Dear Dan: I’m considering moving up to a smartphone device of some kind to handle more tasks while I’m out of the office. Are other business owners finding these devices truly helpful? Or are they just expensive toys for most people? – Getting Smart
Dear Getting Smart: Three trends are becoming clear about small business use of technology – and especially mobile tech. First, business owners are using mobile devices more and more. Some 42 percent now spend at least one-third of their time away from the office and stay in touch via mobile device, according to a new study by Warrillow & Co., a small business marketing firm.
Second, even consumer-type tech solutions such as blogs and instant messaging can help increase productivity in small and medium businesses. And third, tech manufacturers see the trends and are tweaking their products and services to appeal to the mobile small business user.
One reason business owners are embracing mobile devices is that the devices themselves have become so much better than just a few years ago. Battery life is longer, many smartphones are able to take a licking and keep on ticking, and improved Web connections and mobile browsers make viewing Web pages from small devices more feasible.
No longer are entrepreneurs merely calling and e-mailing from their phones. Now they’re checking calendars, managing client contacts, banking, text messaging and handling almost any task available through a Web connection.
According to Warrillow, the basic tasks business owners want to handle on their mobile devices include:
• Simple banking, such as checking the cash balance in a business bank account or seeing if a check has cleared.
• Monitoring sales and analyzing daily sales results.
• Reviewing online advertising results.
• Tracking packages and other shipments.
Yankee Group, a Boston-based leader in business research, just released a new report claiming that even “consumer” technologies can increase small business productivity outside the office by 30 percent to 40 percent. The best technologies include smart phones, wireless-enabled laptops, instant messaging and online travel services.
According to the Yankee Group, the availability of Web connections from almost anywhere is having a profound impact on both small business owners and their employees, transforming them into “Anywhere” workers. The group recommends that businesses consider investing in technology that drives productivity outside the office, as well as inside. •
Daniel Kehrer can be reached at
editor@business.com.
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