Is Mobile Making Us More Productive?

A recent article published in the Wall Street Journal by Dennis K. Berman (@dkberman) grabbed my attention.  The author opens with these words.  The visual of this actually made me laugh out loud:

"Imagine you woke up each morning, strapped a keyboard, monitor, Wi-Fi receiver, desktop computer, camera and stereo to your body, and ventured clumsily out the door.  Of course, you're already doing it. You're using a smartphone, and today that thin slab has roughly the same computing power as the powerful desktops of 2005."

Mr. Berman is challenging the fact that we have all this power tethered to us  24x7 yet the productivity gains are on a much smaller scale.  That we aren't wholesale eliminating people-intensive jobs because of mobile.  He points out that while the technology may exist, changing people's behaviors and adoption of new ways of doing things is much slower.  

I completely agree that mobile isn't making making us more productive on the macro level just yet.  However, all of the micro or task level productivity gains are nothing to sneeze at either.  Here are my observations:

At the personal level 

Mobile has enabled me to completely eliminate the need to set aside time each week to manage my household finances.  Balancing a checkbook....what's that?  I'm doing everything on my phone on my Citibank and Mint apps.   And I'm doing it when I have idle time - waiting in line, commuting on the subway.

Shopping, connecting with my doctor, and scheduling appointments are all things I am doing from my phone when I have pockets of time.

At the enterprise level 

Two big areas we, Solstice Mobile,  are seeing at ripe for mobile productivity gains are content distribution and sales meeting preparation.   

We are building tablet interfaces that sit on top of enterprise content management systems to allow access to documents on the go.  It's much more than basic mobile reader access to files.  We are enhancing and improving the customer relationship management process through more targeted and engaging content.  

Here is a use case:  Imagine the financial services relationship manager that walks a customer through is portfolio performance documents via a remote controlled iPad.  No more paper printouts or PowerPoints & projectors.  Just a couple of ipads connecting to secure and visually rich content.  The preparation time for the relationship manager is cut in half by simply accessing files that already exist in a more visually appealing display.  If an up-sell opportunity arises,  centrally managed marketing materials can be accessed in a secure way.  These documents can be shared real-time saving  not only on follow-up time but also speeding up the sales cycle by capturing the moment.  Beyond documents there is exposing important information about client from CRM applications as well as industry specific news feeds in one central location.  We are seeing the game of relationship management change through the use of graphically rich sales productivity tablet tools. 

How are you seeing mobile being used - is it a productivity killer thanks to games like Angry Birds and social media use on mobile.  Or, have you experienced the use cases for productivity gains at work or in your personal life?   Tell me your story in the comments below.

Starbucks Keeping it Real

For all the technology trailblazing that Starbucks has done, they haven't forgotten the basics for creating brand loyalty. Nothing beats a handwritten note on your latte from your local barista.

In Your Home or in Your Pocket - Creating a Great Retail Experience

I'm a huge fan of QVC (home shopping TV). They have taken their traditional in-home buying model mobile. They have opened up an entirely new revenue stream that targets a whole new demographic. And when those that traditionally only shop from the comforts of their home start migrating to mobile, QVC will be there with a fine tuned experience.

I recently discovered a very awesome yet dangerous mobile feature - text to purchase. By texting "ONAIR" to a 5 digit number I'll get the item currently on air shipped to me. This is the epitome of the "speed buy" transaction. QVC already knows how to bill me and where to send it.

QVC has made the investment in mobile and it will/has attracted a new set of customers that expect shopping on their terms when and where they have time to fit it in - when we are "snacking" on mobile.

Unlike the story of JC Penney, QVC has not forgotten their loyal customer base that helped get them where they are today. Rather they have used mobile as a compliment to and extension of the in-home shopping experience they are known for.

How will you use mobile to extend your brand, acquire new customers, while meeting the expectations of your loyal customers?

Allstate's Drivewise is a Mobile Trifecta

Allstate's Drivewise app is a mobile trifecta:
1. Saves Allstate customers money
2. Utility app for promoting safer driving
3. Drives loyalty & brand allegiance

Let's talk! What are some other examples of Trifecta apps? Add your favorites in the comments below.

Dockers, Skinny Jeans and Everything in Between - What happened to JC Penney?

