Retail today is ripe with opportunities to innovate, differentiate, and set trends. The combination of mobility, sophisticated supply chains, and access to data on everything from what’s in stock to the individual shoppers’ preferences has made it possible for retailers to take their first steps toward providing every shopper with a unique experience, one suited to their specific needs at a particular point in time.
The model for shopper engagement built on real-time data is reasonably well characterized. Investments are being made to put the right technologies in place as well, but there are still areas where the ability to meet service goals can be thwarted. One of those areas is access, specifically access from mobile devices.
Mobile devices are everywhere in today’s shopping environment. Many of us have experienced the benefits of using a smartphone to look up a product, make a comparison, read a review, or solicit a friend’s opinion while shopping. However, there is a strong role being filled by the corporate owned devices that are present in just about every retail store. These are the rugged, Enterprise-level devices that are used for important tasks like inventory counts, in-store communication, and providing mobile point of sale services. In fact, almost six in 10 shoppers have a better shopping experience when store associates use handheld mobile computers to provide pricing and product availability information.
It can be argued that these devices are indispensable to the modern retailer and have become essential elements to delivering the service capability on which today’s differentiated experiences are being built. In fact, more than 65 percent of store associates agreed that they could better serve customers with handheld mobile devices.
As the trend to tightly integrating devices into the retailer’s business process grows, the requirement for ensuring the performance and availability of those devices also changes. Many retailers have considered this a device management issue. But the present level of business integration is highlighting the need for a more sophisticated approach – Mobility Lifecycle Management, which places its focus on all of the connected processes required to establish and maintain an operationally effective mobile device environment.
Three factors distinguish what have been identified as separating mobility lifecycle management from simple device management. They are Utilization, Traceability, and Compliance.
Utilization addresses whether devices are being used to their full potential or not, and if they aren’t, why not?
Traceability –looks at where devices are located at any given time and how procedures can be put in place to ensure that retailers always know where they are.
Compliance examines whether devices are being used in a manner consistent with operational processes and if they are driving the business value envisioned from the use of mobility.
These questions are not always easy to answer. Issues they identify may not always be simple to fix. Addressing issues around utilization, traceability and compliance may require subject matter experts, specialized analysis, data that can only come from integrated systems, consulting expertise, and even process changes. For many retailers, these issues are more than their device management tools can handle, and may require outside expertise.
Retailers focus on trends and trendsetters. One trend worth setting now is to change your approach to dealing with devices, easily among the most essential tools for delivering enhanced engagement and service innovation.
Richard Orgias is Senior Manager, Enterprise Services Marketing at Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Good point is emphasized here. However, again all the topic is around the basics of enterprise mobility where a blend of mobile management and mobile application management tools, together with right devices, is required.
Entries » Blog » Be a Trendsetter: Move from Mobile Device Management to Mobility Lifecycle Management
Be a Trendsetter: Move from Mobile Device Management to Mobility Lifecycle Management
Retail today is ripe with opportunities to innovate, differentiate, and set trends. The combination of mobility, sophisticated supply chains, and access to data on everything from what’s in stock to the individual shoppers’ preferences has made it possible for retailers to take their first steps toward providing every shopper with a unique experience, one suited to their specific needs at a particular point in time.
The model for shopper engagement built on real-time data is reasonably well characterized. Investments are being made to put the right technologies in place as well, but there are still areas where the ability to meet service goals can be thwarted. One of those areas is access, specifically access from mobile devices.
Mobile devices are everywhere in today’s shopping environment. Many of us have experienced the benefits of using a smartphone to look up a product, make a comparison, read a review, or solicit a friend’s opinion while shopping. However, there is a strong role being filled by the corporate owned devices that are present in just about every retail store. These are the rugged, Enterprise-level devices that are used for important tasks like inventory counts, in-store communication, and providing mobile point of sale services. In fact, almost six in 10 shoppers have a better shopping experience when store associates use handheld mobile computers to provide pricing and product availability information.
It can be argued that these devices are indispensable to the modern retailer and have become essential elements to delivering the service capability on which today’s differentiated experiences are being built. In fact, more than 65 percent of store associates agreed that they could better serve customers with handheld mobile devices.
As the trend to tightly integrating devices into the retailer’s business process grows, the requirement for ensuring the performance and availability of those devices also changes. Many retailers have considered this a device management issue. But the present level of business integration is highlighting the need for a more sophisticated approach – Mobility Lifecycle Management, which places its focus on all of the connected processes required to establish and maintain an operationally effective mobile device environment.
Three factors distinguish what have been identified as separating mobility lifecycle management from simple device management. They are Utilization, Traceability, and Compliance.
Utilization addresses whether devices are being used to their full potential or not, and if they aren’t, why not?
Traceability –looks at where devices are located at any given time and how procedures can be put in place to ensure that retailers always know where they are.
Compliance examines whether devices are being used in a manner consistent with operational processes and if they are driving the business value envisioned from the use of mobility.
These questions are not always easy to answer. Issues they identify may not always be simple to fix. Addressing issues around utilization, traceability and compliance may require subject matter experts, specialized analysis, data that can only come from integrated systems, consulting expertise, and even process changes. For many retailers, these issues are more than their device management tools can handle, and may require outside expertise.
Retailers focus on trends and trendsetters. One trend worth setting now is to change your approach to dealing with devices, easily among the most essential tools for delivering enhanced engagement and service innovation.
Richard Orgias is Senior Manager, Enterprise Services Marketing at Motorola Solutions, Inc.
Visit our website to explore Managed Services from Motorola Solutions and take a tour of Mobility Lifecycle Management.
Read additional blogs by Richard Orgias.
Good point is emphasized here. However, again all the topic is around the basics of enterprise mobility where a blend of mobile management and mobile application management tools, together with right devices, is required.