A year ago, the infamous Apple Watch came out. While it received mixed reviews, we wrote up a blog on it, believing that it would do some great things for business productivity. So, what’s our take on it a year later? You might be surprised to know that we still believe that the Apple Watch is still a great tool for professionals, it’s just a matter of how you use it. Here are a few ways we believe that the Apple Watch is revolutionary for business productivity and why it’s a viable business tool for your sales staff and other employees:
Limits screentime.
One of the biggest issues with our smart phones is how often we’re engaged with them. According to Locket, a New York based app company, the average user unlocks their phone 110 times a day with one user unlocking their phone up to 900 times. If there’s any question that we’re addicted to our handheld technology, that should give you the answer. But Apple Watch users report significantly reduced screen time. Think about it – with all those notifications sitting on your phone, you inevitably pick up your phone and get lost in a sea of Facebook and Instagram posts. But with the Apple watch? You can regain some productivity, knowing that it only takes a flick of the wrist to get all your notifications. Here’s a great article from tech blogger Nathan W. Bingham on how the apple watch reduced his screen time.
Schedule and alert management.
Keeping a tight schedule in a hyper-connected society can be difficult. When meetings run over or a prospect needs to schedule an event with you – having wrist-level access to a calendaring app like Microsoft’s recently acquired Sunrise app, is really beneficial. Taptic feedback is silent and with a turn of the wrist you can easily see what’s up next without getting lost in a world of social media and e-mail checking.
Sales alerts.
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits for Apple Watch users is for those who are employed in sales. Paired with apps like Hubspot’s Sidekick and Salesforce, a salesperson can quick be alerted when prospects visit your website, open e-mails or even submit contact requests. This allows for immediate follow-up and action when needed. It means less prospects getting lost in e-mails due to improved responsiveness on behalf of your representatives.
When it comes to technology, we have a lot of it. But increasingly, we risk interrupting our workflows and productivity with unnecessary technology. I’m happy to report after a year of use that isn’t the case with Apple Watch. A truly productive technology tool, this particular piece of Apple technology is only suited to improve our interactions in business – particularly with the introduction of the Apple TV and tvOS from September’s most recent event.