Mobile Technology – Advantages For Small Businesses
Link to El Nuevo Herald column in Spanish: Here
It never ceases to amaze me when I think of how far we have come technologically and how deeply technological advancements have affected the way we do business. Let me give you an example. I’m spending part of the week in a conference in Palm Beach which my company is sponsoring as an exhibitor with a booth and a display with information on our firm and our services for the participants attending the conference. (By the way, trade shows and conferences are an excellent way to promote your business to large groups of prequalified people in a specific industry. The cost to register and set up a booth can vary from show to show. What makes trade shows so effective for exhibitors is that participants who attend are there because they have an interest in the specific trade or industry the show represents, and they generally come ready to do business – and you can’t beat the one on one, personal time you spend with each participant who stops by your booth to chat and see what you have to offer.) Conference itineraries are generally set up so that participants can attend workshops in the mornings and afternoons, then peruse the booths and displays in the exhibit halls during lunch and breaks. This typically equates to periods of “down time” for booth operators while the participants are attending workshops. In the past, these conference dry spells were terribly unproductive, but thanks to today’s mobile technology, my team and I can be as productive sitting in a conference booth as we are in our very own office.
Despite spending the entire day yesterday manning the booth, Felipe, our Marketing Director, was able to update an important presentation which was due by the end of the day. The revisions were sent to him by our architect in Miami via email. Felipe was able to connect his laptop wirelessly via the hotel’s free WI-FI, connect to our office network via VPN (Virtual Private Network), download his emails, open the attachments, incorporate the changes into the revised presentation and email the final product to the client well before the deadline. That highly-sensitive, extremely important operation was handled wirelessly just as easily and conveniently than if it were executed at the office.
Every day mobile devices – particularly smart phones – can do more and more with applications that manage virtually any business function making them indispensable tools for success. Innovations such as mobile video conferencing from your cellular phone will unquestionably change the way we do business because it allows us to conduct our business from anywhere and increases the interaction we have with our clients. And while mobile and wireless technology may have required a significant investment in the relatively recent past, the exponential evolution of technology and services has made mobile capabilities more affordable for small business. How can mobile technology help you in your business?
For one thing, mobile broadband technology options continue to push the envelope for where and how our phones can be used. Have you noticed how many mobile-service television commercials deal with coverage? Everyone from Verizon to ATT boasts of their ever-expanding networks. As a result, the need for maintaining a physical office becomes optional. A virtual office is certainly not the answer for everyone, and any personal interaction among team members is challenging, but for certain small businesses looking to cut costs during the current recession, virtual office may be the smartest choice. More and more people are conducting business from hotels, shared offices and, yes, even trade shows and conferences than ever before. But fading of geographic lines is only part of what mobile technology offers small businesses.
Video Applications: With the expansion of the 4G network environment, video applications will continue to rise making way for a host of new opportunities for small businesses. Google Maps makes finding any address in any town possible – virtually eliminating any good excuse for being late to a meeting.
Wi-Fi: While Wi-Fi technology is not new, relatively speaking, range of service has always been limited. Until now. Smart phones are now capable of serving as your Wi-Fi source by allowing mobile users to tether their wireless devices to their mobile phones.
Skype Mobile: Skype is a free service that can be downloaded from the internet which allows subscribers to video conference – an effective meeting tool for participants located in different parts of the world. Today, Skype Mobile is integrating its services with various mobile carriers to allow for video mobile conferencing from your cell phone. Other mobile video conference services like Fuze Meeting and MightyMeeting allows mobile users to share screens and presentation expanding meeting collaboration and productivity from anywhere.
History and research confirm two basic truths about small business. The first truth is that Small Businesses drive economic recoveries. The second truth is that Small Businesses drive technology in that they represent the largest group of users to integrate technology in day to day applications. This is especially true of mobile technology which continues to prove its value and worth to how effectively small businesses can operate. Who would have thought that such a powerful tool for success and change would ever fit in the palm of our hand?
