ClickSoftware Named Gartner MQ Leader

ClickSoftware, provides automated mobile workforce management and optimization solutions for the service industry.  This year it has been positioned as a Leader by Gartner, Inc. in their 2012 Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management report (download the report free here). Gartner did not position SAP in the Leader quadrant, even though SAP has both Syclo and resells much of ClickSoftware's solution as SAP’s Workforce Scheduling and Optimization.  If fact, ClickSoftware utilizes much of the SAP Mobility Platform in their solution.  What is the logic?  Take a look at what makes up a full Field Service Management solution:

• demand forecasting
• long-and-short term capacity planning
• shift planning
• real-time scheduling and optimization
• enterprise mobility
• business analytics

The service industry needs a lot of tools and automation.  It needs all kinds of back-end solutions and capabilities.  The real value of just about any mobile solution is the back-office or cloud based solution it is connected to.

According to Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Field Service Management ClickSoftware is well-positioned to take advantage of the four critical elements of the Nexus of Forces.  The Nexus of Forces is the convergence and mutual reinforcement of social, mobility, cloud and information patterns that drive new business scenarios.  At Cognizant we call these four SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) because it is great fun to “talk smac!”

It is easy to forget how important the ERP and the back-office solutions are to mobility.  An enterprise mobility app is only as good as the software in which it connects.

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Kevin Benedict, Head Analyst for SMAC, Cognizant

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Full Disclosure: These are my personal opinions. No company is silly enough to claim them. I am a mobility and SMAC analyst, consultant and writer. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

Enterprise Mobility and the Fog of War

Fog of War

The term of "Fog of War" means "The uncertainty in situation awareness experienced during operations."  It is really hard to manage operations efficiently if you don't know where your people and resources are located.  How can you implement your strategy or fulfill your mission without this knowledge?  Gaining situational awareness is the key to improving productivity in the field.

In the preliminary results of my mid-year enterprise mobility survey, the participants have identified "improved productivity" as the #1 ROI that companies are seeking from enterprise mobility.  This would suggest a need for GPS tracking of your workforce, assets and resources and improved situational awareness.

I recently read that 90% of the challenges that military commanders have are finding the enemy, and finding their own forces.  Knowing the location of your resources enables you to make all kinds of data driven decisions such as:

• Estimated arrival times
• Determining what resources are closest to a job site
• Optimizing routes
• Optimizing schedules
• Identifying the nearest location of materials, supplies and other resources
• etc.

Although it is impossible to eliminate all fog, best in class services organizations are going to invest in the elimination of as much fog as possible.  This takes not only knowing GPS coordinates of your workforce and resources, but having an enterprise mobility solution and real-time analytics and forecasting applications that understand how to use this data to optimize your productivity.

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Kevin Benedict, Mobile Industry Analyst, Mobile Strategy Consultant and SAP Mentor Alumnus

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Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

ClickSoftware Closes Historic Deal with DIRECTV

ClickSoftware, the developer of the SAP Workforce Scheduling and Optimization solution, announced today that they have closed one of their largest contracts ever.  It is with DIRECTV, the world's most popular video service. 

DIRECTV selected ClickSoftware's workforce management and optimization solutions to help it improve the management and efficiency of its field service technicians and customer service.  Here is a quote from DIRECTV's senior vice president, IT Strategy and Innovation, "We are trying to match the business value proposition of providing exceptional service to our customers for installation and service calls with a technology solution.  We feel ClickSoftware is the technology choice to deliver this value to our customers."

ClickSoftware has nearly 25 years of experience developing sophisticated workforce scheduling solutions that were first deployed in the military.  Today all of these solutions are supported by ClickSoftware's ClickMobile solution for enterprise mobility.

I have recorded a number of interviews with the executives from ClickSoftware over the past year and you can watch these interviews here:

Dr. Moshe BenBassat, Founder ClickSoftware
ClickSoftware's SVP of Alliances Nigel Clark
ClickSoftware's Simon Morris, VP Marketing


Whitepapers of Note

The Business Benefits of Mobile Adoption with SAP Systems
ClickSoftware Mobility Suite and Sybase Mobility Solution
Networked Field Services
Mobile, The Next Big Thing for Business

Webinars of Note

Implementing SAP Enterprise Mobility - 10 Lessons Learned
Barcode Scanning in Mobile Apps
Five Ways to Optimize the ROI of your Mobile Solution


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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer
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Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.