Benefits
Today a large proportion of the
workforce operates outside the typical office
setup. It is highly likely that they utilize
inefficient and costly tools and time consuming
processes to gather data to complete their
tasks. Advancements in wireless business
solutions and mobile
solutions technology have begun to
improve the situation, and today this allows the
mobile worker to become a more efficient asset
to the company. The introduction of Windows
Powered mobile devices in the late nineties has
seen a significant change to enable
cost-effective wireless and mobile
solutions for the field worker. Our
clients have enjoyed major benefits in deploying
our wireless business solutions and mobile solutions some which
we have summarised below:
Deliver the right data at the right time.
Location based services can provide information or directions to key points of interest that are in close proximity to a mobile worker’s location. Using wireless business solutions notification services can be triggered by changes within the business or in the broader marketplace. Faster access to more accurate operational data enables more timely and informed business decisions.
Improve data accuracy.
Using wireless business solutions to capture data at the source can help increase the accuracy of the data used to run an organization. This can be product orders, inventory levels, pharmaceutical drug trial field data, distribution tracking lists, or real time patient data. Accurate data leads to more accurate billing to customers. Maps, charts, 3D infrastructure drawings, and aerial photos can all be more easily annotated and updated in the field for Engineering, Telecommunications, Transportation, and Utility solutions. Mobile solutions such as bar code scanners and other data capture devices help to improve data accuracy as well.
Turn downtime into uptime.
Providing mobile access to e-mail and other messages enables employees to utilize time that would otherwise have been wasted. While users may feel more productive, it may be hard to quantify the financial value of processing e-mail while on the go. The result can be more time for work on core business functions when back at the office or more time at home. There have been some ROI studies and white papers that try and assign a financial value to e-mail wireless business solutions. That is as hard a case to make for e-mail mobile solutions as it is for a wired or wireless phone. The general assumption in these studies is that a company somehow achieves a cost savings, calculated as a percentage of one’s salary, when downtime is utilized to process e-mail. Some of these studies have also assigned a monetary value to each and every e-mail. Applying a financial value to a message, or the same financial value to all messages, is hard to justify to an organization’s top management.
Improve efficiency and effectiveness of field sales and service personnel.
Mobile solutions can reduce administrative overheads providing more time to focus on the core job role. Shortened business cycle times enable the existing workforce to get more work done (e.g. faster loan processing, shorter waits in store cashier lines, more customer visits per day, etc.).
Improve customer satisfaction.
Through faster service and timely, accurate information. Better integrated, automated services can strengthen relationships and provide financial incentives by avoiding switching costs.
Attract and retain top talent.
By providing access to more efficient mobile solutions for business. Wireless business solutions show organizational investment in the employee. These solutions make the work more desirable by reducing time spent on menial or repetitive tasks. In one example, an insurance company relied upon an extensive network of independent agents. By providing a Sales Force Automation solution on Pocket PCs, the insurance company found it easier to attract and retain these sales agents.
Reduce carry around bulk and weight.
Wireless business solutions like Pocket PCs and Smartphones come in small packages yet can hold large amounts of data. For someone already carrying product samples and literature to leave with a customer, a small wireless device can provide a lot of benefit without a lot of bulk or weight. With integrated wireless and data functionality Pocket PCs and Smartphones may be able to replace multiple task specific devices such as a cell phone, personal organizer, pager, calculator, cassette recorder, or walkie talkie. Other examples of opportunities to eliminate document bulk and weight would include using electronic versions of PDRs for healthcare personnel, MLS books for real estate agents, and airline or train schedules for travellers.
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