Over the years, more and more business applications have been finding their way onto your phone. From email to customer service to travel expenses, it seems like everything is going the way of mobile.
But what about business process management ? Isn’t that too much of a core aspect to demand that it function on a mobile device as well?
Why No Mobile is a Deal Breaker
If the business process management software you are evaluating does not have mobile support for at least Android and iOS, you should walk away immediately. A product that doesn’t offer mobile support – or provides support only for discarded Blackberry phones – should not feature in your BPM buying list.
The future of all businesses is mobile, and we are already seeing signs of BPM taking strides towards that direction. Gartner has hailed iBPMS (i.e., intelligent BPMS) as the next stomping ground for businesses to finding solutions to their problems, and mobile is one of the important “nexus of forces” in the evolution.
Imagine how your business will operate in five years. You can easily imagine all your core business taking place on the go, on the cloud, and on the phone (if it’s not there already). In 2015, almost 35% of global workforce were mobile workers and industry analysts predict that the mobile BPM will grow at a CAGR of 20.9% between 2016-2020.
If the BPM system you are looking at doesn’t currently offer mobile support, don’t plan on them making the leap anytime soon. And if they do, it will likely be a very difficult transition. On the other hand, if you choose business process management software that already has a robust mobile option, it’s likely to just get better over time.
What Mobile Support Should You Consider?
When shortlisting a BPM for your enterprise purchase, you need to take account of the platform compatibility it offers.
iOS, for instance, is ubiquitous in the US market; however, emerging countries like Brazil, China, and India are more reliant on the Android ecosystem. As of 2016, Android had a 86.2% market share over all new smartphones, way ahead of 12.8% for iOS. Windows accounted for 0.6%.
Businesses with offices scattered across the globe should choose a BPM system that offers compatibility across all leading mobile platforms to ensure hassle-free team collaboration.
Should You Choose a Mobile-First Application?
A mobile-first application is one that is primarily meant for mobile devices and may or may not also provide web-browser based options. For BPM, a mobile-first approach works great for users. You want people to be able to see the information and act on it as quickly as possible.
However, when it comes to process creation, form design, reporting, and many other features, you will need something that thinks beyond mobile. However, manufacturing and IT businesses that have many complex components to their operations need to have their foot on the ground; they can opt for BPM solutions to create great mobile experience, but only as an extension of their core desktop services.
A mobile-first BPM software might not offer extensive integration with other systems in an enterprise, or might offer simplistic functionalities that do not match an enterprise’s complexities. On the other hand, incorporating mobile intelligence into their processes empowers managers to accomplish tasks on the move and ensures business continuity.
In short, the best solution is one that is highly feature-rich and intelligent that also provides an amazing mobile experience for users.
What Should Users Be Able to Do From a Mobile Device?
Business process management tools that support mobile devices should allow users to perform all of the basic functions. They should be able to view, prioritize, execute, approve, withdraw, and track any item they have participated in for a given process.
In addition, the best business process management software will allow individuals to have administrative abilities over individual processes. They should able to reassign tasks, delegate responsibilities, and delete items from the airport before they have to worry about logging into a system.
At Kissflow Process, we had one of our customers blast out approvals at the airport, thanks to our mobile apps and that delighted him to no end.
It’s f****** awesome. I am sitting in the middle of a terrible airport blasting out approvals and reviewing my team’s work. How’s it feel to have an awesome workflow system to sell?
Stakeholders are not bound by time and place to access their tasks on mobile. They can control the processes on the go, eliminating the chance of bottlenecks and office-bound approvals.
When it comes to finding the best business process management software, your search should end if the BPM software doesn’t offer mobile support for users. Make this non-negotiable and keep your company ahead of the technology curve.
