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Moving To Mobile

Smart phones. Blue-tooth. Cloud computing. Yep. The world is going mobile. In full force. Are you ready for the new mobile world?

At Aestiva we've asked ourselves the same question. We're delighted users have the ability to work almost anywhere they want. On the other hand, we're challenged by our desires to take advantage of the new mobile environment. People are in a period of transition. According to a May 2013 survey by the PewResearchCenter only 56% of American adults have a smartphone. This fact makes it challenging to introduce mobile features. Here's why.

Business operations are best defined when they apply equally to all. Since some staff are not yet mobile, mobile features can only be introduced as an alternative for those who are not. They can't be a total replacement. We don't often find situations where all users use mobile. The heterogeneous environment means we need to retain the non-mobile features even if we eventually phase them out. But that could be years from now.

While restrictive, the limitations leave a lot of room for new mobile-friendly features. Target groups consisting of managers, senior executives, business development teams, and IT groups can often be counted on to have smart phones. They love mobile options. We recommend introducing mobile features as conveniences - not to be counted on, but important nonetheless.

Aestiva's "text notification feature" provides an example of a mobile feature you can offer as a nice convenience. The feature can be easily implemented since it does not require IT changes. Once enabled text alerts can be provided to those with smart phones. Users can still get their standard email notifications. But once the feature is set up, users can switch to text, keep their email notifications, or just use the standard email notifications.

The feature is easy to manage. You need to enter the smart phone numbers of those who want text alerts and take out the email addresses of those who no longer want email notifications. Nothing more.

As smart phones become more ubiquitous we expect people to want more and more mobile features. Have a mobile feature you want implemented? Bring it to the attention of your Aestiva Account Coordinator. We are here to help you take advantage of everything mobile.












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