What is mobile work? Easy-to-understand explanation of the benefits and points of introduction

Many companies are considering introducing mobile work. This is because it is possible to improve work efficiency by reducing travel time.

However, if you introduce it suddenly, the site will be confused. In this article, we will explain the specific introduction method after sorting out the advantages and disadvantages of introducing mobile work .

Mobile work is defined as a form of telework, but many people may be wondering, “What is the difference from telework?”

First of all, let’s understand the meaning of “mobile work” correctly.

Difference between mobile work and telework

Telework is a general term that refers to ” a way of working that uses information and communication technology (ICT) and is not bound by place or time .” Telework is divided into employment-type telework that is employed by companies and self-employed telework that is not employed by companies, and is further divided into five types, including mobile work.

<Forms and characteristics of telework>

Mobile work, as discussed here , refers to a work style in which employees engaged in work that requires frequent outings, such as sales staff, use mobile tools to work outside the office.

The reason why mobile work spread before telework

According to a telecommunications usage trend survey conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in 2020 , the telework introduction rate of Japanese companies is currently 20.2%.

On the other hand, looking at the form of introduction, we can see that companies that had introduced telework started using mobile work from an early stage.

Mobile work was introduced ahead of other forms, probably because it was easy for companies to introduce. The following five points can be considered as the main reasons why it is easy to introduce.

• Going directly to the sales office leads to greater operational efficiency and allows more time to interact with customers.
• Before the introduction of telework, there was little resistance to mobile work, as there was no big difference for companies that had allowed direct return work styles, mainly for sales staff.
• With the expansion of mobile devices and cloud services, it has become easier to manage files and create documents on the go.
• In a sales position with a clear standard of sales, it was easy to evaluate without looking at the work site
• It did not cost a lot of money to implement

Companies that are considering introducing telework should start by introducing mobile work on a trial basis, mainly for sales staff.

Even before mobile work, some companies had introduced a direct and direct sales style. However, even when working on the go, most emails and phone calls are made via mobile phones, so we had to wait until the ICT environment was developed before it became possible to create and organize documents. .

In order to introduce mobile work, it is necessary to build an environment in which information can be accessed safely from the sales office in the same way as at the office.

《List of systems and tools that need to be developed for telework and mobile work》

There are several methods for improving the ICT environment, and the necessary maintenance and introduction costs vary greatly depending on the type of business system currently in use.

When introducing from mobile work for the first time, we recommend using the low-cost cloud application method. By introducing cloud apps, it becomes possible to work in the same Internet environment whether in the office or on the go. In addition, since the data created in the work is saved on the cloud, it can be accessed in a safe state from other terminals.

If you use a thin client PC as your terminal, you can safely use your notebook PC outside the office or even if you take it home from work.

Thin client means thin + client, and only thin processing is performed at the client (device on the terminal side for the server), and most processing is performed on the server. Masu. Since the data is stored on the server, even if the PC is stolen or lost, the risk of information leakage can be kept low.

There are several ways for mobile workers to obtain thin client PCs.

• Make the notebook PC used in the office a thin client by USB etc.
• Distribute new dedicated thin client PCs

The following three benefits can be expected from the introduction of mobile work.

• Increase customer satisfaction and win rate
• Reduced office costs and employee commuting costs
• Improve employee work-life balance

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of each.

Increase customer satisfaction and win rate

Mobile work reduces the burden of commuting and travel, allowing sales reps to focus more on serving customers than ever before.

By increasing the time for business negotiations, it becomes possible to provide more detailed responses than before, and it is possible to actively use ICT to collect information, develop customers, make proposals, negotiate business, and provide products and services. will be As a result, you can expect “improved customer satisfaction” and “improved closing rate”.

Reduced office costs and employee commuting costs

Mobile workers only need to come to work once every few days, so office costs can be reduced. It also reduces commuting costs for mobile workers . In addition, in an emergency, it is possible to continue business by combining it with working from home.

Improving employee work-life balance

Since working hours can be reduced by going straight home, it can be expected to improve work-life balance for remote workers. In addition, mobile work in foreign countries is also possible, so by hiring local staff, there is no need to leave your family behind or move overseas with your family. You can work flexibly even during childcare or nursing care, so you can greatly improve your work-life balance depending on your ingenuity.

