Why So Many Mobility Projects are Stalling (Maybe Even Yours)?

Nov 01, 2017 • Features • Hardware • Xplore • Bob Ashenbrenner • rugged • Sandy McCasky • SOTI

Ahead of an upcoming webinar with Field Service News, Xplore’s John Graff takes a look at why ultimately so many mobility projects fail to deliver the return on investment they promise...

A couple months ago, former mobile solutions architect and current Xplore consultant Bob Ashenbrenner noted that “many companies are struggling to figure out how and when to invest in not just mobile technologies, but the right mobility solutions.”

A similar sentiment is being shared by SOTI CEO and founder Carl Rodrigues after reviewing the results of a recent study conducted by Arlington Research on his company’s behalf:

“Many organisations are using mobility for the basics, but do not know how to implement the next level of mobile integration to transform their workforce…” he noted before adding that this hurdle ‘…is leaving businesses with a “piecemeal approach” to their mobile operations – a disconnected set of point solutions required to perform business critical operations.’

Though there is a consensus among organisations worldwide that more mobility tools are needed in the workplace (for many reasons), there is also a consensus that shopping for effective mobility solutions can be complex.

That is precisely why we’ve brought Bob together with our EMEA Sales Director Sandy McCasky on November 8 for a upcoming “coffee break” webinar with Field Service News.

They will have a very open and honest conversation about why so many executives are hesitant to buy into more advanced mobile technology implementations given the business process improvements that have been repeatedly credited to increased utilisation of mobile devices.

There’s a tendency by many managers to gravitate towards mobile device brands that they are familiar with from their personal lives; consumer brands that aren’t suited for professional environments.

They will also explore the reasons why so many employees (49%) are fearful of – and frustrated by – mobility downtime.

In my opinion, both of these issues boil down to one underlying challenge: Too many companies don’t have a well-planned buying process for mobility solutions.

Often, they have many good ideas for possible uses of mobility, yet they may skip steps in the buying and evaluation process to meet an accelerated timeline, or they may fail to take certain actions early enough in the process to ensure success.

For example, they know they need X, Y and Z capabilities, but spend months scouring the web, chugging through sales meetings and churning through testing cycles without ever securing executive sponsorship or proving the business case.

And, while your mobile device decision alone can’t make or break the success of your organisation’s mobility project, device failures are a leading cause of worker downtime.

Picking incompatible device-software-accessory combinations because it was hard to make an apples-to-apples “solution” comparison online or forgetting to consider the true durability requirements beyond a “ruggedized case”, often leads to project failure in the eyes of workers and executives.

Thus the reason why Xplore is working with partners such as Intel to create a templatised action plan that every company can reference when buying mobile technologies.

A single shift in your mobile buying strategy and process can put your organisation in a position to more expeditiously advance its business goals and take advantage of new revenue-generating opportunities.

A roadmap that gives you turn-by-turn guidelines on how to get from point A (your problem) to point B (your solution) without any costly detours along the way.

I’m confident that if we – collectively with our customers and partners – help simplify the “shopping” process from day one, organsations will be able to make more informed technology purchasing decisions and secure executive support for full-scale implementations.

They will also realise the benefits of improved worker productivity and more cost-effective workflow execution.

In short, a single shift in your mobile buying strategy and process can put your organisation in a position to more expeditiously advance its business goals and take advantage of new revenue-generating opportunities.

If you want to move your mobility project forward quickly – and move your company closer to productivity and growth goals via mobility – then join us for this webinar.

You’ll walk away with the know-how and resources to choose a mobile solution that’s capable of improving business process efficiency and, therefore, your operational performance and profitability levels.

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