Farmore IT News #1: Blackberry or Crackberry?

Blackberry or Crackberry?

Can mobile working help your business?

Most people have heard of a Blackberry by now (although one person I know insists on calling it a Raspberry!). If you haven't heard of Blackberry - essentially it is a mobile phone with a keyboard that gives easy access to email.

Could a Blackberry work for you and your business?

Love them or hate them, Blackberries are here to stay. Now that they work well with Microsoft Small Business Server and Blackberry Enterprise Server (Professional), they are proving even more popular with small businesses. Our Blackberry users are absolutely delighted with them.

There is a debate about whether the humble Blackberry is ruining our social lives or improving it. I liken this debate to the same one I had with my dad 10 years ago when mobile phones were beginning to become ‘mainstream’. He did finally get one around 4 years ago (last of the luddites) - I think I won that battle.

However, the Blackberry is different as it is usually provided by work and can be seen as more of an extension of the office than a mobile phone ever was.

Worklife balance - many people feel like they are constantly juggling work and family/social life. A good question is whether technology can help to improve that worklife balance, or will it just make things worse? The majority of Blackberry owners believe it helps them stay on top of family life and work life. 9 out of 10 users view their Blackberry as a 'lifesaver'. However, some users liken a Blackberry to a drug addiction (it is often referred to as a Crackberry).

Here are some tips to reduce the "Crackberry" effect:

1. If you go on holiday it is easy to turn off incoming mail, but still use it as a phone - this is very popular, even with business owners.

2. Have a policy of "no tone/no flashing light" when a new message arrives - so you don't leap for your phone every time it beeps.

3. Don't 'expect' out-of-hours responses from employees unless it is part of their job description.

4. Tie the use of Blackberry or mobile computing into a policy on flexible working and put the power in the hands of the employee.

5. Switch it off when you are out for the evening and when you are sleeping.

But remember there are great things about Blackberries too. Everyone I know absolutely loves them – especially if they have them set up correctly with Exchange and not just relying on plugging the Blackberry into their PC.

The main benefits are mobile email, calendar, and contacts – with no need to plug into a PC. All your information is synchronised over the air.

Typical usage includes:

- If you meet someone and enter them as a contact on your Blackberry it automatically adds this to your Outlook contacts.

- if someone in the office creates an appointment for you while you are out, it will auto add it to your diary on your Blackberry.

- you can access documents on your network while at a customer (e.g., up to date stock lists).

- applications such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) are now becoming useful – giving full sales and customer service information out in the field.

Better than Windows Mobile?

Internally we have used Windows Mobile devices for years, the arch rival of the Blackberry. Generally we have been happy with them for mobile email devices but they don’t last that well and they tend to be hit and miss as a phone (signal drop outs and hang ups).

Here are our top three reasons why we are moving to Blackberry (and away from Windows Mobile):

1. Low roaming data charges - much cheaper to travel through Europe and still be in contact with the office.

2. Robust devices - no touch screen means less likely to break or crash.

3. Blackberry Enterprise Server available on Small Business Server.

If you would like any information about how to introduce Blackberry to your company, please get in touch on 01786 489666.