It’s pretty wild to think that just 15 years ago, we didn’t know what our cell phones would be capable of. We didn’t recognize the term, “smart phone.” The Internet and our laptops allowed us to work remotely pretty well, connecting us to our teams both internally and externally. We were still somewhat limited with what we could do when it came to conducting business, but we got by. Our smart devices, as you know, changed the story completely.
Think about all the ways you use some of the apps on your phone on a personal level. For me, having some of these apps quite truly changed my lifestyle. I rely on Google Maps almost every day—I’ve lived in New York City for years and still sometimes need to figure out alternative routes. I can do my grocery shopping through my Amazon PrimeNow app while walking to the subway in the morning. I can deposit checks without leaving my desk and can avoid a trip to my bank’s ATM due to my mobile banking app. All of these apps (plus many more, of course) have changed the way I invest my time when it comes to my spending behavior. They provide me instant connection with the world, from news and socializing to spending and listening.
With this in mind, how does your business conduct itself on a 24/7 basis? Sure, we can go home and check our email and respond to a few things here and there. We can bring our laptop with us to work remotely or get caught up. But what about the times when we maybe don’t have access to these materials? What if all we had on us were our phones?
Remember the saying from a few years ago, “There’s an app for that”? When it comes to our work, Zoho can have you saying the same thing for practically every aspect of your business process. Have you ever had to delay a conversation because you didn’t have the right materials at your access? Was there a time when you had to wait till the morning to move a process along to the next step? In this day in age when we’re all connected at all times, there’s no longer any excuse for any kind of delay. While you may face some ill attitudes about this new reality, it is how business is conducted, and it is how your competitors are conducting business.
Your clients expect immediate answers and respond well when rapidity is delivered. So if you need a few examples of how these mobile apps can help you and your business, we ran through a quick list that might help you make your decision by each department.
- Sales and Marketing – as teams that are responsible for managing client relationships and the deliverable that go into completing a sale, these apps must allow for the availability to be in constant update with new developments and the sales pipeline.
- Event Manager
- Sales Trackers
- Survey Creator
- Social Integration
- Campaign Monitor
- Form Establishment
- Finance & Accounting – the ultimate idea for any business is to generate revenue, so it makes sense that the personnel that handle the finances are just as in-the-know as others. Manage travel and expenses (perhaps will still on-the-go) and stay up-to-date about new financial incomings or outgoings.
- Invoice and Time Tracker
- Expense Reporter
- Subscription Manager
- Inventory Maintenance
- Bookkeeper
- Communication & Collaboration – at any point of the sales process, teams will absolutely need to be in touch with one another beyond typical email correspondence. To receive updates in projects, assignees, or even status, these apps allow all team members to receive immediate notifications of changes.
- Instant Messenger
- Communication Suite: Email, Calendar, Contacts, Files
- Project Management
- Presentation Control & Manipulation
- Satellite & Web-based Meetings
- Support & Human Resources – even for the Human Resources team, it’s crucial to be as proactive and quick as possible when it comes to hiring the right candidate. Now that social media and immediate networking is at our fingertips (pun intended), speed is crucial so as your company won’t miss the next great hire. Plus, Zoho offers apps that provide support and help along any part of the process when it comes to connecting your teams to these platforms.
- Recruitment Outreach
- Network Connections
- Customer Support
- Technician Assistance
When it comes to implementing this additional way of doing business, you may be faced with some resistance by some of your internal teams. It can easily be argued that the 9-5 business model should be respected, and that bringing work home goes against company policy. With this, I recommend discussing the potential implementation with other parties within your company (HR, legal) so that all parties may voice their own concerns and opinions on how to move forward. It may be tricky, but it’s also valuable to be open to an open forum discussion.
At any rate, the year is 2018, and no matter who you are, we’re all constantly connected and synced up to our devices. This is how we communicate, how we consume, and of course, how we conduct business. For your marketers and sellers, you’ll most likely be faced with a positive reaction, and these team members will most likely be receptive to the idea of the ability to conduct their business more quickly and more efficiently without delay.
One more crucial benefit: your external partners will appreciate the immediate responses, the efficient process implementation, and quick deliverables. This will put your company in a positive light not only with your clients, but your position within the marketplace will reign successful and responsive. This will go far with your current partners, and with the right wave of networking, this could reach your future potential business partners. Mobile apps keep you in the present time, and they’ll also push you even more into the future.
