Our future is mobile

Product development at MYOB has had a strong mobile focus for quite some time. This is reflected in products like the award-winning MYOB PayDirect and the popular MYOB OnTheGo app.

Given Apple’s iPhone was only introduced eight years ago, the rise of the smartphone and its impact on our lives has been nothing short of revolutionary. In fact it’s now almost impossible to imagine life without instant access to email, internet, GPS mapping and a camera on a single device that fits neatly into your pocket.

Of course smartphones have changed more than our personal lives. They’re also changing how we do business. Around 75 percent of business people in Australia use their phone to stay on top of business.

Even bigger players, like Coca-Cola general manager Ulrik Nehammer, say they’re doing more work from their phones.

“These days I run most of my business from the phone,” Nehammer said at a business conference last year. The message is clear. With continual advances in technology, the smartphone is helping entrepreneurs create, manage and control their businesses.

The next generation of business owners will be even more mobile-focussed, with around one in five millennials using nothing but a mobile device to access the internet.

At MYOB we believe that more time and effort should be put into creating innovative mobile-first solutions, rather than simply duplicating the desktop experience.

For mobile apps to actually work, they need to be carefully crafted to empower the user to get as much – or more – done.

Mobile is serious business for MYOB. It’s why more businesses are using MYOB mobile apps and products, and it’s why we were named Australia’s Most Innovative Large Company by BRW for 2015.

The MYOB OnTheGo app, for instance, was born out of the need for more people to manage their accounts, cash flow and invoices on the run. It means that a sole trader – such as a plumber – can now generate an invoice on their phone or tablet, or follow up on an overdue payment while they’re on the job rather than back in the office.

The same goes for helping business owners to get paid on the spot. It’s how the idea for MYOB PayDirect was born.

Business owners like Ivan Zarezkij of Iv’s Burritos says it gives him the flexibility he needs to succeed. “We wanted to give our customers a card payment option without having to install extensive hardware,” said Ivan, “so it was either us investing thousands to get a bulky card payment facility, or signing up to MYOB PayDirect!”

The sophistication of mobile development also means complex tasks, like dealing with an accountant, are easier on a smartphone. MYOB Portal was developed with this idea in mind. Accountants can use it to request information from clients by simply sending alerts directly to their phone. It’s clear that this innovation addressed a long-held need – MYOB Portal has had the fastest take-up of any MYOB product in the company’s history.

Accountants like Ben Muller from Muller Accounting are reaping the benefits. “One client even recommended me to a friend just because I use MYOB Portal!” he said.

When it comes to mobile innovation, MYOB won’t be slowing down any time soon.

To view the current free mobile apps from MYOB,
visit your phone’s app store and search MYOB.

This article was originally published in the second edition of MYOB’s broadsheet, Insights, also available on iPad.