Dedicating someone specifically to Mobility, putting him/her in charge of establishing a solid link and creating a bridge between business units (including the Mobile Workforce) and the IT department; that’s the very first step any enterprise, concerned with new business challenges and new business process, and looking forward to enhance both productivity and profitability, should take.
The new face of Mobility
This person (Head Mobile Strategy / Mobility Manager / Chief Mobility) will be in fact in charge of evaluating the enterprise needs in terms of Mobility and put into place a plan to integrate it with Business Process and Clientele Relationship enhancements as well as ensuring proper development of Mobility projects and adequacy to deliverables expected.
As the name suggests, this Chief Mobility will play a critical role in identifying the right technologies and platforms meeting the enterprise needs for the short and middle terms. Because, let’s be honest; an entreprise without any Mobile Strategy today is well… an entreprise without Strategy at all, plain and simple!
Key Factors in defining a Mobile Strategy
1. Mobility for the Sales Force
Mobile devices are now a « must » for the Sales Force which can’t work without them anymore; this said, models and brands are just pouring on us! Look for applications which can help your sales representatives to enhance their pitches to prospects on the road, to make presentations to actual clients and keep updated on business opportunities and, if possible, develop tailor-made applications which will mobilize whole business process… so that they can benefit from these outside your entreprise’s walls. We’re talking Business Intelligence, Sales Activities Management and CRM, here.
2. Mobility for the MobileWorkforce
Likewise for the Mobile Workforce in the broader sense, be it Technical Service on the road or Delivery Service; here too, models and brands are just pouring on us! Look for applications that can facilitate, enhance or complete your service activities validation and adequacy process both in terms of execution and Clientele Satisfaction and, if possible, develop tailor-made applications which enable interfacing with your back-office systems. We’re talking Clientele Service and CRM but also Expedition / Delivery / Supply.
3. The large platforms (SAP – Oracle) are oscillating
These solutions are very restrictive in terms of interoperability… and heavy in terms of costs; move away. Look for flexible mobile environments and applications, open to connectivity and inter-operability and offering low-cost personalisation.
4. iOS and Android dominate but…
Of course, these two platforms are leading the way but the surprising rebirth of BlackBerry 10 (runour has it that 40 millions BB10 devices are being built) and the fact that Microsoft has an incredible pool of client entreprises, all potential Windows Phone 8 buyers; well, that makes us thinks that maybe you shouldn’t neglect these two options which present undeniable advantages, in terms of security for BB10 and Windows compatibility for Windows Phone 8. Weigh carefully your priorities…
5. Mobile Project Leaders
Sales & Marketing Chiefs and Business Unit Managers are your champions now, your leaders; they’re the ones taking Mobility initiatives which can benefit your entreprise. Consequently, they should be the ones managing budgets and leading / orienting the development of projects towards applications resembling them and are useful to them; in short, non-tekky applications.
6. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
It’s the buzz of the hour but so is security and with all these employees bringing their own devices at the office; maybe you should think about offering some incentives to buy devices meeting your security and standardization criteria!
7. Like the world, like your entreprise…
The new generation of employees want working tools (devices and applications) just like the ones they use at home, on a daily basis; powerful, efficient, attractive. Offer them the same or else… they’ll go work elsewhere and you’ll have to cope with strong talent attraction and retention problems!
8. Calls/Data Mobile Plan
Make the best out of the current mobile operators’ competitiveness, both in terms of devices and plans, to minimise costs and maximise mobile capability.
9. Mobile Management Platform
Getting a reliable and powerful Mobile Device Fleet Management platform has become a necessity with so many regular updates and upgrades of both OS and applications critical to productivity.
10. Successful Entreprise = Mobilized Processes
Whatever they are, all your business processes will go mobile… eventually. For the moment, once the Mobility Strategy for the Mobile Workforce (Sales Force) has been well defined and well put in place; you can move on to the second step and start mobilizing these business processes critical to your productivity and / or profitability.
Safe journey,
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