8 Ways Smart Phones Have Changed Business

With each passing year, businesses must change their approach to accommodate the rapidly changing elements of modern technology; television is fading and social media is on the rise, our approach to productivity has been totally rewired, and — perhaps most prominently — smart phones and tablets are taking over the world.

Here are eight of the ways that smart phones have revolutionized our conception of business.

1. Email and Response Times

Email has done a lot to change the way we think of business communication, and likewise, smart phones have done a lot to change how we think of emails.

While it was once standard to let emails pile up consistently and create responses in batches, instantly checking your messages has become something of an expectation for serious businesspeople. As such, the expected response time for any urgent message has decreased from “one to three business days” to about “two to twelve hours.”

2. Increased Attention to Social Networks

Social networks have already ramped up in popularity and importance for businesses. However, thanks to the constant attention users pay to their smart phone social networking apps, this medium has become the single greatest source of word-of-mouth traffic.

3. Affordable Mobile App Alternatives

A typical suite of productivity software for a computer will run you about $50 per license. For smart phone apps, the quality is shockingly similar but the price falls in the $3 to $10 range. Additionally, many companies provide free “light” versions that are supported by mobile ads.

There are tons of mobile apps available now for all platforms- something that has come with the evolution of cell phones. The interactive IG below (I can’t embed it, but click it it to go to the interactive version).

LookOut Moble - Cell Phone Evolution

4. Easier Travel Opportunities

Going on business trips has never been easier. Not only can you find plane tickets and low hotel prices at a moment’s notice, but you can find your way around the new area with ease thanks to mobile maps and GPS navigation utilities.

5. Mobile Advertising Has Taken Off

Mobile ads pay for a huge portion of app developers’ time. The reason, of course, is that businesses have found that these often seen and clicked ads can be very lucrative when appropriately targeted and placed.

6. Increased Telecommuting Opportunities

Ten years ago, the idea of working entirely from home for an outside employer existed but was very off the beaten path. Now, thanks to modern technology, cloud computing, and devices like smart phones, telecommuting positions are being offered by a large chunk of major companies.

7. Lowered Technology Costs

It used to be that equipping a road warrior for mobile business cost thousands of dollars. Now you can grab a smart phone for as little as about $100 with a contract, and the price of these devices is only decreasing.

8. Less Dead Time

Businesspeople can now continue to be productive regardless of their location. A bus ride commute means a chance to catch up on emails and reading, business trips won’t create huge lulls in production, and emergencies can be tended as they crop up.

It can be something of a challenge to adapt to a world being created by smart phones.
However, for businesses and consumers alike, this whirring-fast, brilliantly intelligent modern technology will save time, effort, and money while introducing an impressive array of new opportunities on its own.