We’re living and working in a 24/7, on-demand world. When we want information, we Google it. When we’re in the mood to watch an episode of a favorite TV show, we either stream it or pull it off the menu of our DVR. And when we want to access business data to check on a metric, approve a request, or respond to a message, we open an app from our web browser or mobile device. Thanks to the combination of mobile connectivity and cloud-based services, we’re productive from virtually anywhere, around-the-clock.
Your company may still be working towards this level mobile office productivity—or just getting started. To be sure, transforming your workplace into a mobile-friendly environment is a journey. It requires strategy, planning, and a cultural shift, all of which take time. But to demonstrate why setting down the path to mobility is increasingly important, consider these stats:
Worldwide spending on mobility solutions is forecast to reach $1.72 trillion in 2021. (IDC)
If wrapping your head around this number is a challenge, think about the fact that there are (only?) an estimated 100 to 400 billion stars in the Milky Way. $1.72 trillion is a very large number signifying a super-galactic investment in technology.
What’s more relevant to your business, of course, are the reasons companies are making the investments in the first place. The simple answer is “to serve customers better,” as their increasingly digital consumer behaviors and communications preferences are changing to require quicker, more timely, service.
But this spills over into the employee experience as well—in order to serve customers better, employees need the tools to capture data and leverage insights in real-time. They need to communicate more effectively with one another, and have the flexibility to work remotely, tapping into the systems and workflows that drive business forward in today’s digital world. In other words, they need mobility solutions.
98% of enterprises report that employees use smartphones for business purposes today. (Samsung)
Additionally, according to the Samsung report, 93% use tablets and 75% use wearable tech such as smart watches and glasses. That’s a lot of mobile tech that needs enterprise support and enablement. Let’s fold in Deloitte’s statistic regarding smartphone penetration, which has increased to 82% overall. There’s no escaping the fact that people—in their personal and work lives—are using mobile devices to stay productive and stay connected, and their expectations are going to keep rising.
By 2019, 85% of unregulated enterprise organizations will offer a CYOD (choose-your-own-device) program for eligible employees as their default device policy. (IDC)
Yes, communications inside and outside of the office are changing along with (and in many cases, driven by) the ubiquity of mobile devices. Corporate mobile strategies differ according to their industry, company size, regulatory environment, existing IT environment and approach to data management, among other reasons—but they’re evolving and becoming more flexible as new technologies, from devices to platforms, are introduced that ensure data security and compliance.
IDC’s research finds that CYOD or BYOD (bring-your-own-device) programs have the potential to simplify purchase, deployment, and management while providing companies with an opportunity to “mobilize a larger percentage of workforce without larger costs incurred.”
This is likely good news for companies still in the process of embracing mobile programs and policies, as getting employees up-and-running using mobile productivity tools doesn’t necessarily require a large investment in hardware, from laptops to smartphones. Workers can use what they’re already using, simply launching their web browser, for example, to tap into their company’s cloud-based software.
Nearly 3 out of every 4 employees say their company offers flexible working and 32% said they regularly work remotely. (Workplace Trends)
What’s more, 79% of employees surveyed by Workplace Trends said they work with at least one person who isn’t based in the same office as them. We explore this topic more deeply in Empowering Your Remote and Mobile Workers with Cloud-Based Business Systems, but the bottom line is that mobile productivity tools—and the cloud-based business systems to support them—are becoming a need-to-have.
By the end of 2017, 23% of SMBs envisioned that mobile devices would be completely integrated with their workflow processes. (Xerox)
In fact, 47% of respondents in the Xerox survey cited “Increased productivity through improved workflow/business processes” as among their top three business priorities. These insights are indicative of how mobility and productivity go hand-in-hand. But it’s not just the mobile device that make such a difference—it’s the underlying technology, such as their cloud-based ERP, CRM, and BI solutions that enable employees to access their business applications from anywhere at any time. These solutions power their workflows, integrate their data and processes, and make it easy to stay productive while on-the-go. It’s by means of these web-based solutions that organizations are able to offer mobile tools and the flexibility to work smarter, from any connected computer or device.
Find out about MIBAR’s mobile solutions and contact us to learn how we can help you make the most of today’s mobile technology.
