"Once consumers have a taste of constant connectivity it is
extremely difficult to do without it." – Seeking Alpha.
Mobile connectivity is like sliced bread, the wheel, microwaves;
once you have it, you don’t want to know life without it. It’s like every
invention that has made life easier, except on a greater and more technological
scale. Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to have your
product or brand represented, and when mobile
employee sing the praises of their mobile apps, non-mobile employees are listening with envy.
Herein lies the issue: when one employee becomes mobile and talks about the
benefits, it has a ripple effect throughout the office...and pretty soon, everyone is going to want to have what they have. The problem for mobile and non-mobile offices alike is that mobile is now everywhere and everyone is already talking about it. So the awareness has been created, the demand is already there and your employees are already saying "wouldn't it be great if I could get ______ [fill in the blank] on my mobile device?"
In the past 18 months, iPhone and iPod touch users have downloaded
over 3 billion applications (on
the iTunes Store alone!). Today’s society has definitely gone app-happy. BlackBerry,
Windows Mobile and Google have launched their own app stores to snag users in
this market. Smaller, independent marketplaces have also emerged, like GetJar,
which offer applications for all different types of smartphones in one place.
All signs are pointing to one trend – the increasing adoption and utilization
of mobile technologies.
What does this mean for your mobile strategy? Simply that one
mobile app isn’t going to be enough to meet the needs of all your different employee groups, your business and supply chain partners AND your customers. Your company will
need several applications to meet the needs of all these different user groups.
While your sales force or field service agents are the likeliest candidates for
company mobility, other employees will want – and would benefit from – mobile
applications as well. Managers, executives, strategic business partners, and
customers all have unique mobile needs that can help increase business
productivity and brand loyalty.
As mobile demand grows, your company will need
to meet it. To do it best, create a well thought-out strategy that takes advantage of the breadth and depth of mobile technology available today. Do you have a mobile strategy? Are you facing increased customer and/or employee demand for mobile applications? Let us know...
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