Business and Mobile Technology

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Business and Mobile Technology

• Dr S J Rees

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Cost Avoidance

• Staff numbers exceed building space client
  considering office move
• Remote working is the alternative
• Web-based working (VPN, email, file transfer)
• Voice communications (telephone, mobile PBX
  extension)
• Tied line? Leased line? ISDN? ADSL?
• If mobile, GPRS and mobile VPN

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Cost Avoidance (ii)

• Need to re-equip remote staff with equipment at
  lower cost than direct laptop for laptop
  replacement
• PDA with communications facilities
• Probably GPRS for web type access
• Mobile VPN for information
• GPS for location, directions, etc.
• Cost for Office type facilities probably 700 -
  1000 cheaper than laptop computer

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Cost Avoidance (iii)

• Need to install a network, but anticipate change
  of buildings in the near future
• IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN (WLAN)
• If need faster-than-Ethernet performance, go for
  IEEE 802.11a wireless LAN, but remember the EC
  licensing situation is still fluid
• Wired access to router or ISP connection to get
  external Internet
• When they move, take it with them

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Cost Avoidance (iv)

• Need to increase sales, and sales numbers are
  related to numbers of client visits
• Internal telesales operation with synchronised
  remote diary management, phone and email
• Internal sales staff make appointments,
  pre-qualify opportunities
• Field executive makes the visit
• Can raise visit count by 30

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Cost Avoidance (v)

• Need to increase maintenance effort without
  taking on additional staff
• Internal maintenance scheduling with remote
  synchronised diary management
• Mobile VPN
• Remote expertise deployment
• Only visit once if possible

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Cost Avoidance (vi)

• Need to increase the efficiency of sales or
  maintenance visits
• Access to company information systems by mobile
  VPN, service bulletin boards
• Email
• Picture transfer
• Remote deployment of expertise

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Cost Avoidance (vii)

• Need to increase workforce but cannot afford
  incremental costs to expand numbers of people
• Work smarter, not harder!
• Use mobile email and VPN to utilise dead time in
  commuting, waiting for meetings.
• If two hour commute, can effectively add 25 to
  an eight hour working day!!!

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Time Efficiency (i)

• Complex products and services leading to repeated
  service and maintenance visits
• Remote deployment of expertise
• VPN
• At all costs, must visit only once
• US based major IT supplier in UK rates each
  service visit at a cost of 550, even when more
  than one visit per day

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Time Efficiency (ii)

• Difficult to schedule meetings/get key staff
  together
• If mostly an on-site problem, distributed
  synchronised diary management over LAN
• Remote diary management with synchronisation
  using GPRS etc.
• Can liberate up to 25 of secretarial/admin time
  wasted on telephone chases for meetings
  arrangements

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Time Efficiency (iii)

• Need to improve customer communications and CRM
• Integrated mobile VPN with CRM system access
• Diary management linked to CRM system
• Visibility of CRM status to client relationship
  managers

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Time Efficiency (iv)

• Avoid wasted time with finding client premises
• GPS
• Be careful with lock times a 30 second lock
  time is utterly useless if driving around
  Birmingham (the period between seeing enough
  satellites around the buildings is pretty much
  less than 30s)
• Be careful that the maps for your territory are
  good quality and high definition

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Control (i)

• Incorrect delivery problems with clients
• Shoot your storesman if only a few
  products/shipments
• Barcodes if easy access
• Radio frequency ID tags
• If access difficult
• If high volume
• If complex pallet lading

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Control (ii)

• Supplier deliveries feature incorrect product
• Bar coding if easy access, immediate unload
• Radio frequency ID tags
• Quality management software
• Most companies dont know how much gaffe kit they
  have lurking in incoming stores

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Control (iii)

• Damage to product in transit
• Radio frequency ID tags
• Condition monitoring equipment (sensor/transmitter
  pairs), such as temperature transmitters,
  accelerometers
• When and where of damage is important,
  particularly with insurance claims involved

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Control (iv)

• Inefficient use of delivery vehicles
• Location based services
• Optimised routing software
• GPS navigation
• SMS
• email messaging
• Spot pricing for empty returns?

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Control (v)

• Control problems with low grade remote staff
• Mobile telephony
• Location based services
• GPS navigation
• SMS
• Email messaging
• Turn it off or break it and collect your cards
  the same day

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Control (vi)

• Control problems with production workers/quality
  driven standards improvement for customers
• Integrated monitoring equipment
• Bar coding or radio tags
• With WLAN links if appropriate to environment
  (electrical noise can be problemmatical)

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Control (vii)

• Incorrect work instructions abrogating quality
  approach
• Worn PDA
• Wireless LAN downloaded work instructions
• Central server
• Bar code or radio tag mapped to work instructions
  database

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Miscellaneous

• Need relatively low cost means to expand
  marketing effort
• SMS advertising
• If money no object, link into television and
  magazine advertising campaign
• Give them something back (vouchering)

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Miscellaneous (ii)

• Need to increase non-shop based sales, to expand
  non-direct client base, to improve brand
  recognition
• M-commerce
• SMS advertising
• Give them something back approach to vouchering

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Miscellaneous (iii)

• Mobile telephony charges are too high
• Look at tailored tariffs package or mobile PBX
  extension

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Miscellaneous (iv)

• Need to refurbish graded listed building or high
  quality office space, but will not accommodate
  cosmetic disturbance
• Wireless LAN

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Summary

• Huge span of application
• Best solution to some basic problems
• Range of invention for new products is enormous
• Basically want CRM integrated with Diary
  Management integrated with Company Information
  Sources, and all Available at All Times to All
  Company Staff