Posts
Although customer facing apps are real differentiators, I think mobility "behind the firewall" is the real game changer. Targeted mobile apps to employees can make their jobs more efficient and enjoyable. But in order to do it correctly, we've got to change how we look at apps.
Historically, we think of applications as monolithic, comprehensive sets of features around a particular domain. CRMs, HR Systems, Financial Systems, Business Intelligence Platforms. An employee may keep these applications open on their desktops all day as they do their job. Porting these apps (or even portions of these apps) individually onto mobile devices, is not necessarily the best approach. The reality is, there are probably only a few real value-added mobile use cases in each of these applications.
Instead I want you to focus on exposing mobile TASKS. A mobile app's adoption is greatest when they are designed as simple utilities, not full blown applications. Quick hits. Something an employee can load quickly, get the information or enter the data they need to quickly, and get out, quickly.
So if you're thinking about getting your employees mobile, think about the mobile use cases that exist across your enterprise applications. What are the specific items that really make sense in a mobile context? Maybe it's workflow approvals for some time-sensitive business processes. Maybe it's a customer lookup utility that shows a quick, consolidated mobile snapshot of customer information across CRM, Account Maintenance, Order Management and SharePoint platforms. Maybe it's a Point of Service utility that allows an individual to log a call report to a CRM, or a trouble ticket to an issue management system or perform a simple order entry.
Think about building an enterprise app the same way you'd look at building a portlet on an enterprise portal's front page. Quick snippets of information from various systems. Simple, contextual, aggregated info, without exposing all of the complexities of the underlying application(s).
The beauty of this? You can build these mobile tasks iteratively, one at a time. So dipping your toe in mobility "behind the firewall" doesn't have to be expensive. Quick hits means that the utilities are not only simple to use, but simple to build. And with the rapid adoption of mobile apps on smart phones and tablets, your employees will thank you for it, and so will your bottom line.
Need some help setting your mobile strategy (Platforms, Device Management, Standards and Mobile Use Case Identification?) or mobile app development? Let me know and I'll get you in touch with the best mobile strategists and architects in Chicago.
Instead I want you to focus on exposing mobile TASKS. A mobile app's adoption is greatest when they are designed as simple utilities, not full blown applications. Quick hits. Something an employee can load quickly, get the information or enter the data they need to quickly, and get out, quickly.
So if you're thinking about getting your employees mobile, think about the mobile use cases that exist across your enterprise applications. What are the specific items that really make sense in a mobile context? Maybe it's workflow approvals for some time-sensitive business processes. Maybe it's a customer lookup utility that shows a quick, consolidated mobile snapshot of customer information across CRM, Account Maintenance, Order Management and SharePoint platforms. Maybe it's a Point of Service utility that allows an individual to log a call report to a CRM, or a trouble ticket to an issue management system or perform a simple order entry.
Think about building an enterprise app the same way you'd look at building a portlet on an enterprise portal's front page. Quick snippets of information from various systems. Simple, contextual, aggregated info, without exposing all of the complexities of the underlying application(s).
The beauty of this? You can build these mobile tasks iteratively, one at a time. So dipping your toe in mobility "behind the firewall" doesn't have to be expensive. Quick hits means that the utilities are not only simple to use, but simple to build. And with the rapid adoption of mobile apps on smart phones and tablets, your employees will thank you for it, and so will your bottom line.
Need some help setting your mobile strategy (Platforms, Device Management, Standards and Mobile Use Case Identification?) or mobile app development? Let me know and I'll get you in touch with the best mobile strategists and architects in Chicago.
