What’s changing for businesses in the mobile century?
A technology revolution is transforming the way we live, work and play.
This revolution is being driven at bewildering pace by consumers empowered by a new mobile-first mindset. With smart portable devices and always-on superfast connectivity they are the true Martini generation - anytime, any place, anywhere.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg when we look at the change, disruption - and opportunity - still to come. Just look at any of the statistics around key factors such as tablet adoption, the decline of the PC and 4G penetration.
The installed base of smartphones and tablets overtook desktop and laptop PCs in 2013, according to the influential KPCB analyst Mary Meeker - and I'm intrigued to see what her 2014 predictions will look like given the pace at which things are changing.
And if the effect on consumers is significant, then the effect on businesses is seismic. Navigating this new mobile opportunity requires businesses to take a more strategic approach. This is what we at EE like to call Total Enterprise Mobility and it is a strategy that includes the three pillars of opportunity for mobility: the workforce, customer engagement and machine connectivity. Why? For one thing your customers and your employees are increasingly demanding it. For another, it will drive your business growth.
1. The workforce
There are productivity and employee engagement benefits from enabling a genuinely mobile workforce but this mobile revolution is about so much more than just equipping a workforce with email and internet access on the go.
2. Customer engagement
Customers are also at the heart of this transformation. Mobile enables next-generation businesses to have an entirely new relationship with their customers through their mobile devices. It drives two-way conversations through apps and shared systems that drive deeper insights and open up a whole new world of opportunities around customer service, fulfillment and marketing.
3. Connected machines
It isn't just about people, though. It is also about connected machines where information can move freely between machines and from machines to the people who need it, all in real-time. It is the path towards the smart and connected world of the Internet of Things.
Combining superfast connectivity with the cloud, insights from Big Data and connected machines means a leap forward in the products and services businesses can provide. Whole industries, from retail and utilities to healthcare and publishing, are changing.
Employee and customer expectations for mobility will only continue to grow as consumers become more and more sophisticated users, as mobile device penetration increases and connectivity becomes faster.
True next-generation business simply cannot afford to ignore this mobile tipping point.
Photo credit: tokyoform
Director at Box-Ticked Ltd | Sales Leader in Print Solutions
10 年make the 2020, not 202
Director at Box-Ticked Ltd | Sales Leader in Print Solutions
10 年I recently read on another article posted on LinkedIn that there are 13 billion devices connected to the internet today, by 202 there will be 50 million! That is some growth...
My business is suffering in the Mobile Century as I cannot use my mobile! Orange 'cannot guarantee a signal' and apparently that's ok from my service provider as it's in their terms of business that they don't have to guarantee one. Buy our service please customers but if you can't actually use the product, tough!
SME Managed IT | Resilience | Risk Management | Security
10 年'You ain't seen nuthin' yet!' The number of connected devices (all of them seeking to connect to the nearest WLAN) is going to explode over the next few years. Realistically, IT managers don't know how they're going to manage it!
Heavy background in business development, project, and account management. Experience using NetSuite and Salesforce.
11 年Pretty exciting and this is only the tip of the iceberg. Recently I gave my 7 year old, my laptop. He was excited for about a week, then didn't want anything to do with it going right back to his Ipod and MY tablet, I tried. What is even more exciting is what he is using and playing with now isn't going to anything close what it is going to be when he grows up.