Small and mid-sized businesses (SMB) are increasingly adopting wireless technology to allow their employees to work effectively outside of the office, according to a new study conducted by The Business Journals.
According to the study, average sales at most mobile companies were $10.8m in 2010, compared with $5.7m for those companies that have not embraced mobility.
The study also reveals that 88% of mobile professionals use social networks, with 60% of them leveraging social media platforms to market their businesses.
The devices and services that help them stay connected while away from their desk include Wi-Fi, text messages, smartphones, apps, notebook/netbook, iPad and cloud computing.
Portfolio.com editor Jennings Moss said this tech-savvy group is spending more time doing business outside of a traditional office by staying connected via smartphones or tablets, and are already looking ahead to the next step – cloud computing.
The study found that 45% of SMB mobile professionals make business trips at least once a month and average almost 15 trips a year for their companies.
However, average expenses for flights fell to $2,642 in 2011 from $5,039 in 2007 per firm while hotel expenses dropped from $5,380 to $2,796 per firm over the past five years.
As a result, these SMB mobile professionals are staying more connected to their local communities and sourcing a majority of their sales locally (71%).
The Business Journals Research VP Godfrey Phillips said the study indicates that more SMB mobile professionals are connected via their smartphones and tablets, this enables them to work outside of the office more seamlessly, and encourages mobile professionals to nurture a connection with their local communities.
"In addition, they’re adopting emerging technology and incorporating social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter into their marketing plans and business models to help them stay connected," Phillips said.
The Business Journals conducted the study from November 2010 to January 2011 and more than 2,223 SMB executives with 1-499 employees were interviewed.
