Mobile Inventories, Field Services and Changing a Light Bulb

Today I walked by a van in the grocery store parking lot and saw the doors on the van open. A man had a shopping cart next to the van and was slowly and methodically taking out boxes of light bulbs, entering their product codes onto a paper work order form and then placing them in the shopping cart.

Presumably the young man was not a detailed oriented thief, but rather was preparing to take the light bulbs into the store and replace those that were burnt out. I watched as he looked for the product codes and wrote each one down. Someone is going to do something with that paper form. The likely scenario is that someone in administration will type the information on the paper form into the work order management software in the office when they can find nothing more fun to do.

I wonder how accurate the product codes are after the service technician writes them on the paper form, and the data entry person interprets the handwriting and then types them into the system?

There are numerous issues with this scenario:

1. Inefficient use of a service technician's time - although it may not take a lot of skills to change a light bulb.
2. Inaccuracies in the documentation of product codes and work order details caused by poor handwriting and inaccurate data entry.
3. The lack of timely work order and inventory reporting, as the details are available only on paper until the data entry person gets to them.

Now this particular light bulb changing company may have been small, but think about the ones in big cities or Las Vegas even. Inefficiencies can add up to massive problems as they scale up.

With powerful, ruggedized handheld computers with integrated GPS, wireless connectivity and bar code scanners, inventories can be quickly scanned into the van (mobile inventory) and the mobile work order software can associate the parts and products with work order numbers and synchronized directly into the work order management system in the office for quick invoicing.

We finally have the answer to the age old question, "How many people (name your ethnic, geographical, religious or cultural stereotype) does it take to change a light bulb?" The answer is LESS THAN IT DID BEFORE, if you mobilize your work order processes with handheld computers and use data collection technologies like bar code scanners to document your inventory usage.

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

I can't let this experience go undocumented. I am sitting in Starbucks drinking a Mocha, writing a blog article, chatting with an international client on skype, checking and responding to emails, taking phone calls, recording voice memos, accessing spreadsheets on Google Docs, scheduling meetings and listening to music all on my iPhone.

Yes, sometimes I must ask everyone in Starbucks to stop talking while I am on important calls, but other than that I have complete mobile office. My iPhone has effectively converged most applications and required office equipment into one small mobile device that is now an essential tool for mobile workers.

As I noted last week iPhones can also photograph and identify bar codes, use its integrated GPS to show your current location and nearby business and much more. Convergence is real.

- Kevin Benedict,
Mobile Technology Writer and Consultant

Mobile Applications that Move Things

There is a new category of mobile software applications for Smart Phones and handheld computers that physically move things. I love it!!! Zip Car, a rental car service, allows you to use your iPhone to both find and unlock the rental car. Zip Car's business model is they park their rental cars around a metropolitan area and people can register and pay for the rental online, then they are provided with a list of locations where these cars are parked near them. Once there, they can enter their rental code into their iPhone and the Zip Car is unlocked for them.

In this USA Today article, a California company has now created an application called Viper SmartStart that can replace your car keys. Your iPhone will now be able to lock, unlock and start your car. Again, your Smart Phone is controlling mechanical movements. Next I can see throwing away my garage door opener, TV Remote and using my iPhone to start up and warm my car during the dark of winter.

I have read in other articles about home security systems and security related video cameras all being managed and activated by Smart Phones. There has been the concept of convergent devices for some time, but this generally referred to converging different pieces of equipment such as bar code scanners, GPS, digital cameras etc, together in one mobile device. This new Convergence 2.0 includes taking control of and managing the mechanical movement of things.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Strategy and Marketing Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Mobile Applications, Location Based Services and Distribution

In this article, I wrote about a concept of having CPG companies or distributors of perishable products notify customers when their products are in inventory at a particular location. The example given was The Sunday Edition of The New York Times. I wanted to receive a text message or email when The New York Times was delivered to my local coffee shop. That way I could quickly drive down and grab a copy before they were all sold out.

The LBS (location based services) and real-time notification system would need to be notified by the distributor when the product was delivered and available to be sold in a particular location. The system would require the distributor to scan a bar code label on the product with a handheld computer that includes a barcode scanner. The product, date and time stamp and location would be synchronzied with a real-time notification system that could send our text messages and emails to the subscribers.

This article, and the article linked to it, are identifying an entirely new category of mobile and real time inventory systems that could be of enormous value to wholesales distributors and CPG companies.

If you would like to discuss this topic in more detail please contact me.

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Author Kevin Benedict
Independent Mobile Computing, EDI and B2B Expert and Consultant
www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbenedict
http://b2b-bpo.blogspot.com/
http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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Airlines Make Some Improvement by Using RFID and Bar Codes on the Frontlines

In today's edition of the Wall Street Journal in the Technology section is an article written by Daniel Michaels called Airline Industry Gets Smarter with Bags - Carriers, Airports Use Scanners, Radio Tags and Software to Improve Tracking of Luggage. This article details some of the steps that airports and airlines are taking to use bar codes, bar code scanners and RFID tags to improve the tracking of bags. Why? Each bag that they lose costs them on average of $100 to return to the angry owner...read more.

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http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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54 Questions to Help You Select the Right Mobile Handheld Computer

Mobile computing requires mobile computers. Which brands and models you select can be a hard decision. The following list of questions are designed to help you think through some of the big issues that will enable you to narrow down the selection list.

The first big question you should answer is what is the primary purpose of the handheld or mobile device. Is it barcode scanning, GPS, RFID, surveying, map reading, voice calls, email, digital signatures or field data collection?

The second big question is what is the environment that the device will be used in. Is it used in the office, clinic, warehouse, cold storage or out in the rain on a construction site.

