IoT Can’t Connect the Next Billion Until We Reinvent Mobile

The most innovative technology on the planet today has been in our back pockets all along: smart phones.

You heard right, mobile has re-emerged as the revolutionizing technology behind the latest revolutions like IoT, virtual reality, and machine learning. That’s because cellular technology is what will support connected coffeemakers, blockchain-enabled pharmaceutical supply chains, and machine learning algorithms in fashion retail stores — all delivering unprecedented efficiencies and actionable insights to businesses, governments, and communities. What’s lost in the fanfare is how these latest innovations are animating new conversations about mobile.

“Connectivity has to be affordable, globally accessible, and energy efficient for always-on performance,” said Rohit Tripathi, general manager and head of Products for SAP Digital Interconnect. “We’re working with companies on this next frontier using SAP Digital Interconnect. One example is an agricultural equipment manufacturer aiming to help farmers save costs and increase crop yields with sensors that will track vehicles and monitor field cultivation activities.”

#Mobile re-emerges as revolutionizing tech behind IoT, virtual reality, machine learning

Road Map to Connect the Next Billion

It’s not a stretch to say that mobile connectivity is among the many critical technologies making the latest incarnation of the digital economy hum. In scenarios large and small, from life-saving SMS messaging for schools and parents during natural disasters to real-time data collected from devices on factory floors, connectivity is crucial to everything. Connected cars will transform the automobile industry, potentially reducing tens of thousands of deaths from traffic accidents. Smart homes are within reach of anyone able to install an IoT-enabled thermostat. It’s an endless list backed by forecasts from heavy hitting researchers.

Ovum reports there will be almost 1 billion cellular, machine-to-machine connections worldwide by 2020 within an IoT ecosystem of tens of billions of devices. By the same year, Gartner predicts IoT technology will be in 95 percent of the electronics we buy, and it’s smartphones that will activate these devices. Mobile messaging is another area undergoing fundamental change as billions of messages between consumers and companies involve smart bots. Forrester researchers predict intelligent agents will directly influence 10 percent of purchase decisions in 2018. Perhaps the bigger question is how hyperconnectivity between people and machines impacts global businesses and their customers.

“Leading companies are using the hyperconnected digital economy to transform operations and rewrite the rules of engagement with consumers and employees,” said Tripathi. “Whether it’s retail, consumer goods, manufacturing, logistics, transportation, hospitality, agriculture, energy or healthcare, the business of connecting everything is an important element every company needs to address for survival.”

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Your Employees Are Losing Time to Data Entry: Here’s How to Stop It

The professional world now runs on data. Businesses need massive amounts of data to understand their customers, analyze their efficiency, and remain competitive with the other businesses around them using data analytics on a regular basis. Unfortunately, unless your data acquisition methods are entirely automated or purchased, you’ll be relying on repetitive, manual data entry to store and organize these data points.

You’re almost certainly losing time to this process, so what’s the best way to mitigate that loss?

Key Factors for Time Loss

First, let’s understand why and how data entry can be a time waste. After all, data is still important and can make an organization more valuable.

Time loss usually happens due to:

* Process issues. Sometimes, the problem is in the process. You might have an unclear system of priorities for your employees to follow, or an informally documented process that leads to confusion and redundancy upon entry.
* System issues. Other times, the issue is with a system. Some systems require weeks to months of employee preparation—especially when you’re transitioning from one system to another. If the system is hard to learn or counterintuitive, it can make the process much murkier and vulnerable to errors.
* Data issues. Your data entry may also suffer if the quality of your data is too low. There are many potential issues here, including inconsistent formatting and low-quality sources, and any of them can affect your employees’ efficiency in entering that data in a central system.
* People issues. Finally, you may have a problem with the individual employees doing the work. They may be unproductive, unfocused, or ill-equipped for the job.

How to Stop It

So how can you prevent time loss in your data entry?

* Automate what you can. First, try to automate anything and everything you can. It’s certainly possible to write a script that performs the work of a data entry employee—at least, in most fields—and by and large, it’s more the most cost-efficient path. Automation is faster, cheaper, and most importantly, less prone to errors, so long as it’s programmed correctly.
* Make a consistent process and document it. For the data entry requirements that you can’t operate, make sure you create and formally document the correct process for entering it. This will make it easier and faster to train new employees, and all employees will have equal access to the centralized guidelines for how data entry is supposed to work. This will lead to greater efficiency and consistency across the board.
* Train and monitor your employees. Don’t just assume your employees know how to follow the guidelines; invest the time upfront to supervise them and make sure they follow those guidelines properly. Beyond that, you’ll want to invest in monitoring software, tracking their communication habits, data entry habits, and overall time expenditure. You’ll be able to tell which employees are most efficient and which ones are struggling, and you’ll be able to take preventative or reinforcing action accordingly.
* Observe your system’s performance, and consider upgrading. Finally, pay attention to how quickly your new employees take to your system, and if there are any pain points associated with it. If you find there’s a flaw or UI hiccup in your system, you may need to consider upgrading or switching systems. Though it might be a short-term pain, it will save you time in the long run.

If you’re in the market for a new software platform, consider giving some of SAP’s powerful solutions a try. For example, our sales software offers multiple integrations and is intuitive enough to be learned in a day. http://bit.ly/2HFPQPq #SAP #SAPCloud #AI