With mobile-responsive content in high demand, the format of Targeted Intelligence is crucial to its success. Part 5 of 5 in a series.
Forward-thinking organizations must find ways to provide effective information solutions to users in the face of a rapidly changing information landscape, the proliferation of mobile devices, new patterns of information use and changing workplace behavior.
Writing in Information Outlook, Britt Mueller and Cindy Shamel explore the “cosmic shift” facing professionals as mobile devices become ubiquitous. Because users “expect (and get) incredibly high standards of product design and low access barriers for their mobile experience” in nearly every aspect of their lives, professionals must be responsive to these needs and provide high-quality mobile delivery: “Following mobile design trends in the marketplace is important. Paying attention to things that are done well by commercial interests, such as simplifying access, improving the user experience, and marketing mobile information solutions is critical to library success in delivering mobile solutions.”
To achieve this goal, information professionals must ensure that the updates containing targeted intelligence are mobile-responsive or delivered through a secure mobile application. Information consumers are in need of tools and resources to assist them in managing the constant flow of information. Targeted intelligence means adopting a mindset to meet users where they are: on mobile devices.
Targeted Intelligence is the practice of delivering timely updates from a team who curate content using various technologies to select the appropriate information. The goal: easily digestible updates that can be pushed to a variety of channels, such as portals, widgets, mobile applications, email briefings and more.
The good news is that it is now possible to tailor content to users and distribute that content to any device. A variety of sources including news articles, publications, websites and social media can be delivered in mobile-friendly formats to meet the information needs of any audience.Mobile Delivery Meets Workforce Trends
Mobile delivery dovetails with larger workforce trends toward collaboration, telework and workforce mobility. Collaboration is highly valued in the workplace, and technology to support collaborative work is a critical piece of this important workforce trend. Writing in Forbes, Adi Gaskell reports on a 2017 study from the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) showing that companies promoting collaborative working were five times more likely to be high performing.Workforce mobility is a second key trend transforming the use of mobile devices in the workplace. Global Workplace Analytics reports that 50% of the current US workforce hold a job that is compatible with at least partial telework, and 80% to 90% of US workers would like to work remotely at least part-time. Remote work has grown 140% since 2005, and 4.3 million employees (3.2% of the workforce) currently work from home at least half the time. The workforce mobility trend dovetails with another key trend—the use of collaboration tools. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, over 90% of Millennials, Generation Xers and Baby Boomers have worked remotely. More than 60% of Millennials work remotely to the fullest extent of their company’s policy, and 81% of workers take full advantage every day at companies that allow remote work. However, more than 25% of mobile workers feel that remote work can lead to misinterpreted communication among colleagues.
Targeted Intelligence updates can be a way for organizations to increase the engagement of dispersed employees. To achieve this goal, professionals must ensure that the updates containing targeted intelligence are mobile-friendly in one way or another. Information consumers need tools and resources to assist them in managing the constant flow of information. Targeted intelligence means adopting a mindset to meet users wherever they are.
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