Due in part to bring-your-own-device policies becoming more prevalent and more businesses adopting virtual receptionist technology that forwards faxes and voicemails to email, smartphones will soon become enterprise mainstays. While mobile devices can greatly help small and medium-sized businesses communicate and collaborate, these firms should make sure employees use the technology in a way that is not off-putting to potential clients.
By 2017, approximately 50 percent of all companies will have BYOD policies in place, according to research firm Gartner. This could be a huge boon for SMBs, as it will enable them to make their employees more efficient and facilitate remote working. However, businesses should be sure their workers are using their smartphones intelligently.
A recent SurePayroll blog post listed some of the most annoying habits exhibited by smartphone users. While some of the tips listed, such as using a soft voice when speaking on the phone in a public setting, have more to do with common courtesy than tangible business results, others mentioned could make or break a small firm that is trying to generate new business.
For example, SurePayroll recommended that people set their smartphone to vibrate or silent during the day. While companies benefit from virtual receptionist solutions that forward voicemails and faxes to email inboxes when employees are away from their desk, SMBs may risk losing a sale if someone's phone loudly proclaims the arrival of a new message while staff are meeting with a potential new client.
Additionally, the blog post suggested that employees refrain from checking their smartphone while attending a face-to-face meeting. Mobile technology is great for keeping people connected, but businesses should focus first on communicating in person before coming off as rude by needlessly looking at the smartphone screen instead of someone else.
SMBs in particular can greatly benefit from smartphones and from technology that makes the mobile devices more efficient for work, but these firms must make sure their employees are correctly utilizing their devices in order to effectively grow the company.
