Oct 13

Mobile Apps Boost Productivity for all, Especially IT and MSP Techs

Tuesday 13 Oct 2016

Mobile applications can be a major productivity drain – that is if you spend all your day playing Angry Birds, watching YouTube or texting with friends. The bright side is that mobile if used properly can be an enormous productivity boost – that’s why it was the key driver in making BYOD so commonplace.

The more important your job, the greater the value of increased productivity. For instance IT admins and MSP technicians/admin perform an invaluable service. Critical systems depend on these professionals to stay running, and businesses depend upon these professionals to keep their organizations in business.

Mobile lets you work from wherever you are. That may mean a presentation for a board meeting, sales proposals, or just catching up on email. For IT admins and MSP techs mobile means being able to manage and repair critical systems even if they are not sitting at a management workstation.

For both these technical types, Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM), often referred to as Endpoint Management by IT pros is the key solution that keeps remote devices running at peak efficiency – and running in general. These folks spend plenty of hours for the most part sitting at a desk. But that can get pretty wearing. To be able to perform the same functions from a restaurant, at a kid's sporting event, or just relaxing on the couch at home.

Mobile Lifts all Productivity Boats

Mobile users would be hard pressed to give up their devices, especially when it they are an integral part of their work life.

A recent Gallup survey shows how important mobile devices are. The issue Gallup was after was understanding worker disengagement. This is where workers don't' feel loyal and lose motivation to help their employers succeed. It turns out that working out of the office actually increases work engagement, motivation, loyalty and productivity.

This disengagement costs employers – as much as (USD) $3,400 for every (USD) $10,000 in annual pay. In the United States, that adds up to roughly a half billion dollars in lost productivity.

The Mobile Way Forward

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HP) commissioned a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit that showed that a mobile-first corporate strategy boosts work engagement. those organizations that went mobile-first saw productivity go up 16% with creativity rising 18%. at the same time, worker satisfaction went up 23% with loyalty increasing 21%.

Perhaps surprisingly, it didn't matter how old the worker was. Whether they were 18 or 65, the same increases held firm.

On the other hand, the younger generation which grew up with mobile, are more adamant about mobile. In fact, 40% of this group would refuse to work a company that doesn't support BYOD, whereas only 22% the general work population feels the same way.

The HP study strongly recommends BYOD, but also advises a broader approach. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is an obvious component, but advises organizations to go deeper. Here are other survey highlights:

49% of those surveyed said “working anywhere, anytime as offer the large productivity boost.
Improving collaboration is the primary boost for creativity, according to 38% of those polled.
Rapid access to information via mobile devices is a major productivity boost for 42% of respondents.
Lastly, 29% of those polled said that workplace flexibility via mobile is the largest factor in boosting employer loyalty.