Business executives are getting caught flat-footed when it comes to mobile media, according to a new report from Robert Half Technology. Use of mobile has grown rapidly within U.S. companies, yet over one in four (28 percent) lack a mobile technology strategy, according to the report.
On the flip side, 70 percent of chief information officers surveyed said their companies have implemented a mobile technology strategy of one form or another. The majority (56 percent) reported using a mix of applications and mobile-friendly Web pages, according to Robert Half Technology’s report.
More CIOs in the health care services sector (36 percent) reported their companies did not have a mobile media strategy than those working for companies in other industry sectors. The business services (65 percent) and retail sectors (63 percent) had the highest percentages of respondents reporting their companies have implemented a mobile media strategy.
“To maintain competitive advantage, sectors such as business services and retail need to connect with customers anytime, anywhere, so it’s logical to see them leading the charge in implementing mobile strategies,” Robert Half Technology senior executive director John Reed was quoted as saying.
“Compliance issues have made it difficult for the healthcare industry to move as quickly as other sectors, but as consumer demand for mobile health information grows, formal mobile strategies are a necessary next step.”
Digging deeper, Robert Half Technology found that even companies that reported having implemented a mobile media strategy aren’t zooming in on the use of mobile media to connect with customers and clients. Fifty-eight percent of CIOs surveyed said their companies had not developed a mobile app for customers and clients and had no plans to offer one in the next 12 months.
“As mobile device use continues to expand, businesses will want to make it easy for customers and clients to connect with them via mobile platforms,” Reed commented. “This will likely become a ‘need to have’ versus a ‘nice to have’ in the next few years.”
