As we enter the New Year we’ve peered into our crystal ball and engaged our team of technology analysts to determine four important predictions for the future of business documents for 2017. What will be the trends to look for? What strategies will take the spotlight? And where should you put your efforts to make a difference in the New Year? Here are four mobile document predictions to consider.
Number One – The Workforce Is Going Mobile
Today, 68% of U.S. adults have a smartphone, up from 35% in 2011. Indeed, mobile computing grew by over 80% just last year alone and tablet computer ownership has edged up to 45% among adults. What does this data tell us? Our prediction is that the Mobile Workplace is going to be the new norm for 2017. Businesses have already accepted the trend of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) and this year will be a year of opportunity for companies to take advantage of devising strategies to make the most of this trend.
Customers, vendors and employees are going to need to view and interact with all business documents from their mobile devices. This means many legacy document design and generation software solutions will be rendered obsolete. Products like DocOrigin, which support adaptive or responsive form design for multi-channel document presentation, will rule the market. It will no longer be enough just to have a responsive web site, companies will need responsive documents that adjust their presentation on the fly, based on the device the viewer uses.
As technology gets more mobile, it will become next to impossible for companies to restrict employees from using their own device. So now is the time to evaluate the mobile workplace and how it needs to work for your company. The key is building an environment of trust in your company… and that means trust in both your employees as well as the technologies and methodologies you put into place.
Number Two – Automating Content Strategies
Digital marketers already use automated tools like HootSuite and others to schedule posts across a variety of platforms. As technology improves, automated solutions will help companies and marketers create, publish and manage content with the push of a button, complex scripting will not be required or acceptable. Transactional documents companies currently produce will now be used to improve customer communications. Companies are already producing order acknowledgements, packing slips, statements, etc which customers and vendors receive. These documents are important to the receiving party, they contain important real time info the reader needs to see. The use of these documents to communicate relevant ads, safety messages, and warnings will become more prevalent in the near future. As the market becomes increasingly competitive and companies try to scale as fast as possible, automating content will help big businesses save time and money. Small companies can benefit from automated content too, as it gives small businesses the appearance of having a large footprint. Intelligent content strategy can help you keep up with the growing number of channels and devices your customers are checking for content, as well as meeting demands for up-to-date content.
Number Three – Optimizing Across Multiple Devices
Mobile devices, particularly smartphones, are where you’ll find your customers nowadays. Not only is it important for businesses to take their digital marketing strategies mobile, they need to optimize a consistent marketing strategy that works across multiple devices. For example, customer communications need to be optimized and properly scaled for mobile devices, desktop computers and tablets because you never know what device your customer might be using. As you develop a strategy, remember that by implementing a cross-device strategy you can reach the same customer on multiple devices and also reach a broader audience.
Number Four – Personalized Marketing
New businesses pop up every single day, but the ones that succeed are the ones that personalize their brand in their customer communications and marketing campaigns. Brands need to do more than create content for the sake of content. Centering your digital marketing strategy on a purpose can help create a compelling narrative that will resonate with consumers and differentiate you from your competitors. It’s estimated over 627,000 new businesses open each year, so having another way to stand out from the crowd definitely can’t hurt.
What are your predictions for 2017? Did we hit the mark or are there others you would add to the list? Don’t be shy. Contact us today and let us know what you think.