How can mobile collaboration support workers in a pandemic?

Using mobile apps to enable users to access their communications and collaboration tools has proven to be an effective response to the current and ongoing pandemic. In fact, pivoting to mobile collaboration apps is how many organizations were able to react so quickly to the fluid nature of quarantine and stay-at-home orders.

There are a couple of reasons for this. The most significant factor is the ease of deployment. Remote workers were able to install mobile collaboration apps on their device, be it a corporate-managed or BYOD one, just like any other mobile app in an app store. In most cases, installing the app and logging in with their credentials were all employees needed to be up, running and instantly connected to their voice and collaboration services.

Mobile apps have a particular edge over desktop clients in terms of agile deployments. They have shown to be significantly less trouble operationally compared to making traditional hardware endpoints, such as desk phones and video conferencing endpoints, work in a user's home environment.

Mobile collaboration support appears primed to play an important role as return-to-office or extended work-from-home scenarios are played out within organizations. To comply with proposed social distancing requirements, many businesses are considering alternating in-office/work-from-home schedules.

For employees that will hop between these two environments, carrying their collaboration tools with them on a mobile device will be the most effective approach. Furthermore, a post-lockdown work environment is likely to discourage use of shared devices, such as desk phones. Personal devices like smartphones with mobile communications and collaboration apps are going to see an even greater focus for both office and frontline workers.