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Survey of UK companies' senior decision-makers reveals true state of UK business mobility.

Priority Software Ltd., a leading global provider of ERP solutions, today announced the findings of its research into the state of mobile working in UK businesses, revealing that 72 per cent of business leaders do not find it easy to carry out work from a mobile device.

Revealing a gap in perception of mobile working and the reality of working practices, the research, which surveyed 500 senior decision-makers in UK companies, found that while 95 per cent of those who are permitted to work on-the-go think mobility increases productivity, over a third (34 per cent) do not have the correct technology to fulfil its potential and 43 per cent cannot perform business-critical functions on a mobile application.

Surprising number of processes and tasks still carried out on desktops and laptops

While 88 per centof senior decision-makers said their business permits mobile working, laptops and desktops are still a major part of work life for many company leaders carrying out business-critical tasks:

  • 47 per cent can only check customer data on a desktop/laptop
  • 47 per cent can only submit expense reports from a desktop/laptop
  • 45 per cent can only input a sales order on a desktop/laptop
  • 33 per cent only send emails or message colleagues from a desktop/laptop
Barriers to fulfilling mobile working potential

A number of barriers to maximising the mobile working experience within UK organisations were highlighted, including 35 per cent of respondents citing it had a negative impact on customer service. Other barriers include:

  • 36 per cent said businesses don’t trust employees to be as productive off-site as in the office
  • 35 per cent said mobility has impacted on team culture
Why your role in the company determines if you are more likely to work away from your computer
  • UK business leaders said those in senior management (74 per cent) or sales and marketing (72 per cent) are the most likely to work from a mobile device once a week or more
  • Conversely, almost a quarter of customer service reps and a quarter of production staff never work from home
“While UK business leaders are generally of the view that mobile working increases productivity, it’s clear from these findings that many businesses are struggling to perform business-critical functions from mobile devices,” said Andres Richter, CEO of Priority Software. “There's a big appetite for mobility within businesses, but for many, crucial day-to-day tasks are still being carried out on a laptop, with some employees never having the chance to work away from their desk.”

“A simple solution to improve efficiency and workflow for employees who rely on computers to access business systems is to choose a vendor that has the functionality to open up the software to a plethora of devices to enable you to access your data the way you want. Our Mobile Application Generator creates customised apps in minutes, allowing employees to quickly access core functions relevant to their job.”