Mobility is all around us, every second of the day. Try to think of the last time you were without a cell phone, tablet or laptop. Can you even think of a time within the last six months? And while most of us have a love-hate relationship with our devices, it’s hard to argue that they don’t make our lives easier.

Mobility can be a powerful tool for your business and is a hot topic in several industries, including the field service industry. In a recent study conducted by Blumberg Advisory Group, Inc., 74% of respondents indicated that mobility is one of the most important trends facing the field service industry

“For field service organisations [sic], connecting equipment with technicians’ mobile devices and back office in real time is a necessity.”

In fact, in a recent study by Gartner, 80% of respondents said that mobile adoption is required to improve staff efficiency and speed. Talk about a powerful tool! If such a large majority of people realize mobility’s importance, why is only 40% of the field service industry mobile?

It may just be that some organizations haven’t encountered a reason to change their way of doing business. So, what is prompting organizations to implement mobility into their business strategy?

• 80% due to customer demand for improved service
• 44% due to competitive pressure
• 41% due to increased volume of service requests
• 33% due to need to operate with reduced service workforce

But just because they haven’t changed their processes doesn’t mean they don’t need to. Implementing mobility has many benefits, including: improved efficiency, enhanced customer experience, streamlined workflow, reduced cost and increased profitability.

By connecting all participants, changes and alerts are made available in real time, meaning there is no delay nor is there extra time spent sending multiple emails. Let’s say that while on a field visit, the field worker marks that a certain sign needs to be fixed. Not only can they see that action item, but so can the owner of the establishment and the field worker’s boss back at the office.

Everyone is kept in the loop effortlessly, meaning no more searching for answers in endless email chains or stacks of paperwork.

In addition to better methods of communication, going mobile can significantly decrease the amount of paperwork completed. One of the greatest challenges field service organizations face is the sheer amount of data they collect. In the past, most organizations have relied on pen and paper to collect the data. However, many are realizing that there are more efficient ways of collecting, sharing and storing information.

It is estimated that field service organizations will purchase 53 million tablets in 2016 alone. Will your company be one of many adopting the efficiencies of mobility in your field visits?