Wednesday 22nd October, 2014

According to research by Source for Consulting and Advanced Business Solutions, almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of employees from mid-market businesses (SMBs) in the UK want to see greater investment in mobile technology to access back office systems to boost their productivity. 

The report is based on a survey conducted with staff from 160 UK SMB’s organisations in July 2014, carried out to gauge interest in using mobile technologies to access and manage information held on CRM, HR, finance and other business critical systems.

It highlights that employee demand to use smartphone and tablet devices in a professional capacity is only partially being met. Only seven per cent of finance staff can access customer and supplier data via mobile devices and just nine per cent can retrieve key business performance data and metrics.

Nearly half admitted they would like to be able to report absences using a mobile device. Whilst approving expenses while on the move is a preferred option for 44 per cent of respondents. 

Simon Fowler, Managing Director, Advanced Business Solutions (Commercial division) comments: “Our research reveals that staff are keen to extend their use of mobile technology but many mid-market employers are not keeping up with their demands."

Mobile devices are increasingly being used by field-based staff to access customer information held within CRM systems and by finance managers to view and approve financial documents such as invoices and purchase orders remotely.