What is mobile reporting?
Mobile reporting, also called mobile business intelligence (BI), is a way for users to access and manage business reports on mobile devices. Mobile reporting is a more convenient method of reporting because users can view reports, track metrics, and make updates while away from their computers. It also helps teams react to changes in the market anytime, from anywhere.
It’s common for data visualization software to have built-in mobile reporting capabilities. This way, companies of all sizes can look at business metrics in real time to better understand goals, performance, and other metrics.
Benefits of mobile reporting
Mobile reporting simplifies the reporting process. Potential benefits include:
- Close monitoring of KPIs: Mobile reporting allows users to constantly monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and adjust strategies according to concrete data. It provides simpler access to metrics, making analytics easier to track.
- Not limited to on-premise software: Desktop BI isn’t always cloud-based, meaning users can’t access reports off-premise, even while using a personal computer. Mobile reporting solutions can be cloud-based, allowing users to access reports on desktop or mobile devices even while off-premise. This is especially useful for remote employees.
- Reduced time to information and decision-making: Mobile reporting allows users to receive information in real time. Because users are aware of updates sooner, they are able to react to changes in analytics and data performance faster with enhanced data visualization. This reduces the time users take to make decisions once trends are recognized. When decisions have to be made away from a desktop BI, mobile reporting informs these decisions with data, improving their overall quality.
- Increased performance and revenue: Targets are easier to meet because mobile reporting provides users with the ability to constantly monitor KPIs. Mobile reporting tends to make employees more engaged because they can view their performance from anywhere. This, combined with better quality decision-making, results in an increase in revenue.
- Real-time reactions: Mobile reporting allows users to react in real time. This equips companies with the ability to act on trends as they occur, mitigate risks as they arise, and get ahead of the competition.
Uses for mobile reporting
Mobile reporting is used in a variety of industries, including HR, finance, and supply chain management. Industries utilize this functionality so employees can access analytics on the go in a digestible format that makes sense on mobile devices.
Mobile reporting is especially beneficial to fast-paced industries where keeping up with minute-to-minute changes in trends is a necessity.
Mobile reporting features
Not every mobile reporting solution is created equal. These solutions should have specific feature:
- Created for mobile devices: The solution must be designed for mobile, not a tool created for desktop and resized to fit mobile devices. Mobile reporting tools should allow users to view, filter, drill, and sort easily from a mobile device.
- Fully integrated: The solution should fully integrate with the desktop version for a seamless user experience across devices.
- Equipped with uninterrupted access: Mobile reporting solutions should be equipped with an offline mode to provide uninterrupted access wherever the user goes.
- Security: These tools should reuse the core security infrastructure so that they reinforce and do not inhibit BI security.
Mobile reporting vs. mobile marketing
Mobile reporting is the act of viewing and managing reports via mobile devices. Mobile marketing is a type of marketing that targets mobile device users. Mobile reporting produces analytics reports optimized for mobile use, while mobile marketing creates a personalized, mobile-first content experience.
Mobile reporting is also e used to identify trends in news and journalism where mobile devices are used as news reporting tools. Basically, the user creates and uploads a multimedia piece of content entirely on their mobile device. This reporting style is common in areas without modern internet infrastructure, as mobile devices are easier to acquire than traditional reporting equipment.
Martha Kendall Custard
Martha Kendall Custard is a former freelance writer for G2. She creates specialized, industry specific content for SaaS and software companies. When she isn't freelance writing for various organizations, she is working on her middle grade WIP or playing with her two kitties, Verbena and Baby Cat.
