The evolution of technology usually takes place in successive waves, which often overlap. Recall the wave of the host or mainframe computer which began in the '70s, the wave of the microcomputer at the beginning of the '80s, the wave of connectivity and the local area network at the beginning of the '90s, followed by the wave of system integration.
Today, we are on the verge of the next evolutionary wave - the power of anytime, anywhere, any way communication. Business without wires.
the wireless advantage
Mobile or wireless solutions can improve the productivity and profitability of your mobile field service force, extend the value and reach of your current investment in IT infrastructure, increase the accuracy of work orders, improve service assurance, increase your competitive advantage and even increase employee satisfaction thanks to job empowerment.
gauging ROI
Beyond the positive benefits to productivity, the success of an implementation depends upon its capacity to generate a quick ROI (return on investment). The degree to which mobile and wireless connectivity will improve organizational efficiency will depend on:
- the size of the work area (local, inter-city, nationwide, or international)
- the urgency of communications
- the organization's workflow processes
- the size and complexity of information to be communicated
The following real life example demonstrates a strong ROI realized through timesavings and an overall reduction in errors and omissions.
Gaz Métropolitain
Gaz Métro, a Quebec-based company, is primarily involved in natural gas distribution. Gaz Metro wanted to enhance and improve the standard industry practice for final inspections conducted on new and replacement equipment installations. Until recently, such inspections were conducted on-site with data being entered manually on paper forms; once at the office, data had to be re-entered in the management system.
Gaz Métro found the highest-potential avenue for improvement was the use of a mobility tool with integrated communication. TELUS joined the project as a partner in charge of the IT solution and developed the applications for mobile final inspections. TELUS also developed an Internet server as an interface between the 'Mobile' (as Gaz Métro people refer to it) and the SAP central data system.
Since April 14, 2003, 65 rugged units weighing less than 500 g with digital high-speed cellular communication have been in use at Gaz Métro.
"For us and for the entire industry, this technology is very new. We had set very high objectives for ourselves and all were exceeded. Document transfer times have gone from several days to just a few minutes, paper forms were eliminated, and the entry of data is done directly into SAP. The technology that permits real-time exchanges is here...why not take advantage of it?"
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Jean-Pierre Raymond, Gaz Métro
Commission de la construction du Québec
Commission de la construction du Québec used a manually intensive, paper based system to track their development permit information. As a result, field workers were spending 40% of their time completing forms and 25% of their time was invested in traveling to and from jobsites. That's a 65% time investment in tasks NOT directly associated with their real mission.
TELUS proposed a mobile solution that would enable remote workers to access and update information while in the field.
Once deployed, Commission field workers will be able to access and extract more than 100,000 files from a centrally located mainframe. The application is designed to transfer data back and forth between the mobile PDA and the back office via a wireless information gateway. At the request of the inspectors, all data is synchronized on the PDA with the
TELUS Mobility 1X network. The benefit in time savings is expected to be significant over the current manual process.
"The benefits are numerous and immediate. Significant increase in the number of daily visits, considerable reduction in the cost of file processing while improving security and the satisfaction of my employees. An indisputable return on investment!"
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Richard Massé, Director of inspections, CCQ
the time is now
The time is now to start taking advantage of anytime, anywhere, any way communications. Mobile and wireless solutions can improve productivity and profitability, increase your competitive advantage, improve safety and even increase employee satisfaction. Ride the wave.
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