Is your business ready to go mobile-first?
Internationally-recognised digital product leader Luke Wroblewski said in his 2011 guidebook, Mobile First: "Mobile devices are our true personal computer: always with us, connected to the network, and filled with new capabilities for getting things done”. But have you considered favouring mobile devices over all other forms of technology? Here, Kristian Torode, Director and Co-Founder of business communications services provider Crystaline, explores the business benefits of going mobile-first.
Typically, many businesses prioritise landline and desktop communication services, with mobile communications treated as an afterthought. But with 83.72 per cent of the world’s population now owning a smartphone, the era of neglecting mobile communications is over.
Co-worker collaboration
A study by TravelPerk revealed that only eleven% of businesses are planning to return to the office full time post-pandemic. With remote and hybrid working the new normal, businesses need to ensure remote employees are still able to communicate effectively.
It’s not just employees working from home who could benefit from a mobile-first communications system. More than 80% of the world’s workforce are frontline workers whose job doesn’t require a desk or computer, like healthcare or construction workers. Mobile communications create a two-way channel, allowing feedback and insights from teams on the frontline to reach those in the office, and vice versa.
Good employee collaboration is a powerful business tool and can push a company ahead of its competitors. Mobile communications ensure that every employee is in the communication network, so everyone receives the necessary information. Managers can communicate with employees more easily and inter-department collaboration becomes effortless, enabling the entire company to work towards the same objectives.
Improved customer service
With hybrid work becoming the new normal, businesses must also ensure their customer service does not suffer. To take calls at home, office workers must transfer calls to remote worker’s mobile phones — which often appears unprofessional. Between selecting the right team and locating their mobile number, finding the right employee to deal with the customer’s enquiry can also be challenging, leading to customer frustration as they are passed along an endless chain of transfers.
Vodafone One Net Anywhere, provided by Crystaline, gives businesses a virtual landline. When a customer calls this landline number, the call is directed straight to a business mobile phone. Likewise, if an employee calls a customer from their business mobile phone, the virtual landline number will appear on the customer’s screen, allowing your business to maintain its professionalism wherever you are making and taking calls.
Additionally, One Net Anywhere makes reaching the right employee easy and pain-free. Mobiles can be set up to ring at the same time or in a sequence and if one person is engaged, ‘Hunt Groups’ can be used to automatically redirect calls to the next best person, keeping customer wait times to a minimum.
In 2011, Luke Wroblewski could never have imagined how a global pandemic would change attitudes towards remote working and amplify our dependence on mobiles. With mobile-first technology, businesses can ensure their employees stay connected wherever they are, achieving improved levels of co-worker collaboration and customer service.
