Companies are under an increasing amount of pressure to make better, more accurate decisions, faster. Faster being the key word. A great way to accomplish this, is by providing a seamless user experience by ensuring business intelligence (BI) systems are accessible from wherever your users are, including on their mobile devices. And why not give your users something they’re likely already asking for? The days where dashboards and reports are only available on desktop are long gone and data users are now demanding access to key insights, right from their mobile device. They’re always on-the-go, so give them the ability to stay connected to their data from wherever they are by allowing them to connect, interact and analyze data from any device.
According to the BARC BI Survey – the world’s largest and most comprehensive survey of BI software users – “the spread of internet-enabled mobile devices has reached the point at which they should now be considered a major contributor to rapid decision support”.
Before diving into the benefits of mobile BI and why you should consider leveraging a business intelligence platform that allows you to deploy on all mobile platforms – without having to develop and maintain a dedicated solution for each, and without depending on a desktop application to analyze your data – let me quickly cover what mobile BI entails. Mobile BI can be referred to as the access of business intelligence and information via mobile devices; fairly self-explanatory. When done successfully, it’s able to bridge the gap between analytics and users by eliminating the barriers to accessibility. Mobile BI at its core means your users are able to consume their data from anywhere at any time.
It’s undeniable that mobility has, and continues to evolve the data landscape, and offers numerous key benefits for organizations, such as:
Enhanced Data Visibility
The single most important benefit to mobile BI, is enhanced data visibility. The ability for users to access the data in their business intelligence software from anywhere at any time is paramount. This brings a whole new meaning to real-time analytics, as users are able to react even faster to changes in data as it’s right there in front of them. Pair mobile BI with data-driven notifications and other collaborative tactics and you’ll be well ahead of the game.
While on this topic, it’s worth mentioning that enhanced data visibility is something that can be leveraged at scale, meaning it’s ideal for companies that have a large group of remote workers. Remote workers have an innate desire to stay connected and aware, and better access and visibility into their data makes it that much more possible. With the ability to view and share dashboards, reports and scorecards seamlessly and perform data analysis on-the-go, regardless of location, these workers will never be blind to how their data’s performing.
On-The-Go Collaboration
Approaching business intelligence with a more collaborative mindset is the key to making the most of your investment. In this era of increased mobility, collaboration between users is no longer confined to scheduled, in-person, one-hour meetings. Mobile BI allows for greater innovation and adoption of collaborating practices by making data available to everyone, at any time of the day. As data becomes increasingly more visible and available, users are naturally encouraged to engage in conversations about it, provide feedback, ask questions, and share insights they’ve found. Mobile BI gives them the freedom to do so. Everyone will have the data and information they need to make real-time decisions, anywhere, anytime.
Improved Sales Strategy
Mobile BI has a profound and direct impact on Sales teams. By bringing BI systems to mobile devices, Sales teams are able to see important company data on-demand (allowing for Sales strategies to be adjusted and improved on-the-fly), collaborate with long-distance colleagues, and keep connected to core business activities and operations.
Gartner once said that, “mobile devices will have the biggest impact on sales-force automation since the laptop was introduced decades ago”.
They weren’t wrong. Mobile BI empowers Sales teams to identify and track key metrics regardless of team dispersion, and operate off real, accurate data at every turn. Mobile BI invites an all-around more adaptable sales practice, the likes of which have never been seen before.
Conclusion
These are just a handful of the benefits mobile BI can deliver. And yes, while much of these benefits can be applied to business intelligence in general, mobile BI will simply amplify them. The greatest benefit to mobile BI, is one that encompasses all the above, and that is the benefit of added flexibility. By bringing your BI suite into the mobile space, you can take advantage of a whole new level of connectivity; creating a more adaptable and accomplished workplace.
PS – to learn best practices for designing stunning dashboards across all devices, check out our webinar.
Follow Us
Support