Workplace productivity increases when a mobile first, messaging first communications strategy is used, according to research from enterprise security platform provider NetSfere and 451 Research.
The firms found that almost half of both employees and IT decision makers believe that they can gain six hours or more of productivity weekly by using smartphones for business communications, mostly messaging and collaboration platforms. The researchers sounded a note of caution, however: Fragmentation and security risks can result if the right technology is not used.
Other key findings of the report:
- Sixty-four percent of employees use their smartphones several times a day for work purposes.
- Mobile messaging is the preferred way to communicate among millennials. It is trending upward in all age groups.
- The majority of respondents show a strong preference for mobile-first applications.
- Security, compliance and productivity are key priorities for IT decision makers.
- Eighty percent of IT decision makers consider it “very important” that their messaging tools be optimized for mobile-specific working.
“While IT decision makers and employees agree that productivity increases when smartphones are used for messaging and collaboration, consumer messaging apps are still primarily used,” Raul Castanon-Martinez, the Senior Analyst for Workforce Collaboration at 451 Research, said in a press release. “Whether they realize it or not, many organizations are playing with fire because they aren’t taking a comprehensive approach to business communication, mobile messaging and collaboration strategy.”
The extent to which a company uses mobility and messaging is part of the overall BYOD debate, which has been raging in IT for many years. Companies can opt to provide mobile devices to employees, but many find that undesirable from the cost and management perspectives.
