7 Tips for Making Mobile Work for Your Business

Mobile technology quickly is becoming the heart of modern businesses, enabling anywhere-anytime communications that are necessary to compete. Making mobile work is not a cakewalk, even so. This article provides tips for how to get the most from a mobile business environment.

Business in the modern era demands that workers not be confined to offices-to collaborate and push sales, they must be able to communicate anywhere, anytime. The need for mobile devices in the corporate environment, therefore, has never been higher. To incorporate mobile technologies into your company without headaches or an exorbitant bill, keep these tips at the forefront of your game plan.

1) Do BYOD, but not without solid prep.

In some businesses, it makes perfect sense to issue a specific Android or Apple device to employees, based on what the objectives and needs of the companies are. In many cases, however, a Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) approach is much more cost effective, as it eliminates the need for businesses to pay for hardware. In addition, workers often have increased user satisfaction if they can use a device they're familiar with and that is suited to their ergonomic needs. The caveat, of course, is that BYOD requires very clear, killer IT security and privacy plans, as there is much more complexity involved given the number of different devices and difficulty in monitoring or-controlling user activity. Your policies should be both enforceable and simple.

2) Air, for cross-platform applications.

There are two reasons to look for applications that work on both Android and Apple devices when setting up a mobile plan for your business. First, cross-platform apps enable you to implement a BYOD infrastructure, as you know the apps will work regardless of the OS your employees prefer. Secondly, even if you don't adopt BYOD, cross-platform applications allow you to think long term and upgrade with ease. For instance, if you're using an Apple device but find an Android one that better fits what your workers need, you can swap devices without having to find different software that your employees would have to spend time learning.

3) Integrate apps where you can.

If your employees constantly are having to copy and paste from one application to another, they're wasting time and costing you money. Try to find software that syncs together well with automatic updates or importing/exporting to eliminate this problem.

4) Make your mobile numbers known.

If you're going to embrace mobile technology, then really, truly embrace it and make sure that everyone who needs workers' mobile numbers has them. The idea here isn't to extend work hours with anytime calls, but rather to make sure that employees can come and go as they need to during their shifts without a loss of communication.

5) Accept the inevitability of evolution.

Most mobile devices are dinosaurs by the time they're just two years old. Subsequently, mobile isn't going to be a one-time or leave it and forget it business investment. Rather; even as you try to find devices that will provide a good return for the time they're in use, you must accept that mobile will have a high turnover. Pay attention to upcoming device releases and see which products seem to align best with the way you foresee your employees working. As you explore your options, remember that holding on to a specific series your workers like (for instance, iPhones) might hold you back if your company is going in a new direction that requires different apps or features. If you pick something new, lessen the pain of the transition with good training for your employees, and give them a little time to adjust before you start harping on their efficiency or productivity levels.

6) Tailor, Tailor, Tailor.

Even though you might have heard about how great specific mobile devices or applications have worked for other companies, the reality is, your business isn't necessarily going to need what "the other- guys" have. Do your homework and establish relationships only with vendors that let you customize your packages.

7) Think about where your data is stored.

When you store data directly on a mobile device, most of what you'd do with that data-for example, emailing it to someone-has to be done from that device. If you store data in the cloud, however, you can retrieve, change, save and share that information from any device that can access the cloud, giving you much more flexibility as you move in and out of the office. Be aware, however, that not all information is cloud appropriate. If the data is confidential or sensitive, think twice, and encourage your workers to use only secured networks.

Conclusion

With the bulk of consumers using mobile to interact with businesses, and with the competitive market demanding that workers continue to communicate through the workday regardless of where they are, companies have to embrace mobile if they want to survive. These tips can't guarantee a perfect mobile ride, but they can smooth it out and head off potential problems if you apply them well.

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