2016 July 14 Archive - EXEIdeas – Let's Your Mind Rock

The incredible array of functions available with smartphones has enabled workers to do things that were once impossible. They can work at almost any location and still complete phone calls, emails, and other communications.Yet many workers and their employers stop well short of what smartphones could be doing. Exploring these possibilities can create opportunities for the people on both sides of the equation.Where are you using your smartphone? Where are your employees using theirs? Have they chosen a model that can do more than answer calls? Many workers think that they are showing thriftiness by holding on to old devices for many years, but we’ll soon show how keeping an up-to-date model can be a positive financial move for everyone.Here are some of the unique ways these devices can go to work for you.Staff Communication:Although there will always be a place for occasional face-to-face meetings among staff members, there can be a lot of communication done remotely. This has been true since cell phones first became numerous, but in those days it was through conference calls and speaker phones with skippy reception and bad quality.Today’s phones can go far beyond voice communication to get information shared among co-workers and supervisors. Phones with Kore team messaging can provide virtual staff meetings with personnel scattered all over the globe, providing them with the chance to collaborate on projects, coordinate plan schedules, and review goals without the immense cost of flying everyone to a common location.Client Research:Some workers sell their phones short by getting only the most basic news and information from it. But the market is full of apps that can track all sorts of information.As one example, consider agriculture. The salesperson attempting to close a deal to sell six-figure farm equipment to a harvesting contractor must be able to reassure the managers that grain prices will remain strong enough to make the contractor’s service worthwhile to the farmers themselves.With some well-chosen apps for tracking commodity prices, that salesperson can show compelling information to a potentially reluctant customer that will make enough difference to get the sale. And that information can be shared with other sales personnel who are in similar situations, getting the whole staff to make a stronger case to their sales leads.Travel Management:The old way of doing things said an employee used a cell phone to call the office and instruct a secretary to book flights, hotels, and rental cars for him or her. The slightly newer way has the employee making his or her own travel arrangements.The newest way is for the employee to utilize one or more of the dozens of travel apps to research flight options, track down deals on hotels, secure rental cars, and potentially save money by bundling. Furthermore, bots can even help automate some of these processes in a single swoop.This efficient planning saves hassle for the employee and money for the company, which can create an incentive for the employee to be conservative with travel expenses. Why not offer a financial reward for producing evidence that trips were booked using these money-saving features?Smartphones have earned their name. They can do an incredible number of things that save hassle, money, and time for their users. When a business can inspire their workers to make the most of these efficiencies, everyone benefits.