Mobile Engagement Strategies in 2012

Any discussion on mobile engagement strategies would be ill-founded without a clear grip on the current market stats.

Any discussion on mobile engagement strategies would be ill-founded without a clear grip on the current market stats. In a recent press release, Gartner reported that smartphone shipments reached 144.1 million in the first quarter of 2012, a year-over-year rise of 44.7%. According to The International Telecommunication Union, there were 6 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2011.

The omnipresence of mobile devices makes them an ideal medium of engagement which can be further supported by on-premise events, trainings and activities. However, before jumping on the mobile engagement bandwagon, enterprises should run a pre-execution audit to understand the needs and expectations of in-house workers at different levels such as executive, field, technical, managerial, etc.

So, what are the best mobile engagement strategies for enterprises in 2012?

-  Preparing for BYOD and addressing associated risks and challenges by:-

•  incorporating Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Mobile Application Management (MAM) for  secure data access and user/application management
• securing networks and encrypting data transmission
• assuring regulatory and legal compliance
• assuring application security

- Developing in-house or partnering with third parties for secure mobile engagement apps that support leading mobile OS – Android, iOS, BlackBerry and upcoming Windows Phone.

- Gradually moving towards a platform and device independent solution as HTML5 matures.

- Building policies, plans, and goals based on how personnel and consumers will interact with the mobile engagement solution and assessing the total cost of ownership (TCO).

- Leveraging on mobile engagement solutions for training, engagement, collaboration, sales enablement, learning, and improved customer service.

- Integrating the solution with existing back-end systems.

- Investing in developing and designing mobile-friendly content in-house or via third party experts.

- Integrating mobile engagement with social media.

- Customizing mobile solutions for brand recognition and stronger mobile presence.

- Enabling mobile relationship management and analysis.

Mobile engagement solutions are seeing increased adoption in India because of the cost efficiency, increased outreach, anytime-anywhere access and ease-of-use by on-the-go executives. While the efficiency of engagement can be measured quantifiably through tools, what’s truly palpable is the immediate impact on the productivity and professional confidence of employees.