In a quickly evolving digital world where many businesses are adopting mobility, why should sales leaders consider a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy and what are the associated implications on the business?
What is BYOD?
BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Device. This refers to a policy in which an organization provides their employees with access to corporate resources and information via their personal devices -- mobile phones, tablets, and laptops.
The envisioned benefits for sales organizations instating a BYOD policy are twofold: improve sales rep productivity and significantly cut costs. Since sales reps are already spending time on their own personal devices, they’ll be most comfortable and fluent with what they know and already use.
BYOD is here
According to analyst firm Gartner, a solid two thirds of the workforce will have smartphones by next year, and 40% of the workforce will be mobile. Furthermore, close to 50% of organizations are either adopting or anticipate adopting a BYOD policy for smartphones, and 44% for tablet devices. Currently, the US leads in BYOD adoption, with over 71 million personal devices in business use.
Although several security concerns do impact BYOD adoption in large enterprises, the trend of continued adoption is clear as companies implement the privacy and risk measures that are right for their business.
Why is BYOD important for sales?
A BYOD program can favorably impact the sales organization on multiple fronts.
Cost efficiencies
Most obviously, sales teams that incorporate a BYOD policy save on the costs required to acquire individual devices for each sales team member.
Improved productivity
Adopting BYOD can add as much as 460 hours per employee per year. By equipping your sales team with mobile sales automation software, you can streamline the sales ordering process AND increase average order size.
Effectiveness of independent sales reps
A BYOD model is critical for brands that sell through independent sales reps. Here, the company can’t dictate which device the independent sales reps will use, and so it’s key to enable the independent sales reps to use their own devices in transacting their sales through your b2b ordering system.
Expression
Many of us are passionate about the mobile devices we use (just think of the endless lines of people waiting to buy the latest iPhone). Allowing sap mobile sales reps to use their own device at work allows them to express their own personal style and preferences, giving them a sense of individuality and freedom in the workplace.
Wholesale CRM organizations adopting a BYOD program stand to gain from multiple business benefits. Ensure that all the apps that you equip your reps with -- such as mobile order taking, mobile CRM, e-catalog software-- are cross-mobile, operating natively on iOS, Android, and PCs. Sales reps -- whether or own or independent -- will be able to use your apps irrespective of the device they own.
About The Author
