Mobile networks still stink, with more workers coming

A new survey sponsored by NetMotion Software and WBR Digital shows that mobile network connectivity problems are the top reason for mobile-related trouble ticket submissions at enterprise companies. But that might not matter in terms of growth – as the same survey indicated that more than half the companies (56%) expected their mobile workforce to increase this year.

Despite Wi-Fi networks and mobile WAN (3G, 4G, etc.) being available for the better part of a decade or more, as well as mobile devices that have been in the hands of workers for almost the same amount of time, frustrations still exist when it comes to mobile networks. “Intermittent network connectivity or poor application stability can leave an employee cut off from essential information they need to do their jobs, leading to a frustrated worker and an unsatisfactory customer engagement,” the executive summary notes.

I recently spoke with Christopher Kenessey, CEO of NetMotion Software, about the survey and its implications on enterprise companies:

Some additional stats from the survey:

* 88% of respondents have their field service workers utilizing Wi-Fi networks, with 73% also reporting that workers use broadband carrier networks.

* The top mobile issues that companies encounter are quality of data service (65%), application performance issues (50%) and frequent user log-ins (38%). Other problems include having to diagnose unknown mobile issues, poor voice/video app experience, excessive data usage, unregulated application usage and roaming within and between networks.

* After deploying a mobile app, 60% of companies reported receiving up to 25 additional connectivity-related trouble tickets per week; 12% reported more than 75 trouble tickets per week.

* Most of the connectivity issues were around a dropped network (29%), but companies also experienced app crashes (19%), device malfunctions (17%) or employees needing explanations of functionality (17%).