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Business at Your Fingertips
1 Aug, 2009 By: Dean Stanbridge Pest Management ProfessionalIt seems like every time pest management professionals (PMPs) get a handle on the latest and greatest about handheld service platforms, the manufacturers make them better, stronger, faster and smaller. Today, it appears that smaller and stronger have been slightly outdone by faster and more comprehensive.
(UPS Pressroom)
As with many other technology based industries, the big guys are swallowing the competition. In the past 16 months, Symbol Technology was absorbed into Motorola Corp. and, just recently, Handheld Products (HHP) was gobbled up by Honeywell. These companies know wireless handhelds are the future of field service providers. It was inevitable that handhelds would become a natural extension of service companies as service staff are required to collect and maintain a tremendous amount of data. Even the general public has become accustomed to written instead of oral communication.
By last year, 87 percent of all North American mobile phone users were using text messaging. It's estimated that billions of texts per minute are send around the world. The general public's need for instant answers is driving companies to become faster and more productive than they were at keeping their clients informed. Imagine UPS going back to a piece of paper after more than a decade of using handhelds for deliveries.
Wait and See?
Many PMPs have been taking a wait-and-see stance on moving into handhelds as their competition forays into the muddied waters of this technology. If you've already made the investment into handhelds, then kudos to you. If you're waiting for prices to drop, units to improve and the world to end, you'll find yourself with the dinosaurs.
"There has never been a better time to invest into this technology as size, speed, capacity and batteries have all found a balance," says Doug Keenan of Scan Trak Data Systems.
That doesn't mean that the units are without potential for improvement, so let's take a look at the kinds of issues that could still create a few gray hairs.
The main reason for switching to handhelds is to improve efficiency. Those improvements might be found in the reduction of data entry time or errors.
It's estimated that one in every 94 keystrokes results in an error for experienced data entry staff. A key item to efficiency is keeping service technicians on the road as opposed to driving to the office and ensuring overall record keeping and data management is accurate.
There are many good reasons to make the move to handhelds but the return on investment (ROI) is still what the owners want to know. Time is money and, since we work in an industry of time, the hidden lost time can add up quickly.
How much of our days are spent behind a windshield or driving back to the office because we forgot a work order? Since the only time we get paid for is the time we are in a client's account, we need to be aware of how much of that time gets billed each day.
Our industry is notorious for "nickel and dime'ing" suppliers for an extra dollar off a pail of bait, but reality shows us our product costs as a percentage of overall operating budgets are pennies verses dollars lost in wasted employee time.
No matter how much you invest in handheld technology, the ROI will be worth it. It's estimated the move to handhelds in the service sector can save a company up to 25 percent in the first year through improvements to route efficiency, reduced vehicle maintenance and fuel consumption.
Assuming you've decided to make the plunge in to handhelds, there are a few caveats that need to be considered.
First, there's no sense in re-inventing the wheel. Many companies have already been through this painful process and have helped manufacturers develop efficient handheld technology for our service sector.
Unless you're one of the multinational companies with large information technology departments, do yourself a favor and simply purchase an off-the-shelf system. You may have to slightly mold your company's needs into the limits of that system, but it will be less of hassle than starting from scratch. No matter what size your company might be, before you purchase a system there are many factors that can affect your decision. Here are few of the main issues and recent resolutions that manufacturers have offered.
The Handheld
All manufacturers will tell you their handhelds are the best at everything. Although most manufacturers have drastically improved many features, make sure your unit has the following as a minimum:
- RAM & ROM: Random access memory (RAM) and random operating memory (ROM) are two words that we have become quite familiar when it comes to purchasing home computers. The same holds true for handhelds. More is always better because programs eat up more memory and, therefore, speed as they get more complex. You want to purchase a unit with at least 256MB of RAM and 128 MB of ROM.
- Battery: Manufacturers will tell you their unit has the most battery life. Calculating battery life is a simple equation. You take the battery size in milliamp hours and consider how much power the unit uses. The challenge with determining battery life comes when all of the unit's peripheral equipment, such as its various radios, require extra power, or the operating system is not functioning efficiently because of programs being too large for the RAM/ROM.