There are a large number of very good handheld computers, PDAs, Tablet PCs, laptops and Smart Phones to select from, however, the key to getting the right mobile device is to research the business purposes and the environment in which the solution will be used before making a selection. The following questions should help you narrow down your list of mobile handheld computers:

1. What environment will you be working in - is it hot, cold, wet or dusty?
2. How rugged do you need your device? There is a ruggedness scale.
3. Are there explosive vapors or explosive powders?
4. Is it a clean office environment, or a muddy and rugged outdoors environment?
5. Is the user in and out of vehicles all day?
6. Is your software application focused exclusively on bar code scanning, RFID reading, GPS, or do you need a multi-purpose data collection device?
7. Will the hardware configuration ever need to be changed? Some handhelds can be configured at will; others are locked and can only be used with the original configuration.
8. Will the device be used as a primary phone, or is it focused on data collection?
9. What hardware requirements does your mobile application require?
10. Will the battery last long enough to complete your daily work between charges? Do you need back-up batteries? Can you use batteries purchased at the local market, or are they vendor specific?
11. What is your budget? What does the value of using a handheld computer justify spending?
12. Do you have enough budget to purchase or develop the mobile software and hardware you need? Does your budget only allow for low cost consumer devices?
13. How many replacements(of a consumer device) does it take to equal the cost of a ruggedized handheld?
14. How do you replace broken devices? Can you get a replacement service in 24 hours, or must you wait a week?
15. What kind of support contracts and warranties are available?
16. How long will your new handheld computer be supported, serviced and manufactured by the vendor? Is it near end of life and being discounted for a reason?
17. Can you upgrade the operating system when Microsoft releases a new version of their mobile operating system?
18. Can you use standard laptop data cards in the handheld, or do you need to pay for high priced vendor specific cards?
19. Can you view the screen effectively in the sunlight?
20. Can you add more memory if your requirements increase?
21. A few industrial handheld computers have flashlights built into the device to provide better light for taking digital photos. Is this useful?
22. Do you require GPS? If so, how accurate?
23. Will your users be wearing gloves? If so, small keyboard buttons won't work. How big of keys do you need?
24. Do you need a water proof, or just water resistant case for your handheld?
25. Does the bar code scanner work effectively in real-world environment? Some scanners cannot scan effectively through glass or plastic.
26. Is the size and weight of the handheld appropriate for the user and environment?
27. Can your handheld computer support all the add-ons you require at the same time? Some devices can only support a specific number of add-on components so you are forced to choose. Some cannot support both a GPS and a data card at the same time. Some devices cannot support both a bar code scanner and a GPS add-on. This is an important consideration.
28. Do you need only a touch screen and navigation pad, a number pad or a full QWERTY keyboard? This is very important for user acceptance.
29. Is the handheld device also going to be used as a phone? Is a 2 pound industrial grade handheld really a usable phone?
30. Does your low cost consumer grade PDA need a rugged case like the ones Otterbox sells?
    If you only have a budget for a low cost device, does it support the battery life and add-on components you require?
31. How will the device be transported around a job site? Will it strap to a belt, swing from a shoulder strap, sit in a holster or be mounted to the dashboard of your truck? Does your device support your chosen method?
32. Where is the closest inventory of extra handheld computers? Where is the closest repair depot?
33. Will your vendor loan you a device on trial?
34. Can you rent the handheld if you only need it for a short-term project?
35. Does your vendor take trade-ins on your old handheld computers?
36. Can you get the same exact handheld, under a different brand name for less?
37. How will your handheld computer send data back to the office? Cradle sync, WiFi, bluetooth, wireless data card, GPRS/GSM, CDMA?
38. What size screen do you need? Some devices like the Jett-Eye have a "landscape view" others a "portrait view" many have different sized screens. What do you require?
39. Do you need an integrated digital camera? Do you need a low or high resolution camera and does your device support it?
40. Does a refurbished device from Ryzex make better sense that a new device?
41. Where is your vendor's office? Are they in the neighborhood or on the other side of the planet? Does their location offer you the support and attention you deserve?
42. Does your handheld computer run on the same operating system that your mobile software solutions requires? I have had customers order Windows CE devices for their Windows Mobile application. It did not work.
43. Is your device likely to be stolen? If so, you may want to use cheap devices that can be easily secured and replaced. We have implemented projects in Africa where this was an issue for the buyer.
44. Does your handheld computer come with a pistol grip or other straps that help you avoid dropping it?
45. Can you comfortably hold the device in your handheld and complete your work? Some devices have scanners on the side, on the end or underneath.
46. Can you effectively view the data you need? Some jobs simply require a full keyboard and a full screen for viewing large CAD files or Maps. Does your screen size match your requirements?
47. Where will you store the device when you use the washroom? One of my customers used Tablet PCs and they kept breaking when they slipped off of the sinks in the bathrooms.
48. Does the mobile device you select support the RFID reader you need for distance and accuracy?
49. Does the battery in the mobile handheld last long enough after you have added on all the additional hardware accessories? Each added radio uses more energy.
50. If you have dozens of handheld computers, how will you charge them all at the same time? Do you have a docking station that allows for all of your devices to both charge and synchronize at the same time?
51. Do you need wireless data plans, or does batch synchronziation after each shift work?
52. What wireless carrier and data plan provides the best service and cost for you? Does that wireless carrier support your mobile device?
53. Does the wireless carrier have sufficient coverage for your workers?
54. What is your budget for each handheld computer? This may limit your selection and make the choice simpler.

I don't sell or represent any mobile hardware. I have just managed many mobile application development projects around the world so have learned some lessons. If you would like to discuss this topic in more detail please contact me.

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http://mobileenterprisestrategies.blogspot.com/
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