The recent news about the demise of JC Penney's CEO, Ron Johnson, has really captured my attention.    
JC Penney was a staple in my childhood. I have fond memories of shopping with my mom and sister for every milestone life event at the store - the back to school shopping pilgrimage, the matching easter outfits, new decor for the house, our family portraits.  Everything significant seemed to have a road that lead through JC Penney for one reason or another.  And probably the biggest impression I have of the retailer is the catalog.  I can still smell that giant catalog, feel those thin glossy pages, and see those stylish images of women in their perfectly coordinating Worthington suits. The most anticipated event in my childhood was the special toy catalog.

 I vividly remember pouring over every page with my sister at our kitchen table very carefully making my selections for Santa Claus to bring.  The retailer was also my employer in high school.  I further experienced the brand as a cashier in the mens jeans department.  Although my tenure was short, I experienced the culture of the company through the training program and my co-workers.  There was always the mystique of that polished sales associate in the suit working on commission to push those St. John's Bay products to men (and the women that shopped for their men). It was a role that felt unattainable to me at that point in my life.  As I grew up I migrated away from the store.  Once I was on my own the JC Penney brand seemed no longer relevant to me.  I had always associated it with "older" people. I was fresh, young, and hip!  I shopped at Express!

Well maybe it's because I'm "older" now or that there is a store within a mile from my new house, I've recently just re-discovered the retailer. I was pleasantly surprised at my experience in the store.  The clothes were trendy, the store was clean and well organized, and Sephora was located in the store.  The icing on the cake was the free wifi prominently advertised in the store.  Nostalgia kicked in as I purchased my sons Easter suits there this year and took them for their annual portraits.

From my perspective everything seemed to be headed in the right direction for the retailer, so what went wrong?  I've been reading as much as I can about the situation and have taken away 3 key themes to what happened:

1) changing too much too fast
2) ignoring important factors in the economy - the rising price of cotton to make clothing & it's impact to profit margins
3) forgetting the bread & butter customer to focus on a new target profile

While personally I was thrilled with the changes at JC Penney, I came back to the store by chance.  Their loyal customer was the baby boomer generation who had a specific level of comfort and set of expectations for the brand.  It must have been a shock to the system to see the Mango brand get more floor space than Worthington.  It's the equivalent of taking your parents to H&M or American Apparel to find an outfit.  The pricing model has also been subject to a lot of scrutiny.  Many say it was confusing.  More fashionable clothing with similar quality to other retailers at a much cheaper price.  I'll take it.  But again, I wasn't accustomed to the previous pricing strategy as their loyal customers were.  They were expecting a Sunday sales circular  promoting  door buster specials.  It wasn't clear that the price on the tag was actually a really low price already

Had Mr. Johnson introduced the changes in phases and taken the loyal crowd on a journey instead of splashing cold water in their face I think we'd be talking about a very different story about the retailer today.

As always, interested in your thoughts on the developing story.

-Kelly

Internet Retailer Mobile Marketing & Commerce Forum Debrief

Internet retailer debrief from kmanthey

What would you tell your 25 year-old self?

My career is working with emerging technologies, my passion is proving that women can do anything they put their mind to. Whether your mission is to be at home raising the kids full-time, working full-time, starting your own business, or some combination of all of these things,  conquering the world takes a solid support system. I have been fortunate throughout my career to have found and attached myself to some pretty powerful mentors.  They have helped me through career transitions, life changes, self doubt, and kicked me in the pants when I needed it most. As an executive in a fast growing mobile technology firm I now find myself in the position of influencing others, which is a huge responsibility.  I have started a group specifically for the women in my company to provide a source of mentorship, education, and support as they too travel professional and personal roads that I have traveled.  These are amazing women at all stages in their life.  I am sharing my experiences and lessons learned but I'd like to enlist the wisdom from my powerhouse female network and share some of your perspectives with the group.   My question is simple - based on what you know now, what career & life advice would you give your 25 year old self?  I'd ask that you respond with 3 pieces of advice that I can share with the women at Solstice Mobile. You can add your thoughts in the blog comments below.  I will be consolidating responses and presenting it at our March 21st meeting. In exchange for your time & feedback, I'd also be happy to share a copy of the consolidated responses with you.

Thank you for your time and for helping me make a difference.

-Kelly
kmanthey@solstice-mobile.com