- Let's talk a little bit about mobile devices
in relationship to collaboration.
Obviously, having a cell phone or a tablet is going
to help people stay in contact with their coworkers
when they're remote.
This immediately boosts collaboration just
by virtue of making it possible to communicate
in more situations and at more opportunities.
A lot of the best collaborative tools are web-based,
which means they're accessible any time, any place,
and on almost any device,
but remote workers aren't just having conversations.
They're also using their devices to stay current
and connected to their work, not just their contacts.
Now, as someone who originated back in the Stone Age,
I had a little bit of an adjustment to make
when the mobile revolution hit.
For a long time,
I viewed mobile devices as a communication device only.
I eventually wised-up.
At least to a certain extent,
I realized that you could also use mobile devices
to track business information in semi-real time,
but you know what?
I was still only part of the way caught up.
I still thought of them only as a way
to consume business information.
I stayed current, but I wasn't actively participating.
As collaborative tools evolve,
they become more and more available on mobile devices
and the ways that apps are integrated
means it's becoming easier to use mobile devices not just
to consume information, but to actively participate
in information flow and even create new information.
I think the most obvious place to see this is probably
in CRM, or customer relationship management tools,
like Salesforce.
Employees can easily add information while in the field
and Salesforce integrates
with many different collaboration tools.
There are also mobile apps
for monitoring network system health
that give you the ability to take action remotely.
How many people now track their expenses with a mobile app?
I know I do.
The point, as mobile apps continue to advance,
expect to see more and more opportunities to stay connected
and productive whenever you want and wherever you are.