• Kieran Saunders, Senior Business Solutions Consultant at FileMaker


• 12.07.2016 08:45 am
Mobility

For many organisations, cross-platform mobility will be their biggest investment in 2016. It is considered to be revolutionising how businesses manage processes and remain efficient in very competitive environments.

However, with the increased use of modern technology, businesses have failed to manage their work processes in the most effective manner. As a result, essential business information has become scattered across many systems and devices. Therefore, this article will discuss the main reasons why inefficient process is rife within modern business and offer advice on implementing mobility to improve productivity and efficiency. 

The source of inefficient process

In the past, process was relatively simple. Businesses followed a step-by-step system that was pretty much paper based. Every now and then the process would include a telephone, but it was easy to follow and as the employees were office based the processes were more transparent to the team leaders. 

However, with the advent of modern technology, the work environment has shifted dramatically. Now many employees aren’t office-based, working on cloud based documents and systems and generally trying to work in a more agile mentality, preferring to innovate rather than follow structure.

This change in organisational structure and thinking has caused the processes within businesses to become disjointed and inefficient. Consequently, important business processes are not being followed accurately enough, becoming confusing and time heavy, and can potentially have more of an impact on the customer relationship than a poor product or service.

Therefore, to ensure efficient communication and collaboration, businesses must turn to a mobility strategy that coordinates their remote workflows and supports employees to work efficiently with the right tools.

To do this, businesses need to create a strategy for implementing mobility to ensure they deliver the technology effectively. In order to do so, there are a number of considerations which must be made:

One small step

The first element to consider when implementing a mobility strategy is to start small. Businesses need to focus on one pain point rather than tackling every issue.

Aim to focus on one area, analyse then solve the problem, iterate and build from there. This will not only let an organisation create a flexible mobility system without large time investments, it will also demonstrate the value of the new system to the person who signs the cheques. 

Consider the end user

Everyone knows that not every key fits every lock. However, when it comes to implementing mobility, most businesses don’t consider the lock, which is the end user. Businesses buy a box full of keys without checking what key fits the lock. Employing a process or introducing devices that don’t suit the purpose they’re going to fill is almost as bad as not having mobility in the first place.

By bringing the users into the conversation at an early stage, an organisation can ensure that when the new system is implemented it will be fit for purpose and will be embraced by the workforce. The business can then experience a real return on investment, opening the company up to improvements in productivity and efficiency.   

Suits you

Many businesses looking to implement mobility will turn to off-the-shelf software and applications. Off-the-shelf software seems the most cost effective as the initial purchase is often lower. 

However, if it doesn’t suit the exact needs of the business it will likely cause further issues in the long term. As a result the business will need to replace the software at a later date and more than likely at a higher cost.

Therefore investing in proven cross-platform software and custom apps from the start will deliver a far greater return and equip the business for future growth, adapting with business objectives as they change. This will ensure the business has software in place to suit its need far into the future. Using custom apps based on the FileMaker Platform might be an opportunity worth looking at.

By following this advice a business can easily find its way to implementing mobility and allow improvements in processes to become the norm rather than a distant dream. Introducing mobility in small stages can have a big impact on the organisations and in time, the advantages will become clear.