Are You and Your Company Socially Mobile? (Part I)

By Jim Wolande

Globally, mobile data traffic is set to double every year until 2014, according to industry analysts.

Analysts from Informa, a media technology and information company, expect the mobile broadband market to overtake its fixed counterpart in 2011, growing to 670 million subscribers and 51.8 percent of the overall broadband market. A key driver of this growth is the enormous amount of mobile devices from smart phones to tablet PCs entering the market, bringing the Internet with all its opportunities to the user anywhere, anytime. Statistics show that it’s not only consumers who are adopting mobile broadband either. Enterprise-size companies have shown an increasing appetite for mobile bandwidth as well. International Data Corp., a market research and analysis firm, predicts that mobile computing, cloud services, and social networking technologies will mature and become mainstream in 2011 also. OwnACondo.com is at the forefront of this activity.

Companies like Forward Progress offer enhanced training via online webinars on how to utilize social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to develop one’s network and database. Founder Dean DeLisle, who is also COO of OFI Holdings (OwnACondo.com and RealEstateAuctions.com) has trained thousands around the world on this new way of getting referrals and appointments.  A new mobile style of work is going to surpass current business practices, leading to increased productivity. “Cloud computing,” as it is known, will give businesses flexibility previously unknown, in addition to a competitive edge. Companies refusing to accept these new ways of doing business and retaining old-fashioned, traditional ways will ultimately fall behind in today’s competitive markets, industry experts predict.

Customer service will become a key differentiator in the quest to increase customer satisfaction and retention rates. Whether your business is selling Loop condos or lollipops, we all need to embrace these technologies in order to  outperform competitors. In terms of mobile workforce, International Data Corp., a global market research and analysis firm, has identified three significant technology trends­—mobile  computing, cloud services, and social networking technologies. These trends are combining to transform the mobile workforce as we know it today. It has become mission-critical going forward for management to embrace these technology trends but are often neglected regarding the needed investment to make the appropriate changes.

Customers searching for condos, or anything else, have high requirements in today’s always-connected, get-it-now society and will turn to competitors quickly if their expectations are not met. Research also shows that companies that provide quick and efficient services, and put the consumer’s needs first, not only retain customers longer, but are more likely to receive recommendations. The capabilities of web-based solutions in combination with mobile technologies help companies achieve critical business objectives when deploying a mobile workforce solution. These objectives include increasing efficiency and reducing costs by optimizing the workflow between the field and headquarters, as well as improving the customer experience by using a relationship-building opportunity. (To be continued in "Are You and Your Company Socially Mobile  (Part II)" on March 7).