Building a 
mobile workforce

As smartphone penetration rates continue to increase and the world gets more interconnected, work is moving out of the office and becoming on-the-go. Mobile devices have enabled real-time conversations and access to information to take place at any location and distance. These clearly generate some benefits for the business, like lower downtimes, increased employee autonomy and satisfaction.

But there are also pitfalls such as communication gaps and an inability to bolster teamwork. How can you ensure that your business is prepared for greater mobility to maximise productivity? Here are five pointers:

More than just the device

A mobile workforce does not just happen overnight after simply distributing devices to your team. The shift towards collaboration, decentralization and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) models necessitates that businesses have to take extra steps to ensure that these devices are well protected at all times. With the aid of mobile device management (MDM) systems, you can monitor, manage and secure the smartphones, laptops and tablets that your employees use for work. There are a number of such platforms that can integrate with existing enterprise systems and provide you with the ability of manage your corporate data and fleet of devices on any operating system, device type or ownership model, all from a central console.

For example, many F&B outlets these days use tablets for taking orders and as point-of-sale (POS) terminals. Through a MDM solution, the restaurant manager can wirelessly manage these devices, set access restrictions and monitor device activities. If the device is lost or stolen, its contents can be remotely wiped out to safeguard the data.

Build collaborative structures

If your team members are always out and about, physical collaboration can be difficult. They require an easy and consistent way to interact with one another to keep your company running at full speed.

Improve cohesiveness of your team with a mobile system that allows for channels of communication, individual input, and real-time access to information and data. Unified Communications (UC) solutions equip your workers with a comprehensive set of tools such as instant messaging, conferencing and call forwarding. For instance, Single Number Reach allows calls to their 6-series office numbers to connect to your mobile device while you’re on the move, keeping your mobile workers contactable to meet your customers’ needs wherever they go.

With a strong mobile system in place, your team can be aligned on projects and feel like they’re just a chat away.

Create a seamless workflow

Despite their physical distance, the mobile worker and the in-office worker are members of the same team, and it’s important for them to be moving towards a common goal, continuing to work together on projects fluidly to drive your business forward.

Create a workflow that seamlessly blends where their responsibilities meet or overlap to maximise efficiency. Or better yet, office work solutions with a complete suite of familiar software tools served on the cloud allows team members to work on the same documents simultaneously in real time. They can even sync up their calendars so that scheduling arrangements can be made more easily.

Optimise your workflow through the use of cloud storage and sharing so your team members can access data and work on files quickly and securely. Team members can pick up their share of the work, whether they’re in the office or on the move. Take advantage of the powerful capabilities of today’s mobile devices to unlock your team’s capabilities for your business.

At the end of the day, even with the advent of technology enablers, business is still conducted by people. Equip your mobile workers with a complementary set of communications tools, so they can enhance how they generate and engage prospects, maintain and build relationships and ultimately drive the business to greater heights, all the while remaining connected to the team and your customers.

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ⁱ https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6674-mobile-workforce-challenges.html