Mobility Trends in Field Service Empowering your field
Mobility Trends in Field Service – Empowering your field workforce to deliver better, faster service Joe Spahn, Distribution & International Sales
About us: Brother Mobile Solutions ▪ A subsidiary of Brother International – a $5. 4 billion worldwide company Award-winning printers and AIOs, and P-touch Electronic Labeling Systems ▪ Primary focus: Mobile printing and electronic labeling ▪ Key vertical markets: Field Service, Route Accounting, Public Safety, Insurance ▪ Key products: Thermal letter/legal mobile printers Small format, pre-sized thermal paper mobile printers
Today’s discussion … How mobile solutions are empowering field service organizations for: ▪ Improved workforce productivity ▪ Faster service resolution ▪ Reduced service-related costs ▪ Reduced errors and duplication of efforts ▪ Improved cash flow & margins
Today’s field service environment It’s tough. And getting tougher. Customers have an expectation of immediacy in all things … ▪ Internet/Web, PDAs, Blackberry ▪ Online ordering, payment, and express delivery ▪ No tolerance for error – or delay ▪ Business as usual doesn’t cut it Expect everyone to have the same urgency.
What’s the response? They have adapted … ▪ To meet rising customer expectations ▪ To improve performance and profitability How have they adapted? ▪ Empowering field workforces with mobility solutions ▪ Closing the loop … back office/ field ▪ Cutting paperwork, reducing workflow interruptions ▪ Streamlining processes ▪ Communicate, capture data and print in the field ▪ Improving velocity, efficiency, and accuracy in workflow
How is it going so far? It’s paying off. ▪ According to a 2009 Aberdeen Group study of 200 service professionals: “ Those that are successful in extending the back-office to the field with convenient, well-integrated workflows have experienced significant 17% gains in service profitability from the deployment of mobile solutions. ▪ In a down economy, that’s pretty exciting ”
Aberdeen Group reports … Stunning differences between “Best-in-Class” (BIC) field service organizations and industry averages (IA) Industry Average (IA) Best in Class (BIC) Difference SLA Compliance 75% 92% 22% increase First-time fix 61% 77% 26% increase 9% 18% 50% increase 16% 26% 62% increase Goal Workforce productivity (average work orders completed daily) increase over the last year Current service margins (profit / revenue)
Mobility tools in use today According to the 2009 Aberdeen Group study, among all respondents: ▪ Most common mobility devices: consumer-grade laptops, cell phones, smart phones and PDAs ▪ Highest projected increase in deployment: Current 2009 Estimated 2010 Difference Smart phones 40% 46% 15% increase Cell phones with GPS 34% 41% 26% increase Consumer grade PDAs 25% 32% 28% increase Ruggedized laptops 16% 24% 50% increase Mobile printers 16% 25% 56% increase Device ▪ Conclusion: ▪ Smart phones, cell phones and PDAs – more penetration ▪ Experience supports ruggedized laptops ▪ Mobile printers becoming more important
Mobile printers & “the last mile” ▪ So far, most emphasis has been on voice & electronic data in and out and closing the loop between the back office and the field. ▪ But “the last mile” involves closing the loop between the back office, the field, and now also the customer … ▪ The result has been better, faster service, higher productivity, improved customer satisfaction, and better profitability
Mobile printing & workplace efficiency Integrating mobile printers enables remote printing of … ▪ Schedules & work orders ▪ Start work immediately, ▪ Improved accuracy ▪ Change orders and estimates ▪ Cuts delays in waiting for paperwork ▪ Strike while the iron is hot ▪ Customer invoices on completion of work ▪ No delay in AR cycle – saves from 3 -5 days ▪ Closes the gap – performance & payment ▪ Cuts costs of processing & mailing ▪ Up-sell materials ▪ Coupons, special offers, promotion details ▪ Extended warranty agreements enhanced workflow efficiency
Defining mobile printing solutions Mobile printers differ from integrated device printers (handheld scanner/printers, etc. ) ▪ Mobile printers: print from variety of field service software apps on handhelds ▪ Advantages: Ease of use and versatility – like any PC-connected printer ▪ Applications: ▪ ▪ Work orders Estimates Invoices Delivery/collection receipts ▪ Calibration/maintenance and other reports
Types of mobile printers Letter/legal size “mobile” printers ▪ Inkjets ▪ Variations of sheet-fed desktop inkjets ▪ Common installation: Trunk or floor mounted ▪ Advantages: Familiar technology; easy to use; color ▪ Disadvantages: Ink supplies can run out; ink can freeze; uses standard paper sizes (letter/legal/A 4) only ▪ Thermal ▪ Roll or sheet-fed printers ▪ Common installation: Dashboard or glove box mounted ▪ Advantages: Smaller size, easier to mount; no inks to manage – only supply is paper; printing can be almost any length ▪ Disadvantages: mono only
