Business mobility refers to the use of technology to enable companies to conduct business without being limited to a single location. This includes the use of portable devices and real-time electronic communications. While it offers benefits such as lower operating costs and greater access to talent, outsourcing technical or customer support to foreign locations can be a downside.
Business mobility is a term used to describe the various strategies and technologies used by companies to enable them to do business without being limited to a single headquarters or location. There are several different types of business mobility, some aimed at supporting salespeople and others traveling on company business, and others focused on enabling companies to function on a virtual level. In both scenarios, companies rely heavily on the network and use a wide range of technological devices to conduct meetings, share documents and other data, and complete work tasks without the need to physically reside in the office.
To some extent, business mobility has been around since the invention of the telephone. This device made it possible for street vendors to call corporate headquarters and place orders collected in the field or contact a manager or supervisor to receive verbal input from a corporate base of operations. Over time, the advent of the facsimile or fax machine made it possible to send and receive documents while away from the office. In recent years, the use of laptops has made it possible to connect to corporate networks for the purpose of sending and receiving e-mails, participating in web meetings, and even sharing or collaborating on documents.
Today, the process of business mobility often includes the use of portable devices that provide all the benefits of a laptop without having to carry a lot of equipment. Thanks to high-speed wireless connections, it is not possible to transact business while traveling or visiting a remote location. This high degree of flexibility has meant that some companies no longer feel the need to afford a large corporate headquarters where hundreds of employees congregate. Instead, the workforce is dispersed across multiple geographic locations, connected to the use of real-time electronic communications. This flexibility has made it possible for companies to keep operating costs low, as well as have access to talented individuals who no longer need to move to become part of the company’s fabric.
In addition to the benefits that businesses enjoy due to today’s trends in business mobility, customers also enjoy a number of advantages. Lower operating costs often translate into more competitive prices for goods and services, which means lower costs for consumers. At the same time, remote structuring often means you can connect with a company representative who is physically close by, rather than waiting days or weeks for someone to arrive in the area.
Along with these benefits, there is a major downside to business mobility that sometimes upsets customers. This is when functions such as technical or customer support are outsourced remotely to foreign locations. The frustration of trying to communicate with someone who is not proficient in the language used by the customer is sometimes enough to damage the business relationship and cause the customer to do business with companies that use domestic rather than international staff for these two roles.
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