Business technology has long been based on needs. Software, devices and programs have to live up to the expectations of users so they can get their jobs done.
But shouldn’t we expect more by now? Can’t technology make things better and not just good enough? With powerful mobility and visual interaction available today, thinking about what a business needs is thinking too small. Technology should also push your organization further.
Your teams will probably always need certain software, certain processes and certain data to do their jobs. But now, technology also makes it easy to raise the bar and give them access to tools beyond their needs so they can be more effective than they ever thought possible. Innovation and strategic thinking suddenly become possible at all levels.
In today’s consumer-obsessed world, we’re all out to delight the customer. But, shouldn’t we start by delighting our employees, our businesses and ourselves? Here are the two things your business technology should achieve to move your company beyond needs and into a powerhouse space of productivity and innovation:
1. Visual interaction
Visuals matter in today’s business environment. And when internal teams and customers can interact with visuals, the capacity of seeing their work in action matters even more. Creativity doesn’t wait until you’re back at your desk. With the right tools, innovation and development can happen in real time.
For some time, we have been able to create cool graphics and other visuals that keep people engaged in presentations and collaborative meetings. But now, we can interact with a presentation’s visuals or a creative design in real time. We can show clients an actual 3D model rather than just a picture of it, and make an in-the-moment adjustment. The visual apps and software available on powerful lightweight devices make meetings more than just a one-way interaction.
Drawing or making handwritten notes right on a document and not having to deal with complicated software editing tools or, worse, printing and scanning—that’s productivity. And, seeing charts, images and videos on screen rather than on paper, allows you to update, change,zoom and interact with these graphics with the touch of a finger. The result? Projects get done faster.
And what about metrics? Having the latest data immediately available is important, but visualizing that data moves the question of “what do we do with this information?” to a much earlier stage in the conversation, making it easier to project what’s next.
2. Power mobility
Interactive visuals are amazing for enabling better collaboration—whether internal or client-facing. Another enabler of collaborative success? Power mobility.
Mobility is nothing new for most businesses with employees constantly on the go and accessing work remotely. Working during the commute, working from home, hosting virtual international meetings—these are all commonplace. But being in touch is not enough to drive a more productive business.
Outside the office, users need their portable device to do exactly what their in-office device can. “Lite” versions of in-house software just won’t move the needle for on-the-ground engineers or product development teams working offsite with a customer. They need complete access to powerful tools, so calculations can happen in the field, reports can be generated during a last minute off-site meeting, and models can be designed wherever inspiration strikes.
Powerful mobility utilizes the computing power of a desktop on a lightweight, portable device. Advanced software, intense spreadsheets and calculations, 3D modeling, video editing—all of these critical business processes and more should be available to your mobile workforce.
Today, power, mobility and visual collaboration are driving business. Isn’t it high time we move beyond basic needs and start doing business better?
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