With the rapid-fire pace of technology development fuelling hyper-connected business, leaders have to be dialed in at all times. Customers now demand instant responses, and failing to provide the right customer experience can quickly lead to the demise of an SME. Fortunately, business leaders now have access to myriad efficiency tools and platforms, which they can use effectively from their smartphones. When used correctly, these tools can help leaders to drive efficiencies, boost collaboration and enable employees to produce their best work. Let’s take a closer look…
1 — Embrace Productivity Apps
Although at first glance they may appear gimmicky, productivity apps such as Slack and Teams can encourage teams and departments to work together and make certain functions far more seamless. In essence, these platforms act as a messaging app for teams that bring all communications, files and to do’s into one place, allowing for easy and simple access. In addition, all the information is instantly searchable and available on the go, making it a great tool for both leaders and teams to know exactly what needs to be done – and when.
2 — Harness Mobile Document Creation Tools
While customers and employees may appreciate that you’re on the go and limited in time, it’s still critical to create documents with great layouts that underscore attention to detail and professionalism. For this, you have Microsoft SharePoint which allows you to create a new document and edit it on the move while other staff concurrently. It also allows you to open, edit and save Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint files from inside the app. All your work is automatically saved, and you can create and respond to comments at any time. This is a great tool that many people don’t use properly and can become a must-have in all mobile workers tool chest.
3 — Stay Connected with Clients & Teams on Video
All too often business leaders, especially mobile ones, lose touch with their teams – and what’s really happening on the ground – simply because there’s too little ‘face time’. Although it’s still not the real thing, video conferencing with employees and clients can go a long way in staying truly connected and building stronger relationships. If the quality is good, it can be almost as beneficial as having that employee or team in the same room. Today, many business leaders are using services such as Skype for Business or Zoom, which offer useful features such as recordings and transcripts, screen sharing, streamlined calendaring and integrated file sharing.
Now, who said smartphones are just a silly distraction?
