Today’s economy focuses a lot of attention on controlling labor costs and business expenses. It seems natural to extend and bring the functionality of the workspace directly to mobile workers. A mobile workforce offers many benefits, in terms of an employee being able to work anywhere and in terms of mobile technology. Here are the top five best reasons to employ a mobile workforce.
Increased productivity.
Studies show that mobile employees are more productive outside of a traditional office setting. Applications for smartphones and tablets further improve the efficiency and effectiveness by enabling workers to take the office with them. There’s no need to wait for an employee to return to the office to create an expense report or to lose valuable working time while riding in a taxi or waiting for the airplane.
Many managers are faced with the challenge of meeting staffing requirements and getting the right person in the right place, at the right time, at the lowest possible cost. Employing mobile employees can help meet this demand. Virtual services and applications make it possible to approve time sheets on the road, schedule meetings from out of state, or attend a meeting when out of the country.
From a pure productively standpoint, downtime becomes uptime with mobile employees. Key tasks can be taken care of during times that may otherwise be lost productivity. The gain allows employees to free up and utilize more minutes and hours of the day, which results in an increase of revenue, productivity, and company performance.
Real-time access to data.
Having real-time access to data and information gives your company a competitive edge and enables mobile employees to be more responsive. By leveraging wireless devices and the latest software, companies can empower their workforces with access to data when and where it’s needed. Having access to data in real-time improves your ability to respond to business demands, enables managers to gain increased visibility into workloads, and facilitates better customer service.
Increased visibility and streamlined workflow.
Mobile technology not only benefits workers, but it supports internal departments as well. Human resources, accounting, and corporate travel are some departments that benefit from having access to data. Having more visibility into data, especially data from employees, facilitates a deeper insight into employee business expenses and spending habits. In turn, more visibility into specific data will save your company money. Organizations now have the knowledge to take proactive steps to reduce overall costs through faster processes and improved communications polices.
Reduced security risks.
Companies are incorporating mobile devices into their infrastructures to reduce security risks. In the past, employees who traveled frequently did so with a laptop. A laptop is a prime target for theft, leaving your company’s data vulnerable. The real cost when a laptop is stolen is not the amount of the machine, but in the exposure and risk associated with lost data.
Mobile technology can help prevent losing valuable data. Mobile devices have a more secure platform and help protect important data when mobile employees are traveling. Most mobile devices have the ability to store only a limited amount of data. That data can be removed from the corporate network or scrambled if the mobile phone or tablet is reported stolen.
User Convenience.
Employees can benefit from mobile applications by having access to core enterprise systems to get the job done. Mobile initiatives offer opportunities for greater flexibility to an organization’s workforce. This equals greater employee satisfaction, more work-life balance, and increased retention rates. Employees can perform the required tasks for their job whether in the office or at home. There’s no need to wait until he or she is in the office. Both the employee and the organization can benefit from a mobile workforce.
With the modern workforce requiring always-on connectivity, more companies are turning to mobile enterprise applications and a mobile workforce to enable employees to take the office — and access to their critical applications — with them.
The digital revolution has radically transformed what a traditional office looks like. Acres of boring cubiles are long gone, replaced by a mobile, distributed workforce who is no longer tethered to one location. Mobile business applications for mobile employees are not just a nice-to-have, but have become necessities. With the ability to be more productive, creating a better work-life balance, and managing expenses, it’s easy to see the benefits of a mobile workforce.