Enterprise Mobility - Tapping Into the Power of the Third Screen Like a bed of roses, the road to successful enterprise mobility transition is full of pitfalls.
By Sid D
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From mobile connectivity to enterprise mobility, it is not a long road to digital transformation. However, enterprises, both big and small are grappling under challenges that restrict them from reaping the maximum benefits of enterprise mobility.
Like a bed of roses, the road to successful enterprise mobility transition is full of pitfalls. An approach without a plan and purpose is sure to fail.
How can enterprises tap into the power of the third screen, that is mobile devices?
Develop an internal culture of Enterprise Mobility
The first challenge of enterprise mobility is to deal with OCM (Organizational Change Management). Enterprise mobility is a paradigm shift from the usual way of doing things. It definitely can invoke a sense of doubt and uncertainty amidst employees. Things could be worse if they are already accustomed to processes that have been left unchanged for long.
Hence, the first step towards implementing a full-fledged enterprise mobility strategy is to internalize a culture that adopts the change voluntarily. Providing training and awareness about the new tools and how they would enhance productivity is a beginning.
For instance, when Pizza Hut UK enhanced its internal communication by using Microsoft Yammer. But, the beginning was never easy. The company had to roll out small & crisp training videos to get employees used to the solution. Once they did, the efficiency of communication improved by notches.
Process migration to digital medium
Manual processes are error-prone, time consuming and hence, does not yield desired productivity. However, it does not warrant migrating all the manual processes to the digital medium. A piecemeal approach to migrating chosen manual processes to enterprise mobility will iron out all wrinkles possible in the transition.
While migrating the processes, zero in on low-stake processes, the displacement of which will not stall the organization. Once these low-stake processes are successfully migrated and employees get onboarded adequately, high-stakes processes including critical operational transactions can be safely migrated.
Take field selling. It is not wise to revamp the field prospecting process in a single day. Ideally chosen areas like product demo or order taking can be moved to the digital medium like a mobile app. Once the results prove positive, the app can be further integrated to backend sales team or the internal collaboration system for more functionalities.
Groom employees to be tech-savvy
Old habits die hard. For employees other than millennials, joining the enterprise mobility journey can be quite a challenge. A helping hand to help such employees become tech-savvy is necessary. It goes without saying that grooming employees to become tech-savvy must be an integral part of the enterprise mobility strategy.
Otherwise, there is a greater chance they would stick to redundant processes that do not align with the digital strategy. An end-to-end transformation that will make employees well acquainted with the new way of doing things through a mobile screen must be enacted.
Demonstrate commitment from leadership level
If employees want to be convinced that enterprise mobility is the bedrock foundation for the digital future ahead, the message should come from the top. The actions of the leadership must inspire confidence that they are into digital for the long-term.
This will help boost employee adoption to enterprise mobility and their regular use. Accenture Digital, ITC's Infotech's Zlabs, CapGemini and MIT Sloan School's publications are some examples how enterprises are demonstrating their commitment to digital enterprise strategy.
These global giants have charted out a serious strategy for digital enterprise by creating special business units that focus on aligning existing processes to a digital mode.
Measure & correct course
Has the digital strategy worked in favor of the organizational strategy? Is it delivering the right KPIs as planned for? Is it growing in momentum at par or above rest of the business processes? These are some questions that help understand if the digital strategy needs a course correction.
Computers were perceived to be expensive and purposeless in their initial days, but, today they are tools that businesses cannot function without. Enterprise mobility is in a similar situation. Businesses that are skeptical about investing in enterprise mobility will have to catch up with the bandwagon sooner or later. Better be an early bird than a latecomer.
