Must-Have Apps for the Mobile Worker

Give every moment momentum Audio communication solutions for the mobile worker

9 You don’t go to work. You are the work. This is not your father’s office: 40 per cent of IBM employees don’t commute to a permanent office at all,1 and 90 per cent of enterprise employees spend at least some time working off-site.2

It’s no wonder that mobile workers have created Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). They are self-supplying the tablets, smartphones, laptops and audio devices that make the most sense for them. The level of BYOD has reached 66 per cent among European workers, 71 per cent in Asia, and 75 per cent in North America.3 As a result, the average number of connected devices per knowledge worker is expected to reach 3.3 by 2014.4

But is it working? What can you do to give your mobile life momentum, be efficient, and make sure that you can hear and be heard wherever you are?

Getting out, but not getting ahead.

More than 70 per cent of mobile workers say they’re less % 70 productive in coffee shops, and on planes and public transport.5 So where and how can you become more LESS PRODUCTIVE efﬁcient? Check out how to be a digital DIYer now. How to be a digital DIYer

Stay Connected – Not all public hotspots or Wi-Fi connections are created equal. Before going to the nearest café and struggling with a spotty connection, read reviews on WorkSnug.com or Yelp to discern a hotspot’s reliability. While Wi-Fi on rail service — especially in ﬁrst class — is increasingly available, consult your rail service's Web site prior to departure. Flyers can use a site such as RouteHappy.com to purchase ﬂights based on Wi-Fi availability.

Stay Charged – Packing charging cables is a fact of life, but extended and backup batteries ensure that you never lose important work to a dead battery. Audio solutions such as the BackBeat® GO 2 wireless earbuds come with a charging case that keeps batteries charged for up to 14.5 hours of talk and call time.

Stay Synced – Mobile work is more effective if your data travels above you in the cloud — not with you on a drive. The great thing about cloud applications such as Evernote and iMeet® is that your ﬁles and meetings are accessible anywhere, at any time, and on any device, so that changes are reﬂected everywhere, simultaneously.

Stay Secure – While IT departments have begun to accept BYOD, they’re aware of its inherent challenge: securing sensitive data as it roams about the globe on various devices. Most companies will install software to track, remotely lock, and even remotely wipe your devices in the event that they’re lost or stolen; reach out to your IT department for an approved resource.

2 Mobile workers are having more conversations. But not clearer ones. In noisy environments, an email or text is often sent in preference to having a conversation. But it’s not working. When surveyed, professionals cite the high likelihood of misunderstandings with texts, how email invites uncertainty, and that the best way to get to immediate answers is a conversation.6 Plantronics has pioneered technology that cancels not only noise but also wind and echoes, so that whether you’re on the road, in an airport or hailing a cab, you can have clear conversations that sound professional.

A mobile worker depends on great audio

% % % 69 67 54 increase in audio increase in Web increase in video conferencing conferencing conferencing

from 2005 to 20107

3 Must-have apps for the mobile worker

At Plantronics, we’re making the best headsets in the world even better by opening them up to app developers. We're going beyond audio, connecting more than just calls. We're enabling our devices to connect to applications, platforms and even the cloud — creating a new ecosystem in the process. Here are some other applications that we ﬁnd indispensable.

Mobility GlobalMeet® — GlobalMeet allows mobile workers to drive WorkSnug — WorkSnug, available presentations from their for iOS, Android and BlackBerry®, is smartphone or tablet during a Web or audio an augmented-reality app that conference for up to 125 users on iPads, shows nearby remote work locations and smartphones and BlackBerry devices. reviews them based on Wi-Fi quality, noise levels, availability of power and more. InstantMeeting® — InstantMeeting is a mobile worker app for your Collaboration smartphone that automatically identiﬁes conference calls in your calendar, iMeet® — iMeet features intuitive gets you in and dials the access code for you. Web conferencing for up to 15 And it’s free from Plantronics for any users on smartphones. iMeet also platform — iPhone, Android and PC with features integration with the Plantronics Microsoft Outlook. Voyager Legend® UC headset, providing rich contextual intelligence in every meeting.

4 Constantly in motion? Keep your head in one place with these apps.

File Sharing and Storage Asana — Asana is a shared-task– list application for teams and Box — Box’s cloud storage projects that enables co-workers to offers enterprise-grade security view deadlines and milestones in a mobile options, collaboration tools and cloud app. integration with CRMs. Note-taking Dropbox — Dropbox has become synonymous with cloud storage, Evernote — Evernote is a cloud- offering a simple, intuitive cloud based note-taking app that syncs storage interface aimed primarily at consumers. across all of your devices. Evernote fully integrates with mobile collaboration Task Management tools such as iMeet.

Any.do — Any.do is an intuitive Google Keep™ mobile app — to-do–list app for iOS and Android Google’s simple note-taking app that features a daily rundown of offers a quick way to save notes and upcoming tasks, enabling you to efficiently pictures, with access across all devices and schedule your day. within Google’s ecosystem.

5 Work in more places at once without sounding like it. Studies show that you carry at least three devices;8 why not have one audio device for everything in your connected life? 53 per cent of professionals spend 10 or more hours on the phone each week.9 Are you switching from shouting at your laptop on a VoIP call to holding a smartphone to take another call, and then back again? It’s time to sound great on every device, at every moment, no matter where that moment ﬁnds you.

6 Intuitive connections. Voice commands. And noise-cancelling technology that makes you sound professional no matter where you’re working.

VOYAGER LEGEND™ UC HEADSET » Cancel the noise, not the call. With hands-free voice commands such as “Answer” and “Ignore”; triple microphones that provide premium call clarity; connection to PC, mobile phone or tablet; and all-day comfort, the Voyager Legend UC headset enables you to power through your day without missing a beat — or a call.

CALISTO® 620 WIRELESS SPEAKERPHONE » Any room can be a conference room. The Calisto 620 speakerphone’s auto-directional microphones activate in the direction of the speaker’s voice. And the 360° noise cancellation turns any laptop or smartphone into a high-quality speakerphone for impromptu conference calls.

BACKBEAT® GO 2 WIRELESS EARBUDS » Stay charged throughout the day. It’s time to lose the cord and ﬁnd the music. BackBeat GO 2 wireless earbuds with charging case let you take in every high-ﬁdelity note — and take every call — for up to 14.5 sweat-proof hours, letting you leave the tangle behind.

7 Sources cited

1. “Workspaces for a Work-Anywhere World”, 360 Magazine, Steelcase, June 2008. 2. “Leveraging Complexity” White Paper, Steelcase, 2010. 3, 6, 9. “How We Work, Communication Trends for Business Professionals”, Survey by Plantronics of 1,800 enterprise knowledge workers, September 2010. 4, 8. Cisco Connected World Technology Report, 2012. 5, 7. The iPass Global Mobile Workforce Report, June 2013.