Work gets busy, and before we know it, we’ve been at our desks for three hours straight without a break. Besides workplace stretches or a walk to the water cooler, there are keys to unlock that long-term freedom we’re constantly seeking. Business apps not only increase productivity, revenue, and customer service, but they are increasingly becoming a go-to resource for organizations looking to run their businesses from mobile devices. That means no more desk shackles.

On the June episode of Connected Leaders, we discussed mobile productivity apps with:

• Stephen Simons, Chief Information Officer of Direct Energy Solar, on behalf of Rootstock  

• Katence Olson, Co-founder and COO at GIVE, on behalf of SMS Magic by Screen Magic  

Read on to learn how they use apps to liberate themselves from their desks, and how you can do it too.

1. Apps help you interact with your customers naturally

When it comes to customer service and success, many organizations are moving away from the traditional methods of interaction (call center and emails), toward live chat and SMS support. This is rooted in a growing belief that customer and business conversations should occur on the platforms where customers spend their time.

That was the case with GIVE, a nonprofit that organizes and provides volunteer excursions for college students to foster development opportunities, such as building schools, teaching English, and working with communities around the world. Needing to constantly communicate with these students presented a problem for GIVE, because phone calls and voicemails often went unanswered. “Our goal was to find a communication strategy that [our volunteers] use in their everyday life. We wanted to connect anytime, anywhere, either during the lead phase or when volunteers are traveling in airports,” Olson said. “SMS Magic has a tight integration with Salesforce, and we can utilize texting and see incoming messages and data very easily. It’s really, really user friendly.”

2. Apps handle business tasks on the go

For some businesses, all work can be done from a desktop computer. But in many industries, from retail, to manufacturing, to the emerging gig economy, having the ability to work on the go can mean the difference between success and failure, and can greatly impact the lives of employees. If employees can complete tasks, update information, and stay connected throughout the course of their day, they are free from using that old desktop computer..

For Direct Energy Solar, the problem occurred in the warehouse, where operations managers worked until 9 or 10 each night to stage items for the next day. That changed after the implementation of Rootstock and its mobile front end. “Rather than having to do things in the warehouse and then go back and register them on a laptop back in their office, they can now do their transactions on the floor,” Simons said. “We no longer had inventory managers in the warehouse until late at night getting ready for the next day. They work reasonable business hours and more accurately, too.”

3. Apps provide information you need where and when you need it

The world is happening away from your desk and office, and businesses need to get out and see it. Using apps that both provide information, and allow for the input from the field, can give your business a huge leg up over the competition. For both GIVE and Direct Energy Solar, the use of AppExchange apps solved major growth issues at inflection points for both companies.

For Olson and GIVE, the move to SMS Magic led to a 30% increase in conversions combining SMS texts with email, and 60% of leads who didn’t answer a phone call responded to a text within 1-2 hours. “All in all, we’ve saved 60 hours each month getting in touch with leads not having to play phone tag with volunteers,” Olson said. “Now, our team is able to focus on new volunteers, projects, and other elements of our program – not just getting in touch with people.”

At Direct Energy Solar, the implementation of Rootstock gave employees the ability to repackage deals in the warehouse, get real-time data, and see what they needed to see to improve operational efficiencies. After implementing Rootstock, monthly inventory variances dropped from $100,000 to no more than $10,000. “No inventory moves without us being able to see it,” Simons said. “We can now plan and purchase much better.”

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