Why Now Is the Right Time to Upgrade from a Feature Phone to a Smartphone
The world of enterprise technology is constantly changing, and the move toward “smartness” to improve patient care or customer service is inevitable. Yet many healthcare workers, retail associates, warehouse workers, or those specializing in guest and customer service are still carrying outdated feature phones. While adequate for basic texting and calling, feature phones lack the robust application and full-featured UC integration possible only on smartphones.
Gone are the days when teams communicate through just email or phone calls. While having crystal clear, reliable voice quality is still important, having true unified communications tools such as video conferencing, file sharing, group chatting, industry-specific workflow applications, and scanning functionality right on your mobile device is now imperative. This UC capability is of particular importance to deskless workers who are not constantly in front of a computer to access these tools from a desktop like some of their colleagues, customers, or patients. In a warehouse setting, smartphones improve efficiency and productivity because pickers on the warehouse floor are able to check order and to-do lists, see real-time inventory information, receive real-time emails about orders without needing to constantly run back to a computer station, can video chat to get questions answered on inventory, share photos of stock, and so much more. Feature phones simply lack the large screen size and full UC capabilities that a smartphone offers for these collaborative enterprise settings.
As organizations in all industries make the transition from feature phones to smartphones, they are seeing how it transforms workflows across their business and are reaping the benefits of communication device that goes way beyond the simple calling functionality of a feature phone. For example, according to a 2021 article by Remy Franklin in Morbius MD, a smartphone in a healthcare environment enables true delivery of advanced patient care through mobile access to the EMR, integration with nurse call and alerting systems, and secure clinical collaboration – all on one device to save time and help reduce healthcare worker burnout. By including barcode scanning, patient alarms and alerts, EMR integration, and so much more onto the device workers are already carrying to communicate, enterprise smartphone technology optimizes workflows and empowers clinicians to do more right at the point of care.
Without sacrificing the reliability and durability that users love about a feature phone, upgrading to an enterprise smartphone like the Spectralink Versity 92 or Versity 95 helps to foster collaboration and communication and enable improved patient or customer care. From enhanced Wi-Fi capabilities to best-in-class voice quality and industry-leading durability, our Versity devices and their application integration capabilities will continue to grow and adapt along with enterprise mobility technology and help to improve the productivity and work lives of your teams.
Although smartphones have the perception of an expensive price tag, our Versity 92 is a great option for a cost-conscious business looking to upgrade to the latest smartphone technology. The investment will future-proof and prolong your mobile communication solution for not much more than the cost of a feature phone. And the other good news? If your teams are intimidated by a full-featured smartphone and want the simplicity offered by a feature phone, a smartphone can still be used for voice-only and simple text communication like a feature phone, but, the business will already have a smartphone in hand for when it is ready to embrace more robust UC technology or application integration, future-proofing your mobility investment for years to come.
Ready to upgrade your mobile communication to the latest technology? Talk to our Sales Team to learn more about the next steps.