Using Smartphones For More than Instagram

People on average spend nearly 3-to-5 hours of their day on their phones. Today’s smartphones are not only one of the coolest pieces of technology ever invented, it legitimately could be one of the most useful devices any person could use for business; if they are willing to use it that way. Today, we will establish what smartphones are mostly used for and how to readjust your smartphone usage to be your most productive. 

What Does the Average Smartphone Usage Look Like?

Everyone has a smartphone now and most people actually use their device in similar ways. For a device that is inherently powerful, you may be surprised to learn that they aren’t always a benefit for businesses. Let’s take a look at the top 10 most popular things people use their smartphones for:

• Texting (88%)
• Email (70%)
• Social Media (68%)
• Camera (61%)
• News (58%)
• Shopping (56%)
• Weather (54%)
• Banking (45%)
• Watching video content (42%)
• Gaming (41%)

This list seems like it’s about right, except can you identify the one thing that is omitted from this list? 

That’s right: Making phone calls. The study here showed that only about 35 percent of users actively make phone calls with their smartphones. As many as a quarter of respondents hadn’t made or received a call in a calendar week, 33 percent stated that they would ignore every call if they weren’t expecting it, and a whopping five percent admitted they hadn’t ever made or received a call on their current smartphone. 

How Can Your Business Use This Information to Improve Your Mobile Reach?

Well clearly if you want your staff to make and receive calls with their smartphones for your business, you may be asking too much. All jests aside, it is a consideration you need to make when looking to expand your business’ mobile reach. Let’s take a look at three benefits increased smartphone usage can bring to your business.

Improved Productivity

It’s no secret that the more engaged your employees are, the more productive they are. According to several studies on the work/life smartphone correlation, nearly all businesses that allow and depend on employee devices, whether they are provided by the organization or used through a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy, see a 20 percent increase in overall profitability. This is not possible without increased productivity. The notion for most business owners is to worry about the time employees spend on their devices, but if the bottom line is truly the measure of your business’ success, better profitability may be able to put to rest any concerns you may have.

Reduced Turnover

With people tied to their phones, it’s a definite point of contention when they are told not to use them. It is much easier to keep an employee happy when they know they aren’t being watched every minute as they do what they do. That’s not to say that you can have an office filled with people playing Candy Crush during work, but to keep your best employees, treating them like they matter is important. For the modern employee their device matters and if you don’t want to spend untold capital constantly replacing workers, keeping a relaxed smartphone policy is one way to help retain your staff.

Improved Customer Satisfaction

When customers have problems with your offering, it can put a definite strain on the business. Smartphone use can go a long way toward increasing customer satisfaction by having access to people inside and outside of business hours. Most employees don’t mind shooting emails and getting the ball rolling on customer complaints after hours; it’s part of the job. This benefit also helps repeat business and overall revenue growth. 

The smartphone is one of the best tools for business, even if it seems like people are constantly scrolling through social media. If you would like to talk to one of our experts about how to structure a BYOD policy, get the mobile device management that your business needs, or just have a conversation about how best to keep mobile working for your business, give us a call today at (415) 246-0101.