Since the dawn of blackberrys and PDAs (personal digital assistants), the need to be available for work round-the-clock has been more apparent. We’re either simply just glued to our screens or we’re actually striving for success. I like to believe it is the latter. So the design of these devices wasn’t by accident. It’s made us more connected, available and in most times leaving us feeling safe knowing we can get in touch with someone no matter day or night.
Technology can help businesses and their employees leverage strategic capital in smarter, more effective ways. Enhancements as simple as smartphones and tablets can help you get there quicker and more cost effective. But they aren’t just phones or tablets anymore to simply make phone calls. The multi-functionality of applications, calendars and notes have made them anything but. Today, there are over 2.2 million apps on the Apple App store alone. These apps make us more productive, give us something to pass the time and give us directions when we’re lost. But other than just a normal teenage kid or kindergartner wanting to watch YouTube videos, the expansion on these interactive devices allows us to accomplish more business no matter if we’re in the office, at home or on a golf course. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can better use the smartphones and tablets that over 96% of Americans own.
1) Email
Stay connected. Read and respond. You can easily collect a customer’s email address and add them to your database. You can also edit or remove any existing contacts from your mobile device. The access to corporate emails on smartphones greatly helps businesses’ to improve communication, access information and cut costs. Paired with multiple email accounts or different email providers, you can access everything to stay connected all from the devices you already use everyday. But it isn’t all work and no play, the benefits of having a more flexible work-life balance gives us all the ability to enjoy our lives just a little bit more.
2) File Storage
Remember when looking for different files or documents was so difficult. If you didn’t have the right program to look at a PDF or PowerPoint on your computer you simply couldn’t see it. With developments like Google Drive, Box and Dropbox (among others) you can now not only view, but in some instances even edit content right from their interface. Of course there is always a downfall here or there, most often you have to be tethered to a data or wifi connection. But with some of these file storage options you can now at least find what you were looking for by searching and not annoying your Marketing team or coworkers by asking them to send something again.
3) CRMs (Customer Relationship Management)
CRMs are all the rage. Either you use a spreadsheet or a CRM to manage your potential leads or existing customers. Everyone and every company loves a full pipeline for sales but how do you get them in the pipe? That’s the caveat about CRMs, if you don’t have a great marketing plan, effective content or a good leads list a CRM is about as useless as a submarine with screen doors. You need people. You need a plan. But, once you get that pipeline filling up, having your CRM information on your smartphone and tablet are huge!! Take a look at HubSpot, Pipedrive or Salesforce and their mobile integration to get your reps and dealers managing business at its full potential.
4) Sales Enablement & Situational Selling Tools
Since 2015, sales enablement budgets for implementing new technologies have ranged from 5% to as high as 30%, steadily increasing annually. Technology has proven to be an integral part of sales enablement efforts and account for the rise in budget allocation. It sometimes seems like a daunting task to create content, developing and implementing training to bring it to sales and marketing teams and most importantly, the infrastructure to get this all done. The important part here is that you have a user experience that your buyer can lead TO the solution that they are interested in that you offer rather than forcing a solution down their throat. More often than not, sales associates in the field are inadequately prepared and have to resort to their go to response; “I’ll get back to you on that”. This can often lead to all sorts of negative consequences including the loss of a potential sale.
Situational sales enablement solutions like Command.App integrates multiple business processes in one dynamic platform while giving you total control over your sales and marketing processes. Our apps also include user management and comprehensive analytics that support you and your team. Additionally, let’s talk about GOING PAPERLESS! To save money on supplies and storage in your office and life, having digital resources rather than mountains of brochures and collateral just makes sense. Added bonus: environmentally-sound choices are cool.
5) Camera
Your camera isn’t just for selfies. Whether you work in manufacturing, medical or management, your camera is always there for documentation. Taking photos or video of how products are used, not used or would be better used can speak volumes since 90% of the information we absorb is visual. I know this because I just made the most amazing “bread omelet” this morning all because of seeing a picture of how delicious it looked. There are so many companies out there that think sending an entire video production crew to a location might be the answer to getting people to buy more or see why something is effective in a “real world” scenario. You are there. Capture it! With the enhancements to video and photos on your smartphones and tablets, not spending thousands on a whole production team could help you save money and get your message across. Marketing will thank you and the rest of your counterparts will appreciate the intel because I am sure they’ve dealt with the same hurdle.
6) Alerts & Notifications
A couple of years ago, notifications and alarms weren’t only annoying but also few and far between. Now we get updates when there is a tropical storm 1,000 miles away from us. Are they annoying? Yes…. sometimes. But, if you can manage your day and time better with reminders that help you delineate what you thought would be an ample amount of time to work on a project and then move on to the next item… you’ll be more respectful of your own time. And you’ll budget better, next time! Now what I am not suggesting is having 40 notifications happening every hour to hear about the latest social media updates from your friends or celebrities, I am talking about budgeting your time like you would budget money (because time is money, right?). I have never been more productive than a week where I have my time planned out and ready to roll. Check out these productivity hacks to make your work time more focused.
7) Charge & Recharge
First off, I am sure you have run into problems sometime in your life where you are low on your battery. Phone or personal energy. Always have the power to accomplish all of your goals. When setting out on a sales call or starting your day on the right foot, be prepared and have the energy or energy source to make it for the long haul. When it comes to your devices, it seems more often now-a-days that a second battery pack is necessary. We are on our devices ALL THE TIME, make sure you have the power needed to not drop the call. Plan accordingly.
When starting your day, eat right, get the right amount of sleep and get your schedule planned out. Whether you’re a coffee drinker or a smoothie maker, start with a good pick-me-up in the morning and strike while the iron is hot. There’s a lot of research into that whole “early bird gets the worm” thing.
For more information on how to use your tech better, check out some ways to use tech in your business.
Schedule a free demo to experience Command.App and see how our clients are maximizing the technology they already use everyday.
