Not all business procedures and operations happen in the office — some happen on the field. More so, with the recent surge in remote work, most companies now have several people working in different locations and time zones. Hence, there is a need for a workflow management system that enables staff to get things done on the go and keep productivity flowing — anywhere and at any time.
The most effective way to keep teams connected and work in sync is through the devices in their hands — laptops, android or iOS smartphones, and tablets. We've put together this guide to help you better understand what mobile workflow management is, its components, and how to find.
Mobile workflow management is a system designed to help groups and business organizations track and optimize their day-to-day business procedures. In other words, it is a management tool that helps you set up, monitor, and manage a predefined sequence of actions — your business workflow.
Mobile workflow has a few key components you need to pay attention to, such as.
With a paper-based workflow, documents like schedules, reports, and work orders are printed and physically distributed across the workforce. Think of how much cost goes into this and how much time it takes to get certain tasks done towards accomplishing organizational goals.
The reality is that a paper-based workflow is slow, costly, ineffective, and fraught with compliance risks. On the other hand, a mobile workflow removes the cost of printing and eliminates distance and time barriers.
Furthermore, paper-based workflows require a lot of manual procedures, whereas mobile workflow solutions allow for automated workflows.
In today's market, companies who have not embraced mobile technology — in extension, mobile workflow — are highly disadvantaged. Not only are they sacrificing efficiency and profitability, they are also excluded from enjoying the innovative ways that mobile workflow enhances messaging, communication, and teamwork.
Leveraging on integrated backend platforms and mobile applications to manage workflow opens you up to a new world of limitless possibilities, some of which we highlight below.
Mobile workflow allows for easy business process management, especially in situations where there are performance issues. Managers can leverage mobile workflows to proactively detect potential process problems in real-time — while also ensuring that process aligns well with overall business objectives. This knowledge is needed to analyze service level performance in order to improve overall business efficiency.
Being fast, effective, and efficient are three words that define productivity. Mobile workflow management systems have a reputation for helping organizations get more done in less time. For example, when monotonous and recurring tasks are turned over to automation software, management and employees can focus on core business responsibilities and revenue-generating activities — instead of unending administrative tasks.
Mobile workflow helps businesses perform better in two ways. On the one hand, mobile workflows allow for digital documentation and ensure that employees have all the info they need handy at all times. This reduces frustrations arising from having to dig for required information. That way, employee experience and well-being is enhanced, and the ripple effect is that employees are more motivated to deliver on their job.
On the other hand, mobile workflows help a business serve its customers better. For example, customers can make payments through their mobile devices using their credit cards. This substantially improves overall user experience.
When workflow runs smoothly and concurrently, it saves time. Think of one step in your business process that takes some time to accomplish. Multiply the time used by the number of times that task is carried out and see how much time and money goes to waste.
For example, collecting information from the field using paper-based questionnaires, which your employees distribute, will not only take time, but it will also take money. Whereas using a mobile form allows for multiple users to fill out the form at the same time — this saves a great deal of time and money. Similarly, data collected is available in real-time for managers to make decisions.
Coupled with all that has been said above about mobile workflow management, here are a few tips to help optimize mobile workflow functionality in your business.
Usually, the starting point of any workflow management procedure is to detail your current processes and carefully analyze them. You may also need to ask respective managers for feedback on the processes they supervise. This will open up key areas of your business processes that need improvement.
Once the various processes have been clearly understood, then it's time to break them down into smaller manageable chunks, which further simplifies and streamlines. Do this until your entire business workflow can be easily understood and executed by a new staff member without stress.
Documentation is very essential in workflow management because what is not documented can be easily forgotten or overlooked. Therefore, every workflow process should be recorded — from task creation to allotment and workflow progress. Workflow management software makes this doable and seamless. For example, project management software, such as Asana, makes it possible to define workflow, create tasks, and track and manage progress from start to finish — all in one place.
Workflow automation solutions can be used to automate processes like registration, payments, delivery, feedback, and inventory management. Automating workflow will drastically reduce, or completely eradicate manual processes.
If you own a restaurant, for example, you can have a mobile app where customers can place their orders, make payments, and track their active orders on their mobile devices. Concurrently, as the order is being placed, restaurant staff also receive order notifications and menu details.
Since the topmost goal of mobile workflow management is to improve efficiency and productivity, then there is a need for constant auditing and evaluation. The aim of this is to measure progress against set goals, observe lapses or areas where there needs to be an improvement, and adjust accordingly.
Now that you have a proper understanding of the value of integrating mobile workflow management into your business, let's talk about the most important component in the subject — mobile devices. You need to ensure the devices your staff uses are clean, as this can greatly hamper the flow of your work processes.
Phonecheck offers a device processing solution that guarantees the health and safety of your mobile devices. Our enterprise solution is fully integrated to consolidate a clumsy workflow.
Furthermore, our enterprise solution comes with a data erasure software that you can use to routinely wipe mobile devices clean — especially if they contain sensitive information and you need to pass it over to another staff member. Similarly, if you decide to get used mobile devices for your team, the data erasure software is useful for wiping the devices clean. Speaking of used devices, you will also need to verify that the devices have not been reported lost or stolen — Phonecheck Certification handles that for you.
We'll leave you with some friendly advice: never buy a used device without a Phonecheck Certified History Report. Avoid costly hidden problems by purchasing a history report on phonecheck.com for about the cost of a cup of coffee.
