Going Mobile
The use of computing technology took the business world to the next level when it was first introduced to the world. As both that technology and the world of business have evolved together and separately, mobile computing technology has made changes to business operations on a similar scale. Companies are now able to design mobile games to play which align with their offerings, they’re able to be in more direct contact with their client base and to be available in a variety of previously challenging locations. Processes have gone from being labour intensive and time-consuming to quick and efficient, and smart business owners are ready to evolve with technology as it grows and evolves itself. Let’s take a look at the five biggest effects of mobile computing technology on the business world.
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Project Management
These days a decentralised office setting is more normal than not, so project managers don’t actually physically have to be in the same place to have any meetings or work sessions that they might need. Not only are there messaging apps like Facetime and Zoom but there are also wonderful project management apps that hold lists of all the team members, their dedicated tasks, the stage that the task is at, who has made what changes or contributed in what way. You and your colleague could be halfway across the world from each other or your client, but you could all still have access to current, real-time data about what is happening, where, and when. This level of communication and efficiency minimises time loss and maximises efficiency, and as we all know in business time is money!
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Improved Customer Experience
The importance of our mobile devices in our lives is paramount. We do everything on these little handheld computers: we do our banking, we communicate with colleagues, employers, or loved ones, we order food and we interact with businesses. The importance of a business having a mobile app or being reachable by some form of mobile communication is paramount too. Since consumers spend such a large amount of time working with apps on their phones, it only makes sense to offer a customer the best, most seamless experience possible by coming into their world, instead of expecting them to come into yours. Customers can turn on notifications to get access to online or app-only deals and track existing orders to know when they’ll arrive. They can easily reach chatbots or customer care reps, log complaints (hopefully not) or return items if they need to.
Improved Workplace Communication and Collaboration
The customer might always be right, but employee experiences are also a cornerstone of any good business, and mobile computing tech has done nothing but improve them as far as workplace interactions go. Colleagues can collaborate from wherever they find themselves and reach their subordinates or superiors to check on important tasks or issues. Employers and employees should remember to maintain healthy work like balances and barriers and to make themselves unavailable in their off time, unless there is an emergency.
More Effective Operations Management
The same solutions that allow customers or clients to easily access their orders or customer support personnel, also allow these personnel easy access into order history and tracking. They also have access to all the back end details that might be of help to them when resolving a situation or task. Tracking communication chains, custody chains, and information is made so much easier when it’s in the palm of your hand. Information that would previously have been located in one place is now available on a cloud with a log tracking who has accessed it and when. Mobile computing takes all the labour out of managing your operations.
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More Targeted and Effective Marketing
The cookies collected when we browse internet sites collect information that’s used by your browser to anticipate your needs based on your previous browsing history. This information is collected and used for marketing by companies as well. Do you know how you get a toothpaste ad on Facebook a few minutes after buying toothpaste online? That’s the beauty of data collection operating at its finest. Companies are able to send targeted advertising to the potential clients most likely to make use of the items being advertised, and they are able to offer existing clients deals based on products they’ve purchased before. There are thankfully rules and regulations in place to ensure that none of your personal information is used in an inappropriate way. Taking the admissible data and incorporating it into your marketing strategy is a sure-fire way of getting the biggest result with the least amount of effort.
Wrap Up
Mobile computing technology does a lot for us in our daily lives and it does a lot for businesses too!