With the advent of mobile devices, the workplace has changed. Mobility is a huge asset which can increase the effectiveness of communication, information transmission and availability. This makes a mobilized workforce a target for many companies. However, mobilization can seem like a daunting task that requires a huge budget and a great time investment. To avoid wasting precious resources, companies need to keep in mind two things: proper planning, and breaking through the barriers that hinder mobilization. Since Security barriers have been widely discussed in past, let’s explore other barrier which primarily affects the implementation roadmap. Followed are some of the other key barriers and aspects, which need to be considered while planning mobile strategy-
1. Aiming for the Wrong Target
When building a mobile strategy, companies have to thoroughly understand that the employee is the end user. Every aspect of mobilization has to be aimed at solving a problem and enticing the employee. Otherwise, the enterprise application will have a low adoption rate, the teams will underperform, and the ROI will be very poor. From the onset, the company should strive to understand the employees’ needs and desires, both in terms of usability and functionality. This will make the transition to mobile smoother, more efficient and with better results.
2. Cross-Platform Adaptability
A bottleneck to greater efficiency and adoption rates is the cross-platform adaptability. A great enterprise app can jump from platform to platform, whether we’re talking desktop, smartphone or tablet. Not only is it a very important feature to add, cross-platform adaptability is also a very important feature to get right once added. You do not want a salesperson to be caught off-guard, stumbling through an app that is poorly adapted for their device of choice. Not only can that lead to a lost sale, but it can also lead to a lost client. SaaS companies have become aware of these issues, and as such, offer guarantees regarding cross-platform adaptability. However, it is still important to emphasize a custom approach to the matter if you want the best results.
3. Disregarding Available Options
If you are currently using a desktop enterprise app that most of your workforce is familiar and comfortable with, you should explore whether you have the option of taking this app mobile. Some desktop enterprise apps are mobile-ready, while others will need some customization. Customizing an existing app to suit your mobile needs can be a much smaller investment than developing a completely new app, and it offers the added benefit of familiarity. This is why you should focus on customizing off-the-shelf solutions if you have the option to do so.
4. Forgetting to Implement Mobile Application Management Solutions
Mobile Application Management, or MAM, can be invaluable to your mobility efforts. Using MAM, you can incorporate such key features as user authentication, reporting and event management into your app. This approach provides less oversight over the device of the employee, but much more control over the enterprise app itself, which can free up the workforce and give the organization peace of mind.
Conclusion
By being aware of these barriers, you can develop enterprise apps with a focus on the factors that truly improve usability, adoption, and effectiveness. Let’s not forget that at the end of the day, the employees are the “target market” of every enterprise app, and as such, focusing on their interaction with the app can deliver far greater results for your bottom line and ROI.
The barriers themselves do not seem that daunting once you look at them a little closer. After all, they are indicating simple principles that are often misunderstood when mobilizing a workforce, simply due to the magnitude of the task itself. However, if these basic principles are respected, most companies do not need to worry about astronomical budgets and timeframes that might not pay off. Workforce mobilization can be a breeze with the right mindset.
Finoit Technologies has extensively worked in enterprise mobility domain, and has delivered over 250 mobile apps across iOS, Android and Windows platform. For any query, you may drop an email to [email protected]
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