The numbers probably tell a lot of the story. A Forrester report forecasts that 4.8 billion individuals globally will use a mobile phone. Smartphone subscribers will soon represent 46% of the global population, driven by an accelerated adoption in Africa and Asia.

For enterprise the real collaboration story is around the ecosystem. If we start with a view of employees, Forrester has determined that 50% of app-enabled employees will note that they are happy to work at their companies. 

Many organisations continue to reach out to employees through newsletters, memos, newsflashes and the majority of old-style intranets. These channel are not collaborative in any way. If you want to hear your company ‘voice’, there are probably few to no traditional channels that will make the cut, with the possible exception of the water cooler.

Research shows that over 90% of people will read a text message within 3 minutes of receiving it. How quickly do you think they are reading your newsletter, even if it’s delivered in a digital format?

Mobile apps are providing real-time, one-click feedback on communication effectiveness. This is not only being used for smart communication strategies in companies, but for key collaboration initiatives.

Janice Scheckter is MD and co-founder of Indigo New Media and a collaboration activist.

Source: Forrester.com