Going mobile with data collection

More and more companies are automating their mobile workforce. They want workers in the field to have access to corporate databases and applications such as customer relationship management software, as well the ability to update customer records wherever the work occurs.

Gartner research indicates that through 2005, more than 65% of the Fortune 2000 companies will adopt mobile applications.

South Africa is following this trend. These companies realise that linking the mobile workforce with the enterprise and its data resources is key to enhancing productivity, accuracy, profitability and, ultimately, customer satisfaction.

This is true for any mobile business application, whether the workers provide field repairs services, deliver products such as chips, cool drinks or beer, dispense pest control chemicals, or pick up and deliver packages. But for some, choosing the right devices can be a real challenge.

The most knowledgeable companies are carefully selecting their mobile computers for durability, compatibility and minimum impact on the IT department.

The most knowledgeable companies are carefully selecting their mobile computers for durability, compatibility and minimum impact on the IT department.

Andrew Fosbrook, MD of ProScan Systems

In fact, Gartner recommends "enterprises should consider industrial forms of handhelds whenever application conditions involve the potential mistreatment of units. Failure to follow this best practice will lead to failure rates in excess of 20% per year."*

These and other buying considerations such as required functionality, wired or wireless connectivity, and system integration and management all need to be taken into account as part of the total cost of ownership (TCO). Selecting mobile hardware relatively early in the automation process so that company data needs, field user and environmental requirements, and IT support issues are all adequately considered can help minimise TCO. It can also help realise return on investment sooner rather than later.

Many companies base their mobile workforce automation decision solely on the expected ROI from taking their existing processes paperless, but there are other benefits that can be achieved by enabling new processes. On-site invoicing and collections can reduce customers` payment cycles by 30 to 45 days. Bar code scanning of inventory or parts eliminates the errors of manual data entry and can improve visibility to millions of rands of unrecognised or unaccounted assets.

Rugged industrial mobile computers sell from R6 000 to R18 000 depending on configuration and functionality. They can be configured to do specific types of data collection and communicate in either a wireless or batch (connecting to the server once a day via dock or modem) mode without changing out components. They can be ordered with built-in bar code scanners, wireless radios, interfaces to lightweight wearable printers, magnetic stripe/smart card readers, or GPS that all work together. The batteries can last for eight to 20 hours and can be hot-swapped. If this type of device is dropped, it can simply be picked up and put back to work.

Industrial devices that are Ethernet ready can eliminate the need to send data through a PC before it gets to the server. In fact, the PC can be taken out of the equation completely. This can result in major cost savings, depending on the number of mobile devices in the organisation.

Industrial strength devices are capable of running Windows CE or PocketPC for a high level of compatibility with many enterprise programs that are operating today and they can perform multiple tasks at the same time. Industrial units often have a solid-state storage media that protects the data should the units lose power for any reason.

Industrial units can easily be expected to remain on the job for two-and-a-half to three years, with many customers actually getting double or triple this life, so the amortised hardware cost could easily be around R3 000 to R4 200 per year per unit.

Basic consumer mobile devices usually sell for R1 800 to R3 900 right out of the box without peripherals. They operate on either Windows CE or Palm operating systems. These units are not rugged. If dropped 1.5m onto concrete, the odds are fairly high that both data and device will be lost.

Some consumer devices have expansion slots and some do not. Normally, the expansion slot can be used for one card or function at a time. For example, if using a wireless radio, it will have to be removed before a GPS device can be used. Each add-on is sold separately.

While industrial mobile computers may initially appear more expensive, their longer in-field life and lower IT and admin costs can actually make them more cost-effective. In addition, when building a business based on automated fieldworkers, the downtime from damaged devices or loss of data can quickly have a bigger impact than the cost to replace the device.

Many first time mobile applications tend to focus on getting rid of paper by automating a business process. In short order, however, the automated process often becomes mission-critical to the company`s ongoing success, and device/system performance can have a significant impact when there is no paper backup.

Initial mobile implementations usually are targeted for high priority business processes that are either important to decision-making or to the distribution of labour or other assets. Even if the company`s approach is to simply "try out mobile computing", inadequate attention to reliability and quality may result in problems that will force the company to return to the old paper systems.

* Gartner - Enterprise Wireless: Measure the Cost and Benefits for a Total Return on Investment, 11-13 March 2002; Frontline Computing - Mobile Devices on the Rise, 11-13 March 2002