Over the recent holiday period I had my first opportunity to get some time looking at the features and capabilities of Apples’ hugely successful iPad. It is a massively successful device in the consumer space, and I wanted to look at it with an eye towards the SME business, not just consumer use.
Now, I use Apple’s (AAPL) iPad in the title of this post as it has been the first (and so far most popular) tablet device, but as other tablets come to market running either the Android, Microsoft or RIM operating systems, the following still applies.
As an Executive in the small to medium business, you should be looking hard at your business, and the roles that are performed, quite simply these tablets are a disruptive innovation that is going to provide both challenges and opportunity in our business space.
By disruptive innovation I mean the following; Apple did not try to shrink general purpose computers down to this tablet form factor. They did the opposite. They took the smart phone and expanded it to this tablet size. This follows the tenet outlined by Clayton Christenson in his book The Innovators Dilemma. In that text, Mr. Christenson outlines how established businesses and technologies can become overshadowed by newer technologies that appear in their version number 1 format to be to simplistic or underpowered to be a competitive threat. Yet as these technologies improve, incumbent technologies begin to fail.
The Opportunities
In our business, we create and we consume information in many of our roles, processes, and tasks. With the current generation of these tablet devices, most of us will find it harder to create information on them when compared to standard computers or laptops, but take a hard look at the consume part of the equation.
Yes, these devices can access the many down loadable applications (or apps as we pretty much call them now) and they can also access web sites. For me it is the first part that will be the most benefit to the SME business; The App.
In retail? From automotive dealers, to high end furniture, through fancy gas fireplaces and other durable goods. Imagine being able to demonstrate features, models, and colours that you may not have in inventory. Possibly even with competitive comparison benefits. And I don’t mean via a static Web Page, I mean an App that utilizes the full power and graphics of the devices. This includes the touch screen motions to move, size, flip, and change the orientation of images.
In sales? Imagine sitting in your largest customers office and having all order, shipment, and confirmation details in a few taps? Vendors have been doing this for a while with the much smaller form factor of smart phones. The expanded space on these tablets will take that to the next level.
Also imagine inspection or field service roles where checklists of tasks have to be performed. Do it on paper and perform data entry into a computer? or open the App and Tap, Tap that each has been checked? (As an example outside of the SME space, think how much paper the rental car companies would save when we go through that nicks and dents inspection every time we rent a car! If that was an App where we just tap the location of those nicks or dents)
Legal and other professional services? boxes of briefs or a tablet? take your pick.
To me when it comes to operationally improving our business processes, if the main task is viewing, or consuming information, anywhere and any-when, these devices need to be looked at.
And The Challenges?
They are there. You don’t plug these tablets in like you do a computer, they work either via cellular systems or wireless (WiFi) networks. That means properly installed, configured, and most importantly, secured Wireless access in your facility. We cannot underestimate the complexity that this can bring.
Then there is the word: Code
Make no mistake, the Apps for these devices are software, you can create them in house, or hire someone to write it, but the full software development life cycle (SDLC) of creation, testing, versioning, and implementing still apply.
The SMB Takeaway
Start looking at where you can improve customer experience and internal processes by enabling the mobility, speed and presentation in any task or role that consumes information.
Can you think of other examples? Then let me know in the comments!
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