Pocket. Jet 3 Series Mobile Printers Pocket. Jet 3 Plus ▪ Letter/legal size mobile thermal printer ▪ Extremely small about 10 inches ▪ Extremely light 10" little more than 1 lb with paper and AC adapter ▪ Versatile battery or AC adapter powered; roll fed or sheet fed ▪ Excellent connectivity available with Bluetooth , Ir. DA, USB ▪ Excellent compatibility ® Windows®, Mac. OS, Linux, Symbian, Palm, Pocket. PC, Windows Mobile, RIM (Blackberry) ▪ High-quality output up to 300 dpi (laser quality) 1 lb
More mobile printers … handhelds Other types – handheld mobile printers (MPrint) ▪ Brother MPrint MW-145 BT ▪ Small-format mobile thermal printer with Bluetooth interface ▪ Advantages: True pocket size; weighs only 11 oz, with battery and paper; Ir. DA, USB & Bluetooth connectivity; rechargeable battery, 300 x 300 dpi mono resolution ▪ Disadvantages: Max. paper size is 4. 1" x 2. 9"; mono only; small size means that it can more easily be lost or misplaced ▪ Brother MPrint MW-260 ▪ Larger format mobile thermal printer ▪ Advantages: Prints on paper up to 5. 8" x 4. 1"; weighs only 1. 2 lbs. with battery and paper; Ir. DA, USB & Bluetooth connectivity; rechargeable battery, 300 x 300 dpi mono resolution ▪ Disadvantages: You’ll need a bigger pocket
Who is using mobile printers ▪ Field service organizations installation, repair, maintenance ▪ Delivery operations route accounting ▪ Insurance claims adjusters, sales ▪ Law enforcement/ public safety patrol cars, EMTs
Real world example … Plunkett’s Pest Control, Fridley, MN Situation: ▪ Leading pest control firm serving ▪ ▪ residential, rental, and commercial/ institutional customers in eight states Legally must keep documentation on pesticides they use Leave paperwork with customers for each service Challenge: ▪ Automate paper-based processes for field service technicians ▪ Eliminate hand-written paper forms and replace them with ondemand printed forms ▪ Maintain the 8. 5 x 11 format for all the printed forms
Real world example … Plunkett’s Pest Control, Fridley, MN Solution: ▪ Solution provider Emkat, Inc. was engaged by Plunkett’s and automated their field service business processes with: ▪ Mobile handheld computers ▪ Brother Pocket. Jet 3 mobile printers with Bluetooth® wireless technology ▪ 200+ technicians equipped with a handheld computer and Pocket. Jet 3 to print leave behinds ▪ ▪ ▪ Invoice tells where worked was performed Shows material used in treatment Comments for future pest prevention Service order information Price of the service Signatures and technician information
Real world example … Plunkett’s Pest Control, Fridley, MN Result: Let the customer tell us: “ The Pocket. Jet 3 printers have been a good solution for our technicians. They are able to print out invoices for our residential customers and detailed description reports for our commercial clients. ”“ Becky Miller Technical Support and Training for Plunkett’s. Handwritten forms are a thing of the past. The same information is now being printed by all our technicians on site. Customers don’t have to wait to get invoices or other important information. All of our requirements are being met. ”
Real world example … Oakhurst Dairy, Portland, ME Situation: ▪ Family-owned regional dairy delivering milk products to stores since 1921 ▪ About 100 drivers, 70 delivery routes, ▪ printing receipts and other documents through consumer-grade handheld computers & dot-matrix printers In 2007, upgraded their IT systems, built in-house mobile route sales applications;
Real world example … Oakhurst Dairy, Portland, ME Solution: ▪ Chose the Brother Pocket. Jet 3 mobile printers after Maine State Police demo ▪ Pocket. Jet 3’s thermal printing not affected by extreme cold & were much faster ▪ 100 drivers equipped with a new handhelds and Pocket. Jet 3 ▪ Now, each morning: ▪ ▪ ▪ Mobile computer pre-loaded with route information Print “pick” tickets before leaving the depot At the store, pick and bar code scan the order When order’s completed, print delivery list Customers sign on computer, receipt is printed All daily data downloaded into back-end system
Real world example … Oakhurst Dairy, Portland, ME Result: ▪ According to a published article, the migration to the new platform and printers has saved most route drivers at least an hour a day because of the speed of the application and the speed of the printer … In their own words: “ The old printers took about a minute to spit out an invoice … Invoices now print in under 10 seconds. ” Paul Connolly VP of technology services and CIO at Oakhurst
Ready to get started? Visit us in the Code. Zone to view Mobile Printer Demo!! MW-145 BT Pocket. Jet 3 Plus MW-260 E-mail: joe. spahn@brother. com
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