Smart Phones, Mobile Software, Coupons and Grocery Lists

I can hear it now! Readers complaining that I should already know about this category of mobile applications, but I don't so I apologize in advance.

I want to be able to go to a grocery store (food store) and take out my iPhone, photograph the bar code label (UPC code) and have my GPS location uploaded to a website that will instantly provide me with all the discounts, coupons and rebates available for that product (UPC code) in that specific store location (GPS coordinate).

I want to take advantage of any savings that are available. I should not have to clip coupons from newspapers, file them and browse through different websites. I want the best price for the products on my shopping list for today only. Hummm, let me think about that. Perhaps if complementary products were also on sale that could prove useful. OK, let's add that feature and make it so it can be active or inactive in set-up.

It would also be useful to know how many of my products could be purchased for less, a mile down the road. Perhaps the total costs for my groceries at store A is $79.00, but 1 mile down the road those same products would only cost $63.00. I would like to know that. I may travel 1 mile to save $16.00. The radius of the search for savings could be configured in my mobile application. I want all stores within 1, 2, 3 or 10 miles.

Perhaps I could even save the UPC bar code scans from previous visits to the grocery store. These would, over time, make up my personal food lists. With a personal list of products and their associated UPC codes saved, I could quickly make a grocery list and request best prices from multiple stores within a designated area.

Once I have a list of all the best prices on my personal food list and their locations, I could request a best route to drive, plus a list of groceries I should buy at each store to maximize savings. I may have 4 stores within my designated search area. Each store has some food items that would maximize my savings. If I travel to each store, one at a time, I could save $34.00 on my list. If I went to only 2 stores, I could save $28.45.

OK, that is all good, but travel, time and fuel have a cost. I would like to know how much time it would take to drive to each store one at a time. Let me enter a time and fuel cost. That should be factored into the overall savings.

The result should be a very quick and simple mobile application that maximizes my savings in the most efficient manner possible. I would also need to show my electronic coupons to the cashier and manage the rebate process. Hummm...save that for another blog article.

OK readers what is the application called and where do I download it?

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Network-Centric Mobile Field Force Automation and OODA

This article explores the combination of some of the best military strategy thinking with mobile technologies, field force automation and business intelligence solutions.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Help Me - RFID on the Road

I want to obey the law. I want to stay within the legal spend limits, but it is so hard when you have two dogs in the car, kids asking questions, the radio on, a hot cup of coffee and you are trying to read a text message while driving through the rain at night. How is one to see every speed limit sign?

I want speed limit signs along the road to be RFID enabled. I want the speed limit signs to send my car the speed limit information via RFID. I want my car to receive the RFID signal and warn me if I go above the speed limit by more than 5 MPH.

I need less distractions while driving. I should be able to concentrate on reading my text messages without the distraction of looking for speed limit signs.

Who will join me and sign the petition?

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict

http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Peer-to-Peer Mobile Computing and Field Services Automation, Part 2

This is the second in a 2 part series on Peer-to-Peer Mobile Computing and Field Services Automation. Part 1 can be read here.

Field Service Technicians spend much of their time working at remote customer sites. Often the job expands or they get dispatched to a new job where they don't have the right equipment, expertise, tools or parts to complete the job in a timely manner. This can result in delays and inefficiencies that result in higher costs. Let's ponder some ideas on how a peer-to-peer mobile computing environment along with LBS (location based services) could improve these situations.

Location based services allow you to identify locations, objects and people with GPS coordinates. Based upon these GPS coordinates, various actions can be programmed or configured. Once you are within 1 mile of a shopping center, you begin to receive product sales and discount information as an example. In a field service context, you could activate a database query, or activate a series of automated business processes. Let's consider a scenario.

A field service technician carries an inventory of equipment, tools and parts in his van. It has only storage space for a limited inventory. Different field service technicians carry different tools, equipment and parts in their van's inventory. Perhaps if all of the vans had GPS tracking, and all of the van's had identified inventory, then a field service technician could view a complete mobile inventory from all 6 vans within a 5 mile radius.

Why would viewing the inventory from all 6 vans be useful? If a van with the right equipment, tools or parts was closer than the company's warehouse, then you could save time and money by meeting the van and exchanging inventory. The company van with the right equipment or parts may be only 1.3 miles away from your location, while the warehouse may be 25 miles away.

It is also good cash management to turn over your inventory. You don't want your field service technicians purchasing more of a particular part, when your warehouse or other vans already has that unsold part in inventory.

How does mobile peer-to-peer or P2P computing come into this scenario? Each mobile handheld computer can be configured to communicate directly with all the other company's mobile handheld computers so their locations and associated parts and equipment inventories can constantly be surveyd.

I have not yet seen a a work order management or field service automation system utilize these emerging LBS and P2P technologies, but I believe this is a very intrigueing new area. If you have seen examples of this kind of solution in action, please share in the comments section below.

If you would like to exchange ideas on this subject please comment on this article or contact me.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Peer-to-Peer Mobile Computing and Field Services Automation, Part 1

There are a lot of times when the supervisor or owner/operator of a SMB (small to medium sized business) is not at his or her desk staring at the computer screen. They are often in the field working with customers and their service teams. The problem with this is that it prevents visibility to other projects that may benefit from the supervisor's real time advice and oversight. Let's now talk about some possible solutions to this issue.

In many field service automation or work order management software applications, the design and architecture of the software is in a client server model. Information and electronic service tickets are wirelessly dispatched to mobile handheld computers and Smart phones, and the service technician completes the electronic service ticket and the information is synchronized back to the server in the office. The problem with this design again is that the supervisor who is most interested in viewing this real-time work order information is not in the office looking at the application on the server.

One possible solution would be to create a special managers view or summary of all operational data. A summary of all inbound and outbound work orders, business process or rule exceptions, identify issues or customer relationship problems and then synchronize this subset of information out to the supervisor's mobile handheld computer or Smart phone. This would provide a management summary in a dashboard view of all operations.

A second option would be to provide a complete duplication of all information to the supervisor. You would duplicate and synchronize all inbound and outbound work orders to the supervisor's mobile device. There would be no summary, rather all information would be synchronized out from the server to the supervisor's mobile handheld.

A third option would be to have the mobile device of all the service technicians synchronize in a peer-to-peer model directly with the supervisor's mobile device and the office server. This would require the supervisor's mobile handheld computer or netbook to have full server synchronization capabilities that would enable all of his or her mobile service technicians to constantly synchronize with it. This would be data intensive and may cause synchronization performance issues, but would enable the supervisor to see all operations in real-time.

A fourth option is to have a real-time online connection between the supervisor's mobile device and the office server. This would only work when there was wireless connectivity available, but could provide efficient and real-time visibility into all the operations of the company.

In Part 2 of Peer-to-Peer Mobile Computing and Field Services Automation, we will discuss some ideas for using location based services (LBS) and P2P computing with Field Service Technicians.

If you would like to discuss these options in more detail please contact me.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy, Sales and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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