Admit it, we’re glued to our phones 24/7. So are your employees.

If everyone is inseparable from their phones, then meet them where they are — help them use their devices to become more productive.

That’s why more organizations are using internal mobile apps to streamline business operations and increase employee productivity. Whether it’s resource planning, order management, team collaboration, or customer relationship management — there’s an app for that.

Should you jump on the bandwagon? Here’s what you need to know.

The Benefits of Using Mobile Apps to Support Internal Operations

Things that don’t work suck.

Internal processes that don’t work cause frustrations, errors, delays, and financial losses. Tasks may be duplicated or fall through the cracks. Resources are wasted, customers aren’t happy, and employee morale takes a nosedive.

Here’s how internal mobile apps can make enterprise life easier:

Reduce Paper Flow

When employees’ desks are buried in paper, important documents get lost in the shuffle. Mobile apps help eliminate cumbersome paperwork so employees can see what needs their attention and manage their tasks no matter where they are. Not to mention, you can save a lot of space (and sanity) by not having to make room for storage boxes and filing cabinets.

Increase Mobility

You might as well check into a museum if you don’t offer employees the ability to work remotely or on the go. But remote access isn’t without its challenges, and often, the process of setting up the right connections and configurations on a desktop device is cumbersome. Enterprise mobile apps make it easy for employees to work efficiently and securely from anywhere. It simplifies the process of connecting to your system while easing the IT workload.

Improve Communications

The proliferation of communication channels is a blessing and a curse. Too much of a good thing can lead to inefficiency and confusion. A survey of 400 companies with 100,000+ employees found an average loss of $62.4 million per year due to poor communications. An enterprise app can help consolidate messages, organize teams, and ensure everyone is on the same page.

Enhance Collaboration

The rapid pace of digital transformation means employees need access to digital files and data from anywhere and at any time, so teams around the world can work together without missing a beat. An internal app brings file sharing, real-time collaboration, and asynchronous communications all in one place to facilitate workflows and improve efficiency.

Optimize Resource Usage

Mobile apps support business process automation and analytics. You can gather real-time data to meet changing requirements and inform accurate decision-making. The information can help you allocate the appropriate resources to the right place and at the right time to respond to customer demands and optimize cost-efficiency.

Facilitate Employee Training

An enterprise app allows you to manage employee onboarding and training from a central location to ensure everyone has access to the latest materials. Different departments can share knowledge in real-time, so employees won’t be wasting time reinventing the wheel or spending hours looking for the right person to ask a question to. Easy access to resources can also help minimize frustration and improve employee morale.

Types of Mobile Apps To Streamline Internal Operations

Wondering which mobile apps to implement to get the biggest bang for your buck? Here are some key enterprise areas where mobile apps shine:

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

An ERP app can provide stakeholders with a holistic view of activities associated with accounting, procurement, project management, risk management, compliance, supply chain operations, and more to make timely decisions no matter where they are. It allows enterprises to centralize and optimize decision-making related to resource planning. You can maximize cost-efficiency without sacrificing the ability to respond promptly to changing market demands and conditions.

For example, an ERP app allows supply chain managers to gain real-time data on warehousing, logistics, and fulfillment. They can distribute products or route deliveries to reduce transportation costs while ensuring that the right items are delivered to the right store locations.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer experience (CX) is the name of the game in today’s market. A CRM system supported by a mobile app allows sales and marketing teams to gain real-time customer insights on the fly, so they can tailor their communications and interactions to meet fast-changing customer expectations. Employees can log their customer interactions into the system right away to share market insights, inform future conversations, and improve campaign effectiveness.

Content Management System (CMS)

A robust CMS supported by a mobile app allows employees to access information including data sheets, presentations, brochures, white papers, case studies, and more to support various business activities (e.g., sales and marketing.) You can ensure consistent messaging across teams and departments while minimizing duplicate work by having all your content searchable and accessible from a centralized location.

For example, field reps can search on a CMS app to find the most appropriate collateral during a sales meeting based on the customer’s specific needs. They can present the most relevant content and data to facilitate the sales conversation and accelerate the sales cycle.

Unified Communications

An enterprise communication app brings together audio calls, video conferencing, instant messaging, file sharing, and more. Employees can avoid jumping between apps, which is cumbersome and can lead to errors and delays. A custom-designed app can meet your needs and integrate seamlessly with your backend database while giving you more control to ensure data security and compliance.

Employee Self-Service

Enterprises with offices around the globe need to provide support to employees around the clock. A mobile app allows employees to access resources, submit forms, and find answers to their questions through a self-service portal whether they’re in the office, traveling, or in the field. Additionally, you can manage all the resources from a centralized location. This helps deliver a consistent employee experience across the enterprise cost-effectively.

Support Efficient Business Operations With Mobile Apps

To reap the benefits of mobile apps to streamline internal operations, you must ensure that employees — your internal customers — will want to use the apps. Just like customer-facing apps, user experience (UX) is the key to adoption and engagement. After all, if your employees aren’t using the apps, you won’t see the ROI.

Don’t skimp on the app development process. You need to go through the same rigorous research, design, and testing steps as you would for customer-facing apps. Besides meeting business requirements, the app must be user-friendly so employees will adopt the workflow and engage with the content.

Ready to get started? Get in touch and see how we can help.