The (Slow) Speed of Business
Ah, the “speed of business.” There was an advertising campaign a few years back that made it sound like the speed of business was impossibly fast. But in my experience, it’s often like a Sunday drive through the park. I email someone, and wait a day or more to hear back. I recently submitted a form to an airline regarding a problem experience on my last flight. Each exchange (via web forms) took a full week. It was nearly two months for it to be finally resolved. It’s not that people aren’t working or that processes aren’t efficient, but that doing things the way we do them, with the technology that we have, takes a certain amount of time.
That’s one thing mobile promises: to actually make things go faster. And not only that, but to revolutionise not only the way we work, but what we’re able to do. Making it all possible is the convergence of connected devices, faster networks, advanced apps and massive amounts of data like location, time of day, presence, etc.
That’s the gist of the great little e-book Navigating the New Mobile World by Maribel Lopez. In it, she outlines three main phases companies go through when adopting mobility:
- Extending beyond the basics of email and calendaring to mobilize existing systems
- Accelerating decisions and responses to improve work processes
- Transforming the way business gets done, doing things that were previously unheard of.
The book is full of examples, case studies and interesting videos that tell a number of exciting stories about how organizations are putting mobile to use. From a French insurance company (don’t miss this funny video on page 4), to a hydraulic product catalogue, to doctors sharing EKG test results for heart patients instantly and connecting over video chat to assess the situation, it’s apparent that every industry is finding unique ways to improve everyday processes.
Maribel Lopez will also be at SAPPHIRE NOW 2013 in Orlando. If you’re going, don't miss her session where she’ll discuss this topic in person. Follow us on @SAPMobile for more details.