
4 Productivity-Enhancing Features of Smartphones
Contributed by Scott McLaren, CMO for Fortegra
Remember when your ‘90s Nokia Lumia served as both a communication device and a paper weight? Today, chances are, your customers use their phones for a lot more.
And though the focus on new smartphone functions leans toward the fun stuff like gaming, social media, and texting, today’s models are capable of so much more. With features that can aid mobile productivity and enhance work-life balance, today’s smartphones can have a lasting positive impact on your customers’ lives.
But what about the latest trendy game, right? Listen, increased productivity might not be the first thing customers mention when they walk into a regional carrier. But, with an increase in BYOD and other mobile-related workplace trends, mobile’s impact on productivity both at home and at work is worth understanding and sharing.
Four Productivity-Enhancing Features of Smartphones
- Improved Collaboration and Sharing – This just in: it’s not 1960. We don’t have to wait ‘til we get to work to hand a coworker a paper memo anymore. At their core, smartphones are about communication. With instant access to everything from email and texting to team collaboration apps like Dropbox and Salesforce, smartphones make working with others – even remotely – easy.
- Email and Data Entry and Maintenance – Employees who’ve recorded data at home in the field don’t have to take time to transcribe it when they return to the office. Today’s smartphones allow data to be modified on the go and accessed from anywhere.
- Increased Employee Work-Life Balance – Mobile employees can work anywhere. This might be a workaholic’s kryptonite, but it also opens up new possibilities for busy professionals to adjust their schedules to accommodate personal events like soccer games, ballet practices, or girl’s night out.
- Virtual Meetings and Conferences – FaceTime isn’t just for homesick college students and traveling puppy parents who want to ‘talk’ to their ‘kids.’ Think back to videoconferencing – reserved for large companies, the Jetsons, and Monica Geller’s rich boyfriend – if FaceTime feels a little bit like videoconferencing in your pocket, that’s because it is.
Today, professionals and even entire organizations use mobile technology to improve productivity. But if those phones go down, productivity can take a hit.
Contributed by Scott McLaren, CMO of Fortegra, who has been a leader in helping to advance Fortegra to the next level in the insurance and warranty industry. Beginning with the purchase of Fortegra brand ProtectCELL® in late 2013, Scott helped spearhead Fortegra’s relaunch and the integration of subsidiary companies and products into one cohesive, vertically aligned organization. Prior to joining the Fortegra family, Scott served as Director of Global Customer Relationship Management and Digital Marketing at General Motors, where he defined and promoted CRM capabilities, customer contact center initiatives, and digital marketing strategies for GM in the global market. Scott has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Michigan, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and has assisted advisory boards for the likes of Google and the Society of Digital Agencies.