You want to try to find a battery with at minimum of 1,900 milliamp hours and preferably an extended life battery with 3,400 milliamp hours. Although manufacturers will tell you the battery has no memory, make sure you exercise your battery by fully charging and discharging each time you use it. Even the newest Lithium Ion batteries still have some memory and will perform at a higher level if they are exercised.
- Radios: Your unit should support WWAN (world wide area network) also known as cellular service, WLAN (wireless local area network) also known as WiFi and PAN (personal area network), also known as Bluetooth. These functions should be able to be turned on or off as your needs expand.
Switchable radios are important because if these radios are working in the background, they'll eat up battery life without your knowledge.
Bar Coding
These days, bar coding is a standard feature on most handhelds. Scanning of stations and locations is a common application in all of the service management software programs, so not incorporating it into your operations would be a great error.
Global Positioning Systems
Global positioning systems (GPS) is also now a standard on most handhelds. Although GPS used to be considered by employees to be "Big Brother" watching them, it's now a mainstream acceptable device to install in service vehicles. In addition to providing employees with directions to client locations, GPS can also save the employer on insurance premiums.
GPS has come a long way in the past few years. Think Tom Tom or Garmin's Nuvi. These devices have taken over the front windshields of so many personal vehicles, that not incorporating their technology into routing and service handhelds would be a waste of time.
Consumers demand efficiency, and GPS delivers. In a recent Aberdeen Group published study, companies with fewer than 10 employees stated the No. 1 reason for incorporating GPS into their overall fleet management plan was to "reduce service response times." This speaks volumes for the service sector because consumers are less willing to wait for days to have a service company respond to an issue. The companies who can respond in an organized fashion will win the battle of being here in the future.
Peripherals
There are a variety of peripherals that can be used with your handheld to create a truly mobile office. Considering the following in order to "future proof" your purchase.
Printer: You'll need a good quality laser printer to ensure printing can be performed in any weather condition. Do not cheap out and try portable ink jets, as the ink freezes in the cold and dries in the heat. If you have the budget, purchase a thermal printer but be careful to ensure it will print a full 8.5- x 11-inch sheet and that the paper is non-fading. Look for a paper with a 10-year fade rating.
Turn by Turn: TBT is becoming more popular. The cost and convenience of operating these units has been drastically reduced and since most new handhelds have built-in functionality, it's as easy as turning on a switch. My only caution with GPS TBT is that you install a remote speaker to enable the driver to hear the directions. Many jurisdictions are considering legislation to make it illegal to look at screens while driving. Since this is the case in more areas, ensure your drivers are trained on their safe use and have signed a memorandum of understanding.
Cradles: Cradles are a great way to charge your units, keep them safe from falling while driving and, often, cradles have built in communication portals for automated data transfer while the handheld is secured. Cradles need to be placed in a position that permits the driver to operate screen functions from the driver seat without inconvenience.
Once you've narrowed down your needs, you need to speak to the manufacturers and determine if your wish list meets your budget. Once you've finished the preliminary talks with the manufacturers, take the time to set up a Webinar. This type of on-line meeting permits your supplier to provide a program demo of the information you had requested while also permitting you to ask questions as it occurs.
Web demonstrated software selling is one of the best ways to carefully assess products without ever leaving your office. Once you've completed the initial Webinar, ask for a demo version of the program. Most manufacturers have a limited use version that will permit you to experiment in the areas you want, in order to check the system's performance and overall compatibility with your company's plans. After you've played with the program for a while, assemble your next set of questions, e-mail them to your provider and have them set up another Webinar to confirm the program has everything you require.
Purchasing a handheld system may seem like a large investment to the average PMP, but purchasing an expandable, high-quality system will far out-weigh the hidden lost costs of poor employee time management.
If you don't move into this area of technology, the majority of your current client base will be gone in 10 years. If it were a poor investment, the hundreds of companies who've already moved to handhelds would have surely moved back by now.
You can reach Stanbridge, PMP technology writer and owner of Direct Line Sales, at 800-760-1835 or e-mail
dean@directlinesales.com.
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