How to implement a workplace mobile app strategy

bizreport.com

According to comScore more than three-quarters of US mobile devices are smartphones, and many of them are being used in the workplace. Most of the time these are work calls or work emails, but without a plan in place, employees may not know what is expected of them - and their smartphones - at work.

by Kristina Knight

Kristina: What do businesses need to know about before integrating mobile apps into the workplace?

Vladik Rikhter, CEO & Co-Founder, Zenput: The ways businesses can integrate mobile into operations to keep employees happy and productive are endless. But, it's important that businesses consider the specific needs of their employees on top of the processes they want to improve. For example, there are many industries whose workers spend almost no time behind a desk. They're roaming a store or working away on a construction site. Of course, these employees still need information, but they need it delivered and available in a manner that fits their workflow. Executives need to work with their teams to identify the ways mobility best suits their companies.

Kristina: Is there a place to start with mobile app integrations?

Vladik: Initially, employers should use mobile apps that are an extension of your existing products like email, CRM and file-sharing applications. From there, build in the applications that will push content from the app back to the desktop and are also synced with existing systems. For example, try Expensify for easy expense reporting and MileIQ for mileage tracking. Once your employees have become accustomed to using some of these other apps, introduce brand new, mobile-first products.

Kristina: What are your top three tips to bring mobile apps into the workplace?

Vladik: 1. Make an immediate key impact by choosing apps that will be easy to implement. That way, you'll be able to see immediate results, which will also improve employee adoption.
2. Make it usable. Unless apps are easy to use for your 22-year-old and 62-year-old employees, they won't get used.
3. Make sure it's not siloed. Any business app you implement should have the ability to integrate with other tools or in other business functions. Whenever processes can be managed or streamlined with one tool versus multiple tools, that's a win for productivity.