Example of Ricoh Japan’s success in mobile work

Since July 2011, Ricoh Japan has implemented mobile work for 700 employees in its business division. The result was the following concrete results.

• 53% increase in customer visits, 71% increase in customer visit hours
• Costs such as office rent and overtime work reduced by 36%
• Overtime hours decreased by 60% year-on-year
• Improved sales processes by sharing information sources across relevant departments
• The shift from domestic development to global development progressed

On the other hand, when new mobile work is introduced, there are disadvantages such as initial investment for ICT environment maintenance.

• Building a mobile-friendly ICT environment is costly
• Attendance management and project management are costly
• Security measures are costly
• Training and education for mobile workers is necessary

Let’s take a closer look at the disadvantages of each.

Building a mobile-friendly ICT environment is costly

The “Take home PC method” enables the construction of an ICT environment at the lowest cost, but it is the most vulnerable in terms of security.

If you introduce the cloud application method, there will be no equipment or server costs, but the apps you use will incur costs according to the monthly fee and usage record.

When using the remote desktop method, which remotely operates terminals in the office, it is necessary to take separate security measures when using a free one.

The virtual desktop method, which uses mobile terminals for mobile work, is the most secure in terms of security, but it costs more than other methods.

Attendance management and project management are costly

In order to perform mobile work smoothly, attendance management and project management tools that support mobile work are necessary. If you use a cloud service, you will be charged a monthly usage fee.

Security measures are costly

For security measures, it is necessary to take measures for each of the technical, operational, and network aspects.

Technical security measures

Personal authentication and terminal authentication are always required to access systems and apps. At the same time, we will take measures such as encrypting the HDD, introducing a function to lock or delete it by remote control when the smartphone is lost, and using a USB with information leakage countermeasures.

Operational security measures

We will implement security measures by introducing data browsing management software and anti-virus software. Especially for thin client PCs, it is efficient to implement server security measures.

Security measures for network connection

It is necessary to lend a mobile router so that you do not have to use public Wi-Fi when doing mobile work.

Training and education for mobile workers is necessary

When introducing a new mobile work, in addition to the usual new employee training and education, it is necessary to provide tools and security training and education for all mobile workers.

Mobile work can be introduced at a relatively low cost. Keep costs down by leveraging subscription services for free and cloud tools.

<<Guideline for mobile work environment at low cost>>

In order to increase the effectiveness of mobile work introduction, it is important to proceed with the following steps.

1. Formation of promotion team for introduction of mobile work
2. Clarifying the purpose of introducing mobile work
3. Determining the scope of implementation
4. Confirmation and review of the labor management system in line with mobile work
5. Education and training for introduction of mobile work
6. Selection and introduction of ICT systems and tools
7. Security measures
8. Internal consensus building

I’ll briefly explain what each step does.

1. Formation of promotion team for introduction of mobile work

Ideally, a promotion team should be formed to plan and smoothly build consensus within the company for the introduction of mobile work. The promotion team needs to gather personnel from related departments such as the personnel department, internal system department, and marketing department, as well as the sales department that is the target department for the introduction.

2. Clarify the purpose of introducing mobile work

The promotion team must first clarify what they want to achieve with the introduction of mobile work. For example, you can set goals such as:

• I want to improve customer satisfaction
• I want to increase employee productivity
• I want to achieve cost reduction
• I want to improve the work-life balance of my employees

Identify specific goals and set metrics to measure whether those goals have been achieved.

3. Determining the scope of implementation

Determine the scope of implementation of mobile work. Determine if it’s the entire sales department, or specific departments within the sales department, and how many people will switch to mobile work.

4. Confirmation and review of the labor management system in line with mobile work

We will confirm how work regulations, attendance management, personnel evaluations, etc. will be implemented in line with mobile work, and how to proceed if changes are necessary.

5.Education and training for introduction of mobile work

Identify what kind of education and training is required for employees in charge of mobile work. Consider whether to use external resources or internal personnel.

6. Selection and introduction of ICT systems and tools

Consider how the ICT environment needs to be changed for mobile work. Decide whether to change the system or leverage cloud tools, etc.

