The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business, 3rd Edition

Chapter 36

Mobility II: Mobile Mania

Smartphones are reinventing the connection between companies and their customers.

—Rich Miner, cofounder, Android

There is no doubt we are living through a revolutionary technological time that is changing the way people work. More and more, business people are becoming untethered—untethered to their desktop and desktop computer, untethered to the office, untethered even to the old 9 to 5 hours. Owners and employees are increasingly working where they want, how they want, and when they want. And while laptops, netbooks, notebooks, and iPads are a big reason, probably the biggest reason and change is the advent of the smartphone. As a result, today small businesses are on the march—out of the office.

Recent surveys back this up, indicating just how much the workplace is changing and how significantly smartphones are affecting that change. A 2011 survey by the firm RingCentral indicated that 56 percent of those surveyed said that forgetting their smartphone at home was worse than forgetting their wallet. Other interesting results included:

• Although only 22 percent said they checked their phone for business once or twice a day, 62 percent said they check it multiple times a day. In fact, more than half surveyed said they were “addicted” to their smartphones.
• Only 21 percent said the best thing about their phone was never missing an important call, whereas 49 percent said it was the ability to e-mail anytime, anywhere.
• A full 60 percent said they ...