Learning that her elderly grandfather had just passed away, Katie went straight to her grandparents’ house to visit her ninety-five-year-old grandmother to comfort her. When she asked how her grandfather had died, her grandmother replied: “She had a heart attack while we were making love on Sunday morning.” Horrified, Katie told her grandmother that two nearly-hundred-year-olds having sex would surely be asking for trouble.
“Oh no, dear,” Grandma replied. “Many years ago, realizing our advanced age, we determined that the best time to do it was when the church bells began to ring. It was just the right pace. Nothing too strenuous, just in the Ding and out of the Dong.” Pausing to wipe away a tear, he continued, “I’d still be alive if the ice cream truck hadn’t come.”
So what does the above have to do with choosing the right mobile phone?
It’s about doing it right. Mobile phones are such an integral part of our business life, with which you have the ability to communicate with anywhere in the world. You can make every member of your organization your ambassador, creating new pathways to market. Therefore, choosing the right mobile platform for the business is something to be considered wisely.
Over the years, I’ve worked with companies where teams used five or six different types of mobile phones, which is fine – individual choice in choosing a mobile phone is one way to do it. But then there are all the ancillary parts that come with phones: various power cords, charging systems, cases, different apps on the interface, lens quality, and data and information storage methods.
Who has not shouted on the floor of a workplace: “Who has a Nokia charger?” And that’s the day everyone who made it to the office despite the train strike has an iPhone. So there is a case for a company to have their entire team use the same mobile phone/platform.
Mobile phones can make your business life a misery or they can be a complete joy. The wrong phone and the wrong kind of contract can add gray hair to your temples faster than any old lady. So which mobile phone is best for your business use? A platform that works for one business may not work for another, but you know that, right?
Can you take it too far? A company once told me that they didn’t just want the same phone, the same color and the same memory capacity. And that all the apps should also be in the same place. Wow, that has to be the Hilton Hotel of mobile phone interfaces. I can see his point, the reason being that every single person in the company knew exactly how to use the phone – the company had essentially eighty-nine experts, all on the same phone.
So if someone said, “Where’s the app for the futures markets?” For example, I can tell you now that the app was on the top left, two down. The mobile phone interface shorthand is a good thing, but we like to give them our own character. For example: my Skype app is in just the right place, right side two up – this is the length of my right thumb and I can access the weather app from here. I will have it here. Or how the green on my travel app looks great next to the red and white on the YouTube app—all technical stuff.
BOOM, it’s done and I’m going to take all the phones we have and trade them in for a wholesale iPhone 7. No; hold on to your mobile phone until you die. Keep using the phone until it cannot be repaired or there are no more updates for the platform it is on. Then, when it’s ready, give it to your kids or a charity (WWF is a good one).
Tips for when your contract date approaches:
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Consider this: when it comes to contract end time, make a list of the things you want from your mobile phone: make sure the mobile phone platform (iOS, Android, etc.) fits your needs and not the reverse.
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Don’t get into a mobile deal just because the iPhone 7 looked good on the tube bill. What is better for business, a smartphone or a dummy phone? It’s hard to download a malicious app on your company network via a dumb phone.
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Some industries and government institutions only require dummy phones, for security purposes, they don’t have a camera and are substantially cheaper.
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Pricing: What is the best value for the company, a two-year or a three-year contract? What length fits your staffing or expansion plans?
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Right before you update your phones, will everything sync? See if moving dollies will create any electronic dead ends in your office.
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If you decide that the grass is greener and you are going to switch to another deck, it’s not too difficult, it just requires some careful planning. There are many applications and the cloud to help you carefully exchange information.
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And finally, if your cell phone has bells and whistles, make sure they don’t all go off at the same time. You want to make it to ninety-six, don’t you?
