Going Mobile in 2021? Our Top 5 Tips for a Successful Mobile Workforce
The mobile phone, particularly the advent of the smartphone brought with it an unprecedented level of convenience. From shopping to ordering rides, meeting new people to sharing pictures, mobile phones have made many parts of our lives much easier.
However, the year 2020 came with changes that made some of these mobile phone capabilities way more of necessities than they had previously been. Many shoppers need cashless and contactless payment solutions along with delivery, and a lot of people need to be able to work from home.
Situations like these have increased the need for workforces to serve mobile users more effectively and efficiently, in part by harnessing the power of mobile devices on their end.
The result, for instance, can be a scenario where an e-commerce store owner makes necessary changes to their store via a tablet at home, enhancing the shopping experience of mobile shoppers.
Subsequently, businesses can shift to a mobile workforce model depending on how relevant it is in their respective cases.
What exactly is a mobile workforce?
A mobile workforce can be referred to as one that has people alternating workspaces, say home offices, shared spaces and clients’ addresses, while also using mobile devices to get work done. Mobile workforce trends come with a number of benefits such as:
● Higher quality hires that aren’t limited by proximity to the office
● A reduction in wasted hours (such as in long commutes)
● Improved employee productivity and overall wellbeing
● Limited disruption of business operations by sudden catastrophes
● Reduced expenses (e.g. on office rent)
● Lowering of employees’ carbon footprint
Never-the-less, running a smart mobile workforce also comes with a number of challenges like:
● Difficulty making data and other resources accessible for employees that need them
● Heightened cybersecurity risks
● Less effective collaboration due to the absence of face-to-face synergy and smooth communication
● Inconsistencies in productivity due to distractions in the new workspaces such as noise in the more public spaces or young children that need constant attention
So how can business owners ensure that they get the most out of their mobile workforces?
Here are five solid tips for successful mobile workforce optimisation:
Get a reliable internet connection – If your employees were carrying out their tasks using a connection from a particular ISP, you need to check with them and make sure that they still get good speeds within the various spaces they use.
Use cloud services – Cloud services make it much easier to access data stored in one location from many different areas, which is crucial if workers are to have consistent performance in different workspaces.
Cloud services will also enable workers to easily navigate any outages or downtime related to on-site infrastructure, with backup servers facilitating smooth continuity of business processes.
User-friendly security interfaces – As you aim to protect the business’ data and infrastructure from cyber-attacks, make sure you opt for solutions that employees can be easily trained to use.
Distribute clear documents regarding any security procedures to be followed during work so that every staff member is in the loop.
Software tools – These may serve a number of purposes like project management, video conferencing, team collaboration, marketing automation etc. Ensure that every employee has the particular apps they need for their respective tasks, and are all running software that serves the entire team.
Comprehensive I.T. service providers like Deployus offer great insight on the hardware and software tools your organisation can use to keep a mobile workforce satisfying customers consistently. Learn more about how our solutions enhance connectivity, workflows and overall productivity here.
One-on-one check-ins and stand-up calls – Business owners need to come up with new activities that can partly convey the same kind of social support and bonding that teams have when working together in the same space.
Designate a few minutes at a certain time of day to catch up on what’s going on in team members’ lives outside work assignments, engage in small games and competitions, like fantasy leagues/tournaments.
Additionally, you can put some more emphasis on areas like analytics, on-boarding and internal marketing. Try making more decisions based on insightful statistics on issues like employees’ workplace experience.
Use them to help new employees and existing ones taking on new roles to get more acquainted with their tasks and the tools they have to use in advance. Tweak your deployment system to get team members into conditions that boost their performance.
If for example, you have a business app that customers can use to create an account, get your employees to master it too and be able to easily assist customers where needed.
As a business owner leading a mobile workforce, you should always anticipate any challenges that can arise from mobile consumption and delivery of goods and services, and work to lead your team through them.