Not too long ago, employees were required to check their personal lives at the door before work. The use of a mobile device at work was typically considered a faux pas—and in some cases, worthy of expulsion.
But times have changed, and we are in the middle of a mobile revolution. Business leaders everywhere are now embracing the “bring your device to work” concept. BYOD, as it is called, is rapidly growing as organizations are realizing the overwhelming benefits of connecting workers with smartphones, laptops and tablets.
Just how fast is mobilization occurring? Let’s look at the numbers:
- 55 percent of 21,000 survey respondents claim to currently use their mobile devices to complete their jobs (Harvard Business Review).
- 81 percent of Americans claim to use their personal device at work
- Employees are 45 percent more productive when using mobile apps at work. This is partially due to the amount of office equipment that can be condensed into a single device. Think of all of the alarm clocks, personal planners and calculators a company can save.
And if current statistics aren’t enough, just look to where mobile devices are headed. Here are some more statistics: By 2018, 46 percent of smartphones will cost less than $250. And by 2020, 10 billion mobile devices are anticipated to be in use. This means there will be more mobile devices in operation than there will be people on the planet. This will be due to people having multiple mobile devices.
Specifically in the manufacturing industry, mobile devices are transforming enterprise quality management. ProFicient on Demand software by InfinityQS remotely connects executives to their production floors in real-time via a central hub, no matter where they might be on the planet. ProFicient on Demand can be used across multiple platforms including Windows, iOS, Mac, Android or Blackberry.
At this juncture, mobilizing at work is an essential part of enterprise quality management. It is no longer a question of using it to gain an upper hand in your industry. The world is going mobile, and this is a necessary step if you want to keep up.