Why Your Company Needs a Mobile Technology Policy

Sharlyn Lauby

20 Sep 2011

Being a person who loves my iPhone and iPad, articles about mobile trends usually catch my eye. I found one recently from Portfolio that talked about how important mobile and wireless services are to businesses. Check out these stats:

59% of small businesses say wireless technology is essential to their business

33% of small business owners check their mobile device before brushing their teeth

I’m not sure dentists are real happy to hear that last one. But here’s another one that will capture your attention:

Mobile-fluent firms earn $10.8 million annually compared with $5.7 million for mobile laggards.

So being mobile savvy can help us make more money. That’s great news for businesses. We can teach employees how to be more productive using mobile technology. This will help employees and ultimately grow the business.

It seems to me there’s one catch. In order to take full advantage of what mobile brings to the party, we have to give employees guidelines on the proper way to use mobile and wireless technologies. As mobile and wireless technology become a bigger part of our business lives, organizations must offer guidance to employees about the best ways to use them. I’m not talking about “don’t do this and don’t do that.” I’m saying “here’s how you can be productive using your smartphone.”

Now, you might be thinking, “Hey, I just wrote that social media policy. No need to add another one.” And that might be true. Remember mobile and social are two different things. Today, mobile phones allow you to do much more than check your Facebook account. It’s possible to use social media on your mobile phone and you can also use it in your office cubicle.

If your organization is looking for new ways to increase employee productivity, exploring mobile could make a lot of sense for you. I’d suggest reading the book, “Managing the Mobile Workforce” by David Clemons and Michael Kroth, Ph.D. The book offers a very comprehensive view of the mobile workforce and considerations for managers when leading a mobile and virtual team.

Does anyone know of an organization offering mobile technology training and guidance to employees? Let us know in the comments.

Oh and P.S.! I’m excited to be doing a webinar next week with my friends at BankerStuff. The session is “Why Every Bank Needs a Mobile Workplace Strategy.” I’m partnering with Julie Trent, Esq. who specializes in employment law. We’d love for you to join us on Tuesday, September 27 as we talk mobile. Registration details can be found here. UPDATE: (20 September 2011) Just found out we have to reschedule the webinar. Look for new details soon.

Image courtesy of William Hook