They say it’s a mobile world and we can see how it has changed us all. When was the last time you dialed the operator to get a phone number? Called a restaurant to order food? Look around on public transportation or in line at Starbucks—people are head down with illuminated faces as their mobile devices shine the latest news on Flipboard or Tumblr. I would bet my bluetooth that you have all silently noticed and thought, "What is everyone doing on their phones?"

There has been much chatter about the democratization of technology. The next generation workforce doesn't see a line between work life and personal life as the last generation so passionately promoted. Businesses will need to provide solutions that act like Uber and look like Facebook to attract top talent and drive customer engagement—not just productivity. But why haven't mobile apps penetrated the enterprise workforce like they have the consumer marketplace?

How many sales directors want their field sales people sitting in an office on their computer? Zero. Sales managers want their people to forecast and update activities in their customer relationship management (CRM) systems, but give them a solution that is mobile and simple. Providing an easy to use mobile solution is a smart way to get sales teams in front of customers while still getting those opportunities updated on the fly, in real-time, and on the road.

Sales leaders who want to leapfrog their competition should be helping their sales reps #gomobile. Here are 4 steps to get you started:

1. Take your CIO out to lunch
   
   You can't go mobile without a handshake with your IT department. Your IT team is critical for scaling and managing an ongoing vibrant strategy. It’s time to sit down with them and either listen to their plan or help them build a business case for how it will impact productivity, customer engagement, and revenue. Any forward-thinking CIO will be ready to work with you on how to make it a scalable reality. Issues of privacy and BYOD don't go away, but leaders need to sit down and map out the pros and cons and ask: “Can my business really wait?”
2. Don't assume. “Rep ride.”
   
   When building an app for employees (or even customers), managers too often assume they know exactly what they need. However, taking the time to actually “walk in your employees’ shoes”—watching, listening, learning—can mean the difference between an app they love and one that never gets used. At Bluewolf, we take “rep rides” with our clients to see in real-time what they do, and how processes can be improved. We've seen it all—from reps carrying several devices into customer meetings, so they can log orders into several different systems, to mobile devices that require too much typing, meaning reps just don’t use them. Getting into your employees’ shoes can mean big gains in productivity—which equals more selling moments and less administration.
3. Keep it simple
   
   Keeping it simple is far harder than it sounds. It means building an app that may not have all the bells and whistles, but has the features that will have the most impact to your rep and the customer—and nothing more. Keeping it simple should also extend to how you design the app around the user experience. Too often solutions are over engineered and poorly designed. Today, its about building beautiful apps that your reps love. That's how you get 100% adoption.
4. Focus on data
   
   As technologists and business experts, we know about the importance of data. However, we also know that data is not sexy. The apps, platforms and cool tools are sexy, but underneath all those cool tools is data. If the data is bad, wrong, or non-existent, your cool tools simply won’t deliver value. As you begin a mobile strategy, make sure someone on the team is laser-focused on data quality.

The mobile workforce is here to stay. Sales leaders who jump on this now will be able to drive deeper productivity, more engaged reps and ultimately more results. If you’re looking to take your sales solutions mobile, Bluewolf can help.