5 reasons why mobility in the IWMS workplace matters

Let’s face it, we are pretty attached to our mobile devices these days. Chances are you are even reading this post from your smart phone or tablet. This cultural shift has slowly inched its way into the corporate world so that now it’s considered normal for employees to be mobile.

Systems that were once accessed only when an employee was sitting at his or her desktop are bringing to light new capabilities that allow workers to take their work on the go. Is it any wonder then that introduction of mobile capabilities in the workplace has become so critical for businesses?

In this post, we’ve analyzed the various reasons behind the rapid proliferation of mobility and its significance in today’s work environment.

1. Mobility is everywhere. About 10 years ago, the mobile phone went from being a luxury to what most would consider a necessity. With more than five billion mobile subscribers in the world today, it goes without saying that mobility has indeed transformed the concept of connectivity by leaps and bounds, making this world a much smaller place. It has opened a new window of opportunity for businesses to provide valuable customer service to unchartered markets.

2. Increased workforce efficiency. The workplace, as we know it, is progressing, and traditional jobs that once required a clipboard and manual data entry are quickly evolving. By allowing employees to access systems through a mobile device – whether it be a cell phone or a tablet – the systems reach a new level of efficiency. Entering findings is no longer a multi-step process. Take a maintenance worker going out to do a facilities condition assessment, for instance: Instead of jotting down his findings on a multitude of aspects in quick scribble and scratch that he will need to decipher later, he can simply log on to an app on his mobile device and enter all of the data he needs to collect. This data will appear in real time and be accessible to others within the organization as long as he has a reliable internet connection. Similarly, the supervisors, too, can assign additional work tasks to their technicians depending upon their location, availability and their skillsets. This also saves up on the waiting time that would be required for the various technicians to return to their posts, update on their assigned work tasks, and then get a new task assigned to them.

3. Advanced capabilities. Mobile technology has improved dramatically over the past few years – so much so that it would not be wrong to say that smartphones have become almost as powerful as desktops and laptops. It wouldn’t be a crazy assumption to say the mobile phone might even replace personal computers and laptops in a few years from now.

4. Ease of Use. Because mobile platforms are typically forced to slim down into an app format, users can ensure that only those areas that they will really need to work on – will appear in the mobile app. You can remove the nonessential aspects that are present in the desktop version and keep only what you would really need to be more efficient and productive on the field. As a matter of fact, the mobile apps created today are more user friendly and accessible than ever. Their inherent simplicity and usability allows for greater user adoption and maximizes product satisfaction.

5. Savings in time and effort. With mobility bringing about increased efficiency, users have the freedom to devote more time on their actual tasks instead of getting stuck in the peripheries. Those working in maintenance, for example, will no longer have to spend time filling out tedious paperwork and sorting through files before they solve problems. They can simply enter in the information wherever they are and get down to business.  This reduction in paperwork can save invaluable time and allow for more work orders to be completed and help lessen the pile up of tasks to be completed.

There is no getting past it – mobility is making a big splash in today’s digital workplace. It’s never been more important for organizations to be on the front end to reap the maximum benefits.