The Greystone.Net Blog

When one person asked if they should really worry about a strategy for cell phones, I wondered. When a second said they didn’t think their patients used cell phones that much, I worried. Now a third  has suggested that a strategy for cell phones should be a phase two or three priority, and I’m shocked.

Having a site that renders well on a cell phone is so easy that I wonder why everybody doesn’t have one. But if you are still on the fence, here are five reasons why you can’t ignore them:

1. Smartphone penetration is at nearly 20%, and about half those without them say they plan to get one in the next year.
2. How often do you see people waiting in line to buy something the day it comes out?  If you want any further evidence of the demand for these devices, you should have seen the reaction of the iPhone winner at the Healthcare Internet Conference. Let’s just say another attendee commented, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
3. But here’s the thing:  You don’t need a Smartphone to access the Internet. A lot of run-of-the-mill phones can do it. The Pew Internet and American Life Project estimates that nearly 60% of Americans have Web access from their phones, and IDC suggests that by 2012, more will access the Web from their phones than from a PC (news article reference).
4. When users are trying to access your site via a cell phone, it may be at their time of greatest need. They may need the ER, or are just panicking because they forgot the address of their doctor’s office on the way to their appointment. Don’t let them down!
5. Okay, this may be cheating, but I have to say it again:  Having a version of your site that works well with a cell phone is really easy. So, there’s no excuse! In fact, it was one of Andy Gradel’s (Cooper University Hospital) “10 things he did last year for under $1,000.”

And I haven’t even started on the many innovative things you can do with text messaging, GPS directions and maps, reminder apps, etc. I’ll save those for another day. In the meantime, if you don’t have a site optimized for cell phones, I’d say it’s time to get to work!