Less than 25 years ago in 1993, the first smartphone hit the market with a price tag of US$899. “Simon” included a pager, email, a stylus for writing, a computer keypad and a calendar. It took nine years before phones with built-in cameras entered the marketplace and ten years before Blackberry launched a phone with a web browser and messaging abilities. Fast forward four years to 2007 when the first Apple iPhone with visual voicemail, a touch keyboard, a photo library and a display to watch movies and TV was introduced.
Mobile technology has become part of our daily lives in the blink of history’s eye. In 2015, the Ericsson Mobility Report estimated over 2 billion smartphones are in use worldwide, a figure expected to grow exponentially. The research predicts that “90% of the world’s population over 6 years old will have a mobile phone by 2020.”
In 2013, Forrester predicted that 905 million people worldwide will own computer tablets this year. Forrester research says “By 2017, tablets will be used by over one in eight people on Earth, and will be a “mainstay” device among consumers and businesses in developed nations.” In 2015, eMarketer published their research predicting that 1.43 billion people worldwide will own tablets by 2018 with China, the US, Brazil and Indonesia dominating the market.
Mass use of mobile technology changes everything. It changes the way we connect with each other, the way that companies communicate with customers and the way that they communicate with employees. It is a tipping point in our history described by author Malcolm Gladwell as “that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.”
Think about the impact of mobile technology on marketing. While traditional marketing channels are still an important part of the strategy mix, consumers are browsing, texting, emailing, and interacting with the internet and social media using their mobile devices. In 2014, Nielsen estimated that people spend more than 30 hours a month using apps, an increase of 65% over the last two years.
Today, digital marketing strategies are imperative to business success. Businesses have access to consumers on mobile phones and tablets and can reach their audience with customised messages via SMS messaging, mobile website and apps, banner ads, QR codes and more.
Typically, mobile devices travel with you, so you are always connected, and choose the content that interests you.
Move Over Marketing! Here Comes Internal Communication
The differences that once separated the internal and external audiences are converging. Across industries regardless of size or location companies increasingly focus on creating a communication experience that delivers important messages and closely mimics personal experience.
Employees are consumers and like consumers, they use mobile devices to stay connected. The implications for business are enormous.
The 2013 Towers Watson Change and Communication ROI Survey found that “56% of the employers surveyed currently use various social media tools as part of their internal communication initiatives to build community — creating a sense that employees and leaders are in it together. However, when asked how they would rate the effectiveness of social media tools, only 30% to 40% of respondents rated most of the tools as highly effective. And only four in 10 (40%) rated the use of social media technology as cost effective.”
Neilson Mobile studies say that 97% of mobile subscribers will read an SMS (text) message within 15 minutes of receiving it and 84% will respond within 1 hour. While 65% of email is spam, less than 10% of SMS is. Their recent overview of the global marketplace highlights strong growth in the middle class, also considered the working class. Access to information through mobile technology is increasing daily.
Technology allows companies to connect with employees, especially their mobile workforce in ways that were not possible even 10 years ago. Employees want to access business information through mobile technology and apps, and companies worldwide are looking for cost-effective ways that create better communication, influence business results and drives the bottom line.
Isn’t it time to use internal communication apps to connect employees with companies?
Introducing Sparrow, the innovative new internal communication app that connects employees with each other and critical company messages through a portal that integrates messages across channels. Better yet, Sparrow provides real time analytics that informs strategic planning and allows communication professionals to measure the impact of their work.
