By Angelina Smith
Technological advances across various segments including hardware, networking, and software domains have given professional the ease to work remotely. As a result, business travelers and remote workers are able to work remotely even while traveling or when not physically at the office premises. Adding onto comfort is the portability and the user-friendliness of mobile phones. Now, even mobiles are being used to conduct business operations by many executives across various industries.
With new apps, strong software settings, smart features, and faster speed, mobile is getting better. Now, mobiles have become enterprise tools that professionals rely on for performing smaller official works. However, the adoption of mobile devices for business purpose is still in the initial phase. As security concerns prevail, companies, as well as employees, are reluctant to go mobile with their official functionalities.
However, with proper measures and security checks in place, business owners and employees can make the best use of mobile devices even in the professional space. Here are the ten practices to follow.
1. Have Separate Phones
Once you decide on that you will use your smartphone to do professional work, you need to consider a few important aspects. The first thing you would want to do is keep separate phones for different purposes. The phone you use for making personal calls, messages and internet surfing cannot be used for work. There are security issues, and you would not want to disturb your professional and personal privacy at any cost.
Your personal phone may have non-work related apps and features which when used for work may divert your attention. Using a single telephone for both personal and professional purpose is a complete no as it raises security concerns and may create distractions.
2. Download Smartphone Version of Office Apps
Today is the age of apps. From social networking to checking emails, every platform we use on our desktop or laptop has their mobile app versions. As an increasing number of people, today spend most of their time on mobile, so companies are investing a lot in developing apps to cater to the customer base who enjoys the convenience of mobile apps on the go.
Similarly, many office staples also have their app versions. For instance, Google’s G Suite, Office 365, Gmail and other platforms also available in app format. You can easily download these apps that are used in your office on your office phone and get started with work. Even when the version gets updates, you get automatic notifications. So, there is nothing to worry or apprehend about before shifting from desktop to mobile office.
3. Don’t Overcrowd with Too Many Apps
Be it your Apple store or your Android play store; there are many apps that may appear useful and productive for your work. But don’t fall for that and keep downloading every app that comes your way. It will overcrowd your mobile and create a lot of confusion.
We have seen that executives keep downloading separate apps for individual purposes. As a result, they install various apps, slowing down mobile performance and also managing many apps are challenging. Apps also occupy storage space and impact overall device productivity. So, believe in simplicity and try to keep a simple mobile setup with only necessary and the most relevant apps for your office work.
4. Outline Communication Policies
Even while using mobile to work, remember to specify clear communication guidelines. It should not be that you use multiple channels for communication as it may get confusing. For example, you can tell your colleagues to call you if it’s urgent, send you text for immediate resolutions, email for a formal approach and tools like slack for non-urgent texts. This will help you to have a clear understanding of which mode to use for what while working on mobile.
5. Use Virtual Assistants
Voice technology is the trend that’s been creating a lot of buzz lately. With the introduction of virtual assistants like Amazon Echo, Apple Siri, Google Assistant, etc. the use of voice technology is widespread. From asking your voice assistant to ring a call to send an email, you can perform quite many small tasks using voice tech.
You can ask your voice assistant to set a meeting reminder, make a business call, send official emails and messages and even open apps on your mobile. The potential of voice search is also tremendous in the field. Now you no longer need to type a text on Google, you can just speak your query, and the search result will be right there on your screen.
6. Link Your Business Email Account
Linking your business email account on a personal phone may not be allowed in many companies. However, if you have a separate mobile for office, use then having your official inbox linked to it won’t be a problem.
This is where the mobile phone comes with many benefits for the user. Apart from being portable and user-friendly, a mobile phone can help check emails on the go, ensuring a faster response to your official emails. Also, it will keep your inbox clean and better organized.
7. Install Remote Desktop App
There can be situations when you may need remote access to your desktop while working on mobile. In such cases, you can get the job done by getting a remote desktop app like LogMeIn. Whether you need a missing file or an important document, simply use the mobile app to access your stuff. This will save time and avoid unwanted delays and difficulties.
8. Know When to Switch Off
The idea to run your business operations from mobile sounds great. However, you must know when to draw the line between your professional and personal life. It’s true that being able to use smartphones to do office work ensures a faster way to get things done and the ability to work from any place. But the same comfort can lead to an overload of work if not restricted.
Once your office time is over, switch off the phone or else you may still keep on getting those office calls or emails or messages. Like the way checking personal messages while on work is distracting, the same happens when you do vice versa. So, working too much is a big no as it may reduce your overall productivity.
9. Home Screen Optimization
Often we see that the home screen of mobiles is crowded with apps that are not even used frequently. That is where clogging happens, and it diverts attention. Hence, keep only apps that you require for office work on the first page, that is the mobile home page and shift the rest.
Social media apps and non-work apps must not be there on the home screen as they hamper productivity and wastes time. Optimizing your mobile home screen is the best way to drive effective results.
10. Give Security Top Priority
Company information is very sensitive, and you must be extra cautious while dealing with it on any device. Especially when you are using a mobile phone to access office documents, send reports, check emails and messages, security of the device should be your priority.
Don’t forget to install anti-virus and other security features to prevent any loss of company data from your mobile.
It’s a Wrap!
Today, mobile devices are no longer just for social networking. With the latest technology inclusions and advances, the true potentiality of smartphones is evolving. With every passing year, new launches shower the mobile market with better features and possibilities. However, mobile usage statistics show that these electronic devices are not limited to the consumer market only. Slowly, with greater compute power and smart features, mobiles are turning into efficient enterprise tools.
Now, even business executives are increasingly using smartphones to attend video calls, send work-related emails and perform other office works. The mobile market is booming, and the scenario is likely to move towards further growth in the coming days as well. If you are missing out on opportunities, then you must start carrying your business on your mobile device soon.
Featured photo credit: Depositphotos
