My company has a website, so why do I care about a mobile presence? I’m not a gaming or social network, therefore mobile applications are not necessary for my customers…. these excuses, plus many more, are what companies give to not invest in utilizing and adopting the mobile world to improve their business.

Mobile phones have been “online” for nearly a decade now. In the early 2000′s Microsoft was the prominent “smart-phone” operating system, which literally enabled anyone with such phones to connect to the internet and be able to browse just about any web page. Unfortunately, Microsoft failed to differentiate the usability from a normal computer to how a small screen device would be used. This huge barrier slowed down the growth of the “smart-phones” for many years… Thankfully, the times have now changed.

Thanks to Apple’s creation of the iPhone and really thinking the “usability” of websites and mobile applications with a small hand-held screen a new sector and chapter within the internet era has been created. Shortly after the launch and rapid adoption by the masses of the iPhone, Google launched their smart-phones using their own operating system called Android. Microsoft has also re-developed their Microsoft operating system for mobile devices with the “mobile usability” in mind.

This is extremely important because cell phones are always on our pockets, making them more accessible than laptops and our office/home computer. Being connected to the internet, browsing websites, using mobile applications and receiving notifications on our mobile phone are daily routines of our lives. This adoption has increased at such a rapid rate that new companies have generated fortunes in few years; something that would have taken decades just few years back.

Companies of all sizes and sectors need to care about this movement in technology to take advantage of “being in-touch” with their customers at all times. If you want your product or company to be found quicker than your competitors you must embrace the mobile world. If you want to engage with your existing customers and continue building the relationship, you must not ignore the benefits that mobile applications could bring to your relationships.

In addition to your customers having mobile access to your services, mobile applications and mobile websites for your employees are essential. They should be seen as a business tool to streamline business processes and control costs. Personnel that works remotely can use mobile technologies to improve productivity and make data collection and decision making faster, easier and more reliable.

One of the biggest hurdles in “going mobile” is finding the right company to build your mobile needs. All projects have different scopes and usage; finding the right partner is essential to make sure the investment becomes an extension to your business, and not a “most-have” to be cool. Your website, your mobile presence, and your products should all be tied together.

Check out the chart below showing the adoption rate on mobile development in recent months…. this alone should show you why you should care about mobile applications.

How do you use mobile within your company? We would love to hear from you.