Today's executives are facing a rapidly changing business landscape, with mobile, social, cloud and data converging as today's platform for digital business.
But to a busy leader - occupied with delivering for clients, driving growth and boosting profit - such macro-level technology statements are as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike.
Faced with so many competing interests, why should your professional services firm devote important resources to harnessing these technologies? What will they do for you?
In this two-part blog series, I'll start by examining how mobile and social technologies have changed the playing field, creating efficiencies that you won't want to miss.
Mobile
Despite significant investments in mobile applications, not enough executives are pushing their deployment.
Why, you may ask? Consider it a failure to align technology with business value.
There is a direct link between capturing time and expenses in a mobile device and profitability. The ability to capture hours in an app drives greater accuracy and more billable hours, ensuring fewer write-offs. The result? A faster work-to-cash process and considerable bottom line savings.
Results quickly follow, meaning that mobile deployment has the potential to convert formerly apathetic users around, inspiring higher adoption.
You can truly reap rewards is by deploying workflow through a mobile platform. Sharing important data with your employees through their mobile devices speeds business, driving greater accountability and improved financial performance.
For example, a practice director or partner approving a client invoice on their device will improve cash flow. The same director or partner can be alerted to a project with a projected poor margin, instantly allowing a vital call to be made whilst in a taxi between meetings.
This is where the true business value of mobile technology lies. Isn't it time you made your work life easier?
Social
What is social beyond a trend and a buzzword? For an executive delivering hours to clients, social is about two things: harnessing intellectual capital and improved delivery quality.
So let's stop thinking about "Facebook for business" and let me be very specific: deploying social tools can be transformative.
Surprised? Don't be.
When a business leader can ensure that every asset created for every pitch is naturally available for a client's team to share, leverage and improve, it drives higher win rates and faster growth.
Social tools are the cornerstone of delivering quality results. Workflow-centric social tools offer you the ability to:
•Measure technical as well as financial project completion
•Diligently track key performance indicators
•Ensure compliance with method
Teams with effective social deployments take the subjectivity out of delivery and ensure gains in sales.
The big picture
Mobile and social technology forces have the potential to transform how you work and the quality of your results. You can best unleash their true power by working with a partner who has deep insight into your industry.
Don't miss my next blog, which explores cloud, big data and what these technologies mean together.