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Mobilizing Your Workforce with P2P Tools
Mobile technology in Procure-to-Pay (P2P) software has been a boon to companies. In many cases, it allowed them to completely transform their workforce. Through mobile technology, efficiency and access to necessary tools have been improved significantly.
The timing for this shift to mobile, accessible P2P technology is important. Most companies now have a lot of travel and flexibility related to their employee standards. 85% of businesses describe their workforce’s mobility between moderate and significant. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, over a third of businesses had a “highly mobile” workforce. The number of people working from home only increased in 2020, and the number of mobile workers will continue to stay high.
A highly mobile workforce and the increasing need to support remote work means a serious need for accessibility to keep back-office operations running smoothly. Having mobile access through using cloud-based business process automation (BPA) software provides flexibility to work from a variety of locations. This also increases a sense of autonomy for employees, which tends to improve productivity overall.
The Need for Mobile Access
Though experts agree that mobile access as a tool for efficiency can’t be overvalued, many businesses still question the need for mobile technology. The sudden need to work offside necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic moved many business processes remote by necessity. However, that move was not always planned as a long-term, sustainable solution.
Even as higher numbers of companies adopt more accessible technology platforms, many are still missing out on the basics of P2P mobilization and automation. On the whole, North America’s adoption of mobile-friendly software has been somewhat low. Surprisingly, mobility wasn’t high on everyone’s priority list for a long time. It’s high on the list now, though, since the need for remote access in a post-pandemic business climate has become impossible to ignore.
Security Issues
Though providing mobile access to employees working in the P2P side of your business is important, there are some serious concerns to address before launching into any kind of major software update. Companies are right to want to do all their research before they choose a software provider to work with.
Security concerns have spread around mobile options and with good reason. There are new data leaks and hacks popping up on the news every day. Employees might stay logged in or save passwords somewhere they shouldn’t. Personal devices can be lost or stolen, and the risks are even worse when an employee travels frequently for business. There are potential vulnerabilities when working with any internet-based solution.
With so much sensitive information processed during the procure-to-pay cycle, it’s extremely important to take every precaution with company data. One of the best ways to do that is to partner with a reliable software supplier. Technology providers are always researching new threats and evaluating risks so we can strike a balance between accessibility and control to produce the most powerful software tools. Keeping digital data safe is our business, and we’re at the cutting edge of keeping your information secure so only authorized employees can access data.
Cost and Time Concerns
When managers hear about change, their minds jump straight to cost. That’s an understandable thought process. From the earliest computers to today’s tablets, keeping up with technology has always seemed like an expensive prospect. And there definitely are very costly ways to try and keep your company tech-savvy.
For example, ERP systems are serious tools but they can be difficult to update and rarely incorporate as many mobile-friendly features as most businesses could use. Similarly, costs for an in-house software development project add up quickly, not to mention the added costs of management and training. It can seem like an exercise in futility to even try to update your company’s business processing technology.
There are simpler solutions available to make things easier without breaking the bank or compromising security. Partnering with a cloud-based P2P company can take care of both cost concerns and the hassle your IT department would face automating another way. The same sort of technology that makes this software mobile-friendly also makes it easy for the software supplier to keep it up to date at no extra cost or hassle to your company. And with NextProcess, the software scales to your needs. You only pay for what you need, and there’s no extra fee no matter how many users you add.
Make It Work for You
Another great thing about NextProcess’s software is that we make it user-friendly for your employees. Mobile access is only helpful if the software works well on mobile devices and helps make people’s lives easier. Our software’s intuitive interface makes it easy for new users to pick up on. And if you use NextProcess to automate every department in the procure-to-pay system (such as both accounts payable and purchasing), the similarities between the programs make it easy to cross-train employees
The longer you use our software, the more it customizes to your company’s individual needs. During implementation, we help you customize the solution to match your company’s goals and policies. As you continue using the software, it “learns” your preferences and the automation becomes even more useful. And it does all this while staying secure, accessible, and mobile-friendly.
Software-as-a-Service P2P providers have been working to connect different aspects of finance and streamline as many processes as possible for the last 15+ years. The difference workforce mobilization can make for your business is astounding if you make informed choices. NextProcess has been leading the industry in P2P technology and innovative software to make the process as simple as possible for your company. Contact us today to find out how we can help you build a better business.