Turn Smartphones Into A Business Advantage
Smartphones have transformed the modern world. Today, over 62% of global internet users browse the internet from their phones and even more utilize smartphones for everything from calendars and alarms to streaming and shopping. With so much information so easily available, it’s not surprising that most people seem to always have their phone within arms reach. Schools and colleges across nations have responded by banning cellphones from use, but an important question in society still seems to be should businesses follow suit? While at first it might seem smart, creating an overarching workplace cellphone ban is almost never a good idea. Rather than restricting tools and policing employee access, effective businesses utilize smartphones to improve their own company. Here are five of our favorite ways any company can transform employee smartphones into a successful business solution.
Improve Collaboration Abilities
Effective collaboration is how big ideas reach their full potential, and in today’s world of increased distractions and never-ending competitors, successful big ideas are more important than ever. Easily connecting employees through company collaboration tools help organizations draw insights from all over the company. Coworkers in different offices or even in different countries can now brainstorm, discuss, and create something together. Enabling employees to access collaboration tools on their smartphone, takes this collaboration one step further. It may not always be possible for employees to work from their computers, especially when working remotely, traveling, or collaborating with coworkers in another time zone. Employees also often have innovative ideas outside of the regular workday. Access to work tools on a mobile device lets coworkers communicate at any time, access resources in every environment, and ensures that late night ideas are never forgotten.
Extend Executive Outreach
Executives and senior employees are incredibly busy and are often attending meetings and traveling away from the office. When executives are away or unavailable, it can create a serious disconnect between leadership and important office events. Employers need the flexibility to understand risks and pay attention to teams no matter where they might be. Enabling everyone to work with their employee smartphones bridges this gap by keeping leader and employees in regular communication. Employers can immediately communicate new ideas, policy updates, and important information to their teams, helping them adapt and implement new changes and stay in the loop. Additionally, employees have a reliable outlet to reach out to supervisors and provide them with important news, updates, and developments. Smartphones keep everyone up-to-date and help companies make the most of regular travel or a busy schedule.
Empower Field Employees
Clinicians, retail employees, drivers, and all kinds of other occupations require employees to regularly operate away from a desk and allow little if any opportunity to access a computer. And to make matters even more difficult, field employees often need updates even more than traditional office employees. Rather than discouraging smartphones, create a mobile-friendly environment, making it easy to call or text field employees important information. Or even better, help employees communicate instantly and access documents right with business communication and collaboration tools. With easy mobile access, field employees will never struggle to find information or miss out on important updates and will have access to crucial content like service or product brochures, prospective contact information, and more, providing unlimited flexibility right at their fingertips.
Strengthen Company Culture
Social media and instant messaging have transformed human communication immensely over the past decade. Everywhere you look, people seem to be glued to their mobile screens scrolling through news feeds, looking at multimedia content, and talking to friends. What if that same excitement was found in your internal company communication? Business communication software lets employees create social media-inspired intranet portals that can be accessed on a smartphone through a dedicated company app. These portals let coworkers communicate and socialize at any time, helping strengthen employee relationships and promote friendships outside of normal office hours. As employees are able to support, uplift, and have fun together, company and team culture naturally grows.
Increase Employee Availability
Smartphones make employees reachable almost anywhere. By enabling employees to use smartphones, you greatly increase their range of availability. Smartphones and mobile first work tools, help employees stay in constant communication wherever they might be. Coworkers will be able to collaborate and work effectively together while traveling, working across different time zones, or on the go. With rising customer demands expecting support at all hours of the day, increased employee availability is a huge advantage in the business world. Don’t limit company contact to traditional office hours or get frustrated by out of town employees. Allowing your team to work with smartphone harnesses to the power of unreachable communication and helps employees utilize their most productive hours. Integrating smartphones into the workday establishes long term habits of checking and responding to office communication at any time.
While smartphones might cause distractions and disruptions in an academic environment, they can also be the perfect tool for exceptional business success. When honestly encouraged and implemented effectively, employee smartphones let employees increase productivity, communication, and even enjoyment throughout the entire organization. To learn more about successful incorporating employee smartphones or how MangoApps helps organizations make the most of mobile communication, contact us or schedule a personalized demo with us today.
