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April 08, 2013

RingCentral: Mobile Phone Usage at Work Continues to Grow

The mobile phone has come a long way since its release; between the look, functionality and features – the phone has done a complete turnaround since 1973.

A new survey by RingCentral, Inc. found one of the biggest changes has been user behavior.

Forty years ago, the cell phone was a device created giving users the ability to make and receive phone calls while on the go. The first hand-held phone, demonstrated by John F. Mitchell, weighed about two full pounds and only had the most basic of features.

Regardless, the idea took off and has since grown in popularity.

These days it seems like there’s an announcement every day about a new phone that is lighter, faster and offers more features than anything else on the market. But the way people use their phone differs depending on their age and work environment.

According to RingCentral, who surveyed 1,856 working professionals, about 70 percent of them use their mobile phones to communicate while at work. Surveyors also said they are more likely to use their personal phone to make calls, and prefer text messages as a way to communicate.

In addition increasing mobile phone usage at work, results showed younger users are more likely to use a cell phone on a daily basis. For example, 60 percent of those older than 40 still have a traditional home phone, while 70 percent of those under 40 use their cell phone as their home phone. The same is true for making work calls and using a printed phone book verses an alternative.

The percentages are all higher for those under 40.

There’s one thing that remains the same, however, regardless of age – and that’s usage. No matter why it’s being used, the cell phone is as popular now as it ever was.

“April 3, 1973 was not just the beginning of cellular handheld communications but it was the start of a new era of work behavior,” said Nisha Ahluwalia, RingCentral’s vice president of product marketing. “Our survey shows just how much BYOD is transforming today’s work culture. Yet, there’s still an interesting generational divide in behavior based on whether or not you were born in a pre or post mobile era.”




Edited by Braden Becker


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