The increase in mobile device and mobile web-enabled access is not just limited to developed countries. Statistics from the United Nations’ International Telecommunications Union indicate that in 2010, mobile device access likely reached 76 percent of the global population across both the developed and developing world. Furthermore, mobile broadband service subscriptions reached 51 percent of the developed world, and 5.4 percent in the developing world. It’s important to note that both of these figures more than doubled in the last two years.

A Captive Audience Awaits

When coupled with the increasing penetration of web-enabled mobile devices, long commute times on public transportation present the perfect opportunity for employees to access HR services outside of the workplace. While this notion might be unfamiliar to those used to working in the U.S., it is a common sight in Asia to see nearly an entire train car or busload of people tapping away at their mobile devices during the morning and evening commutes. Anecdotal experience shows that even chauffeured executives prefer to spend their daily commute connected to their mobile devices.

A report by the Toronto Board of Trade indicates that commute times exceed one hour in 14 out of 19 major world cities studied, with additional data showing key cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou having daily commute times exceeding 45 minutes. The same study measuring commute times also showed that for 16 of 21 world cities studied, more than 20 percent of workers used public transportation to get to work, with that number exceeding 50 percent in many European countries. Furthermore, a World Bank study indicates that by the end of the next decade, public transportation and non-motorized transport use will be at 90 percent in urban areas of China.

And one more likely bonus: While not yet independently verified, a study by mobile device manufacturer Nokia indicates that mobile web use consumes less than 1 percent of the energy when compared to the equivalent use of a desktop PC with an LCD monitor.

The Demand Side

Along with decreased barriers to this service, clients are beginning to demand innovation in HR service delivery. Jonathan Taylor, Greater China human resources vice president at The Coca-Cola Company, shares his view: “Mobile technology is very much part and parcel of today’s executives’ lives, regardless of whether it’s mobile phones, tablet computers, Blackberrys, or laptops. This is how they access information. If organizations want to be relevant to their clients/associates, they need to ensure their solutions embrace technology when they communicate. We are all talking tech these days.”

So why the lack of innovation with regard to HR service delivery for the mobile workforce? Cost is likely a key driver, as in recent years, HR outsourcing providers have been driven by market forces to keep costs low, while focusing on maintaining service level agreements with their existing client base—neither of which leave much monetary or human capital to invest in developing new technologies. Lack of customer demand and out-of-the-box thinking is another potential culprit—mobile device use for interacting with supporting functions (vs. consumer-facing marketing activities) is still a relatively new concept, and it is likely that this type of communications channel is not considered until it’s too late.

What can be done about this issue? Recent experience has identified specific areas in the service delivery model that strongly benefit from additional considerations on interactions with customers that make up the mobile workforce. Each area identified below includes a corresponding list of solutions categorized as “High-Tech” or “Low-Tech” or “No-Tech”—based primarily on the amount of IT effort (and corresponding cost) they would require to implement. Clients who are at the beginning of HR outsourcing should strongly consider pushing their providers for solutions that fall into the “High-Tech” or “Low-Tech” categories, while clients who might be in the transition phase or operations phase of their outsourcing contracts will most likely find the “No-Tech” solutions sufficient for the time being (at least until the next future direction planning/contract negotiation meetings).

    * Customers should expect global access to HR services through their mobile device. In the above scenario, an executive had just arrived in London and needed to contact her HR service center for assistance. Client feedback and experience indicates that this is no hypothetical and is often the case for executives based outside of the U.S. In our situation, having access to the local dial-in information could have made the subsequent travel into the city more productive.
    * Customers should initiate inquiries and complete “micro transactions,” such as workflows and leave request approval, without using their laptops.
    * Customers should expect to be able to navigate through the HR service center phone menu quickly and without having to look at their keypad. Recent experience indicates that clients are frustrated with excessive phone menu options when trying to connect with an HR service center representative, along with requirements for alphanumeric passwords to be typed in when most mobile devices no longer use a traditional nine-digit keypad with three corresponding alpha characters.

Neglecting the needs of the mobile workforce will likely be an increasing barrier for change and further adoption of an outsourced or multi-tiered HR service delivery model. Clients who are considering undertaking such an effort, or for whom a contract renewal is on the horizon, should use their purchasing power and understanding of the potential for this functionality to drive outsourcing providers and their own internal HR IT departments to deliver 21st century solutions. Clients who are at the beginning and middle of their contract terms should consider the solutions presented here as potential enhancements for their keeping up with the demands of their workforce.

Source: HRO