No more ‘let me get back to you on that’

Imagine a world where the phrase ‘let me get back to you on that’ is no longer uttered at work. Where meetings don’t result in reams of follow-up actions (or worse still another meeting) because you aren’t able to access the information you need there and then.

This was the premise of our recent Blue Door event, which saw CIOs gather with O2 and industry experts to discuss the findings of ground-breaking research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr).

This research, encapsulated in our report Smarter Working Britain: the economic benefits of connectivity, evaluates the financial and customer service benefits of improved connectivity in large organisations. Against a backdrop of worryingly weak productivity, the report highlights how better connectivity could deliver a massive £30 billion growth in GDP, thanks to a 3.9% increase in workforce productivity.

So how is this achieved? Secure, real-time access to business systems on the move provides employees with the same ICT experience they have in the office, wherever they are. Be they nurses or social workers visiting people at home; architects on construction sites; or sales people meeting customers across the country. The right connectivity reduces the need to return to base to upload, download or rekey information, making meetings and appointments much more effective.

Obvious you might say. However the intense debate around the barriers to better connectivity is testament to how challenging it still is to move to new, smarter ways of working.

Security was the top concern of the research respondents. Whilst understandable, many CIOs at our event felt that too often this is used as a convenient justification for delaying IT transformation. With the right approach to mobility management, compliance and data protection concerns can be mitigated with sensible policies.  All controlled through a robust Mobile Device Management solution.

Speaking about their experience of mobility projects, such as tablet rollouts, the CIOs around the table agreed that culture was a bigger barrier. Technology uptake by employees can be slower than expected. It’s why we recommend involving employees in the development of any managed mobility strategy from the outset – with apps built and devices selected according to their needs. Get it right and the rewards can be handsome, with the average employee seeing 178 hours a year (that’s 21 days) made more productive.

Download the full research report. Or to learn more about how O2 can help you develop your managed mobility strategy and reap the benefits of better connectivity visit our website or call us on 01235 433 507.