Cell phones have become immersed in our daily lives, especially the time we spend punching the clock. Cell phones have given a whole new meaning to the word productivity, and while some studies are quick to point out that phones can be a distraction and nuisance, they very often leave out the myriad of benefits that cell phones provide to workers. Where employees were once held back by constraints of time and space, they’re now able to accomplish so much more with the tools and the assistance that this tiny piece of technology can provide. Before you dismiss phones as a disruption, think of these few areas where cell phones have only been a help.
- Communication – While this was what cell phones were originally meant for, phone calls are the least of what cell phones can offer workers now. Applications like Glide add a video component to allow for richer forms of communication among employees. If your business is more hands on, you’ll quickly realize how beneficial it is to be able to visualize communication among employees. And the best part of apps like these is that they require no minutes. Companies like Mobi-data provide free SIM cards with their data plans, making it possible for employees to communicate with one another without having to worry about minutes or long contracts.
- Organization – The planner has now been digitized, allowing workers to schedule meetings and appointments with the swipe of a finger. Even more useful are apps like Cal from the makers of Any.Do. Any.Do is a useful list-making app, but when partnered with Cal, you can create lists for the near and far future, complete with reminders to help you get the task done. When used correctly, apps like these can make a busy day much more manageable.
- Reference – There’s absolutely nothing worse than holding a meeting and being asked a question that you don’t have the answer to in front of a roomful of people. With Internet access, however, those days are long gone. Rather than waste time pouring over reports and spreadsheets, simple searches have cut research time to shreds. And being able to find whatever information you’re looking for with a simple search makes you a professional in just about anything as long as you know the right way to search. With all of your important documents on your phone your answer is never far away.
It’s easy to see cell phones as nothing more than the gadget that’s standing between you and an employee’s undivided attention. But when it comes down to it, cell phones can be extremely valuable tools for business of all kinds. If money has you reconsidering the worthiness of cell phones on the job, consider looking for data plans only. Cell phones are hardly cell phones these days and are almost more like mini computers. Think of them as the laptop you can keep in your back pocket and remember how valuable such tools are.
