Companies are changing their business processes to take advantage of mobile and consumer technologies in the workplace. Avanade’s latest global study of consumer and mobile technologies’ impact on enterprises shows that 71% of companies have changed at least one business process and 20% have changed four or more business processes. This new trend was one the main topics of a video interview with Dan O’Hara, vice president of mobility at Avanade.
Avanade’s research reveals that many executives and IT decision-makers are modifying business processes in key functions such as sales and marketing, and critical roles inside companies, such as HR, to leverage mobile devices and other consumer technologies for their company’s benefit. Rather than dictating technology use, corporate policies and processes are, in this case, playing catch-up with technology.
The survey about the impact of the employee-driven workplace and how companies are taking advantage of this shift was conducted in September 2012 with nearly 600 executives and IT decision-makers in 19 countries. Results showed that the most progressive businesses are building entirely new business processes around these trends—and seeing a surprising impact on growth, product development, and employee satisfaction and collaboration.
Among the survey’s findings, more than six in ten companies (60%) reported that the majority of their employees now use personal computing devices in the workplace. Avanade also found that large companies are open to change—even if it disrupts business as usual. “Rather than shut out mobile and consumer technologies, Avanade’s survey of business and IT executives shows companies are not only embracing these technologies in the workplace, they’re enabling them,” the report states.
Of the survey respondents, 54% reported that the majority of their employees use smartphones for basic work tasks such as checking email, reading online documents and managing schedules.
One of the survey’s conclusions was that while technology use had been dictated by business requirements in the past, now executives are authorizing technology purchases based on corporate needs and objectives; for instance, new regulations led to email archiving systems, and bigger customer rosters led to centralized customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
Highlights of the survey’s findings:
• 60% of companies reported most employees use personal computing devices at work
• Employees use smartphones and tablets for both basic and advanced business functions
• Business processes are being built to capitalize on mobile and consumer technologies
• 71% of companies have changed at least one business process; 20% of companies have changed four or more business processes
• Companies that capitalize on new ways of work are seeing stronger growth and more happy customers
• Companies that have embraced collaboration technologies are 73% more likely to report improved sales and new customer acquisition