7. Security measures

We will consider how to implement security measures from the technical, operational, and network aspects. Decide which tools to use for the countermeasures.

8. Internal consensus building

Based on the preparatory stages up to this point, we will build a consensus within the company as a whole. If there is a trial period, we will also inform you of the period.

Let’s check the important points that must be kept at a minimum, based on cases in which mobile work was introduced but did not produce results, and cases in which introduction was considered but not implemented. .

• Clarify the objectives that seem most important
• Together with office reform
• Carry out activities and employee education to increase a sense of belonging
• Measure regularly to identify problems

Clarify the objectives that seem most important

Various effects are expected from the introduction of mobile work, but the purpose of introducing the company must be narrowed down to one. For example, a company that has many female employees and wants to solve the problem of leaving work due to childbirth and childcare will need to focus on “work-life balance.” Set goals that are most relevant to your current situation.

Together with office reform

Some executives may be reluctant to introduce mobile work or reform in general. In such cases, it is possible to convince the introduction of the system by combining it with office reforms that immediately show cost effectiveness .

Carry out activities and employee education to increase a sense of belonging

Mobile work, which is highly self-disciplined, has the disadvantage of weakening relationships with other employees and weakening the sense of belonging as a member of the company.

As a result, employees may quit and move to other companies after they have accumulated a certain amount of experience and skills. For that reason, we will create a system that can build a relationship of trust within the company by conducting regular training and having them take charge of educating juniors based on their experience.

Measure regularly to identify problems

We will verify the effects of introducing mobile work, identify problems, and run the PDCA cycle. Details on how to create indicators for measurement and how to measure them will be explained in detail in the next chapter.

When introducing mobile work, it is important to measure the return on investment. Here, let’s assume that the goal of introducing mobile work is set to “improvement of customer satisfaction”.

“Improvement of customer satisfaction” can be considered from three aspects.

• customer service
• information processing
• customer satisfaction

Divide the measurement period and measure the numerical value for each indicator.

In addition to the numbers in this metric, calculate how much your revenue increased at the end of each period.

ROI (Return on Cost) = Increased revenue ÷ Amount invested in mobile work × 100

Evaluate the introduction of mobile work based on numerical values ​​and ROI for each index.

If you set “cost reduction” as your goal for mobile work, you can set the following metrics:

• Costs reduced by introducing mobile work
  • office cost
  • moving cost
• New costs arising from the introduction of mobile work
  • ICT cost
  • education cost

When introducing mobile work for the purpose of “work-life balance”, the following indicators can be set.

• Securing and maintaining human resources
  • Turnover
  • Business hours
  • overtime hours
• belonging
  • loyalty to your company
• quality of life satisfaction
  • Qualitative satisfaction with personal life
  • Qualitative satisfaction with family life
  • job quality satisfaction

The indicators to be measured include not only evaluations that can be calculated numerically, but also qualitative evaluations that cannot be quantified, such as “sense of belonging” and “communication.” Regarding qualitative evaluation, it is important to collect as many real opinions as possible by setting up a “free entry field” in the questionnaire.

Improve problems based on measurements

Once you have measured your metrics for your purpose, you need to analyze the results and identify problems. Analyze why the expected results are not shown in numerical values, and formulate improvement measures.

The evaluation and improvement measures of this trial will lead to full-scale introduction of mobile work.

The spread of the new coronavirus has revealed the “contradiction of work styles” that many people have half unconsciously accepted. One of them is the work style of “going to work in the morning, preparing paperwork and materials, visiting customers, filling in daily reports, doing paperwork, contacting office work, etc. after returning to the office.”

With the introduction of mobile work, there is no need to come to work except on days when there are scheduled meetings. It also saves you the trouble of returning to the office from the customer. If there is no commuting time and you can concentrate on your work, you will have more time to spare.

On the other hand, there are cases in which working hours are exceeded, such as organizing documents after returning home, and this results in a loss of work-life balance.

At the same time as measuring whether mobile work is actually increasing the productivity of a company, it is also important to measure whether the work style is such that each employee working there can achieve an improvement in productivity. is.