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Can you afford NOT to Invest in Mobile Software?

Issue No. 25

A short history of the well-equipped mobile worker might look like this:

• Pagers
• Pager and cell phones
• Cell phone and notebook computer
• Cell phone, notebook computer, and PDA
• Smartphone*

This means 50 million US mobile workers are carrying around less equipment and able to get more work done. Now that’s improvement! Can a smartphone give you the freedom to leave your notebook computer at home? Absolutely. Businesses today are using mobile applications that extend far beyond email. Some of the benefits of providing workers with mobile access to business information include:

• Increased productivity
• Higher levels of customer satisfaction
• Increased revenue
• Lower administrative costs
• Fewer paper forms

How are businesses using mobile technology?

• Salespeople can access and update client information; create quotes and orders; check inventory; generate invoices; and access the latest marketing materials.
• Insurance companies can use smartphones to take pictures of damaged autos or homes for insurance reports.
• Professional services firms such as accountants and attorneys are using smartphones to manage calendars and enter time per project, simplifying time tracking for the billing process.
• Real estate firms can take pictures of homes being sold and email or upload them to the office; connect to listings and download pictures and virtual tours of homes while they’re with prospective buyers; obtain current mortgage rates and use a mortgage calculator; and navigate to homes for sale.
• Field support staff can check manufacturers’ information; determine availability of parts; get real-time work orders; and report and escalate support issues. And the ability to update status of work as it is completed can be used to generate invoices immediately.
• Financial services firms can access stock quotes.
• Employees can track mileage and expenses and conduct research using purchased reference tools loaded directly to the phone or search the web.

The companies who are taking advantage of mobile computing are realizing significant, bottom-line results in increased revenue and improved productivity. If you want your company to begin taking advantage of mobile technology, what should you do?

• Define the business goal you want your mobile system to achieve.
• Keep it simple. Compare how you use email on your mobile compared to your PC. What’s different? What’s the same? What works and what doesn’t? Use this information to shape the design of your business’s mobile application around the strengths – and weaknesses – of real-world mobile computing.
• Think about how you use mobile devices. For example, according to Tom Karzit in his April 25, 2008 article “The six secrets to mobile computing success,” we’re OK with using two hands to enter information, but we expect to be able to read, listen, and navigate through information with one hand.
• Find a development firm with mobile software development expertise. Your in-house developers may be wonderful with desktop and web applications, but writing mobile software has different rules.

What’s different about mobile software development?

• Smartphones are multi-purpose devices, so an application has to gracefully handle lost connectivity and interruptions from another process such as an incoming call or calendar reminder.
• The user interface has to address the specific way we use mobile applications and has to fit a smaller screen. An inexperienced mobile developer might miss the significance of things such as button size, which has to balance error rates and screen real estate.
• Depending on the device used, there are specific keyboard considerations that have to be factored into the application’s design.

If you’re still deciding on the standard smartphone for your business, consider the numbers. Almost 20 million licenses for Windows Mobile were sold between the middle of 2007 and middle of 2008. Due to the number of proven third-party applications already in use, Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform is an excellent choice for business mobile software development. Custom Windows mobile applications can be written by certified Microsoft development firms using standard, supported development tools.

What about security?

There are valid concerns about the security implications of having corporate data loaded on mobile devices and allowing mobile devices to access corporate applications. Some of the ways businesses have addressed these issues include password protection, encrypting data, and creating remote administrative user rights to wipe data off a device if it’s lost. Microsoft and other mobile computing companies are aware of the issues, and new tools are becoming available every day to address these concerns.

With the mobile workforce projected to reach 1 billion within three years, we expect to see new mobile computing solutions daily. Don’t miss the opportunity. Use mobile technology to grow your business.