Digital and mobile tech at work is still not being used to full advantage

Just a third of businesses are using mobile technologies for their administration tasks, and as organisations struggle to digitise, many employees admit to finding pen and paper simpler to use. The vast majority (91 percent) of workers still prefer to use a desktop or laptop for administrative tasks, according to the research commissioned by ABBYY, as only one third (35 percent) use mobiles for admin, despite 43 percent of workers wanting to use it for this purpose. Millennials in particular are keen to use mobiles, with 55 percent wanting to use mobiles for admin – yet only 43 percent currently do. Older generations are also open to using mobile for admin, with 35 percent of Gen X currently doing so, and 41 percent wanting to. However, it’s clear that some employees are finding the latest technologies, such as mobile, too difficult to use – 28 percent still want to use pen and paper for admin tasks, as 46 percent find it simpler than other means. Desktop still runs the workplace in the UK, regardless of today’s remote working climate. Almost half of workers (48 percent) use a desktop or laptop because it’s easier, and 41 percent because it’s faster.

The survey demonstrates that while many believe we live and work in a smarter, digital-first era, technology still isn’t being used to its full potential due to a lack of usability. This is despite the fact that 36 percent see mobile as more convenient and 37 percent believe it’s faster.

What’s more, automation of these tasks is lagging behind. In previous ABBYY research, it was found that in an average week, 39 percent of workers spend 1-2 days a week on maintaining databases, and 18 percent of millennials spend 2 days inputting data. Yet, two thirds (63 percent) of UK workers want to delegate these tasks to robots – without this option, 15 percent try to avoid doing tasks they dislike altogether.

As such, a huge amount of time is being spent on tasks that could be automated or speeded up through mobile technologies, and some tasks are even slipping off to-do lists. As more tech-savvy employees join the workforce, this research highlights the opportunity for businesses to listen to the younger generation and move tasks to mobile through more efficient and usable platforms.

“It’s very surprising to see that mobile and automation still aren’t being used to their full advantage, especially when we have these capabilities at our fingertips,” says Bruce Orcutt, Senior Vice President of Product at ABBYY. “Businesses and software developers must continue to work to make mobile interfaces more user friendly, and boost their convenience, ease and speed. However, the onus is also on businesses to harness mobile solutions and evolve the way their staff work.”

Orcutt continues: “As we prepare for the workforce of the future, based on a culture of convenience driven by mobile, organisations must champion smarter working practices, and educate staff on how to make the most of these platforms to drive productivity – and improve employee experience in the process.