How Mobilizing SharePoint Can Be a Headache

Image courtesy of imagerymajestic

SharePoint is a document management system that has been highly adopted by large enterprises that needed an easier way to stay “connected.” At the time, it was the best solution for a common problem of document sharing, while using your controlled and password-protected desktop in the office. But now, with the mobilization of the enterprise workforce, SharePoint isn’t exactly fitting the needs of employees any longer.  Here are a few ways in which mobilizing SharePoint can be a headache.

SharePoint Shortcomings

In previous posts, we’ve covered how many of SharePoint’s mobile capabilities are limited to delivering elementary access to files stored within the system. Because of rapid adoption of tablets and other mobile devices, most enterprises have a critical need to distribute content and data to mobile workers of which “sales” is one of the largest end-user groups.

Sales professionals need to have instant access to content, collateral, and data in order to maximize the impact of each and every client interaction. SharePoint touts that they are the simpler way to compile data and condense it into a single domain. According to Stephanie Blanchard in Mobile Enterprise, it takes a sales team about 4-5 hours a week to compile appropriate documents for a meeting. Every hour spent prepping is an hour that could have been spent selling.

Unfortunately, the filing system in SharePoint isn’t a catch-all for documents that are uploaded. The process of locating a particular file or worse yet, compiling multiple files that are housed in disparate locations becomes very complicated for the sales rep. Anyone that has worked in a sales role knows that things change constantly. Being flexible and able to instantly adapt are essential traits of a stellar sales rep. So what happens if there are unexpected attendees in your meeting, or if your client asks relevant question that you have a fantastic infographic on, but its not included in your pre-built presentation? With SharePoint, you are stuck sorting through documents, losing the connection and credibility you’ve worked so hard to establish.

There Must Be A Better Way

So how can we improve these problems? It’s simple: companies need to see that this challenge is part of a larger shift. We are in the midst of a B2B mobile transformation. It is for this reason that more and more enterprise applications are working to provide mobile conduits to and from their software. This is a great first step but many providers and end users alike are approaching this largely as an afterthought and as a comprehensively transformation mobile strategy.

Companies are finding themselves in a “paradox of choice” when there really is no paradox. This is shouldn’t be an either-or question. Do we leverage existing technology or purchase new technology? Do we build a custom solution or buy a solution? The right answer is that it’s not a matter of choice, it’s a matter of approach. When viewing enterprise mobility as a transformative strategy and taking a mobile-first approach, the best-fit providers quickly float to the top.

What has been your experience with mobilizing SharePoint in your attempt to better connect your workload? Feel free to share with us below.