Experienced travellers are hyper-connected and smart users of technology that helps make them more efficient. They have figured out that four walls and a desk are no longer the most productive way to work. Whether they’re pursuing a deadline or a passion, they want their technology to allow them to do what they want, where they want to. Mobility has changed everything. It has liberated people from the 9am to 5pm and the confines of a traditional workplace.
Companies from all sectors – healthcare, logistics, hospitality, construction, education, transport, network, retail, etc. – as well as blue light workers and the public sector, need to see this evolution as an opportunity rather than a constraint. They need to remain agile and adopt modern ways of working to enable more mobile productivity.
The right technology can allow companies to be more agile, efficient and productive. Today, there are many industries where it doesn’t matter whether employees work at the office, at home or on the move, as technology has evolved to be more reliable, secure and portable than ever. They just need to be connected. But business travellers have become so reliant on technology that the impact of any failures or downtime grows. The IT department therefore demands proven technologies that can stand up to the rigours of international travel while also helping to save costs.
In order to make that mobile business lifestyle a reality and a business advantage, Gavin Slevin, General Manager, ZAGG International, shares three tips for what companies can put in place:
Protect your data and technology
As we become more mobile, the risk associated with data loss and the potential of damaging mobile devices is higher, which keeps CIOs, IT managers and purchasing managers awake at night. Kitting out employees with technology accessories that secure and protect, such as laptop cases or screen protectors, is crucial to ensure they can do their job whether they are in the office or on the move.
Companies can easily work out how much they spend on mobile technology and on replacing it (such as damaged mobile devices), and calculate how much they could save if all employee mobile devices were better protected.
Don’t let your employees down
How often have we found ourselves out of battery when we need to respond to an important email while on the move? This is more than an inconvenience: it costs companies significant amounts of money, since workers can’t be productive when they’re not connected. Communications failures can also damage a company’s reputation with key customers and clients.
Companies need to equip their mobile workers with reliable chargers or power packs to ensure they are reachable at any time and can continue to work productively while travelling by plane, train, car or public transport, or just in a café. In the office, we take power for granted, with a socket at every desk; we need the same mindset for business travel, with a mobile power pack or charger in every pocket.
Turn your business into a mobile working environment
It’s very common today for companies to have more employees than workstations. This allows them to save office costs while some employees work remotely. More and more businesses also encourage agility in the workplace through hotdesking.
As such, the use of mobile accessories such as mobile keyboards compatible with smartphones, tablets and most smart TVs, is a good way to offer that flexibility in the office. Benefits of this approach include greater collaboration and teamwork as employees move more freely around the office, rather than being tied to the same desk in the same part of the office. This can also help to deliver other benefits such as higher satisfaction and motivation.
Equally, companies that give employees a mobile keyboard help to make work-on-the-go as smooth as working in the office. Technology is transforming workplace attitudes, and employees expect the same connected experiences outside of work that they get in the office.
Done well, these steps will help companies evolve their business to embrace the mobile era. A mobile business lifestyle should not cost money to companies but instead deliver increased efficiency and productivity. Mobile technology should make life easier. It should allow users to do what they want, where they want to. Technology helps transform a company’s culture, but businesses need to ask themselves if they are providing staff with the technology they need to do their job well and to be successful. With that type of thinking, they can reap the benefits of mobility, including effective use of time during business travel, to gain a competitive edge.
