systems, can accurately provide the expected delivery date, the cost, and the possible discounts. The invoice can be instantly generated, and mailed to the customer.
5. Field surveys – In the old world, the survey takers and field data collectors had to fill out paper forms, carry them to the office, and then manually feed in the data into the enterprise systems. This wasted a lot of valuable time. Today, the target audience is simply handed a tablet, where they check some boxes, and done! The data collection and upload is simultaneous.
