Mobile Mobile Water Bottle Delivery Solution on Handheld PDAs

My team is working on a mobile water bottle delivery solution for use on handheld PDAs for a Portuguese company that delivers water in Africa. The mobile software solution includes the following:
  • Route delivery information
  • Barcode scanning
  • Mobile Inventory of water/water bottles
  • Delivery details
  • Mileage of vehicle
  • Mobile printer and printing support

MobileDataforce is delivering an increasing number of these kinds of mobile route delivery applications for both handheld PDAs and handheld barcode scanners. If a company is currently using paper, the ROI is very easy to document. Not only can the basic business processes associated with deliveries be mobilized, but CRM information, competitive data collection, new order processes, service details, etc., can all be mobilized using the same mobile software platform and the same handheld computer.

12 Steps to a Successful Mobile Software Deployment on Handheld PDAs

Companies around the globe are looking for ways to do more with less. Many recognize that their mobile workforce is being managed inefficiently and extending business process automation to mobile field workers using handheld PDAs is becoming a priority. The following 12 steps identify how you can get started automating and mobilizing these business processes for use on handhelds.

Step 1 – Understand the ROI/Scope of the Project and Plan Ahead

What are some of the key challenges with a mobile software development project? Many companies don’t put enough thought into what they need, and what the anticipated ROI will be. Others don’t assign and schedule testing resources. Some finish the development but have no deployment strategy. Still others buy incompatible handheld PDAs before they start development and find out they don’t meet the requirements of the field user. The results of these deficiencies are project scope creep, cost overruns, missed deadlines and dissatisfied end users.

Step 2 – Build a Team and Include the Field User

Make sure the members of your team have the right roles and responsibilities to help the mobility project succeed. Mobile solutions usually tie into other corporate IT assets and business processes, therefore impact other IT departments and business units. In addition, a representative mobile field worker(s) should be included on the project team to provide valuable “real-world” insight.

Step 3 – Select the Right Mobile Solution and Advisers

Performing successful data synchronization from mobile computing devices can be a challenging and complex task. There are many variables that can determine the success of a mobile development project. Make sure you have experienced mobility experts to advise you and select a proven mobile middleware solution as the foundation for your solution.

Step 4 – Know Your Target Users and Their Environment

During the planning and scoping phase of your mobile project, take the time to experience the working environment of your mobile field workers and observe the business processes in action. Focus on how the information is collected and exchanged between the office and the mobile workers. These observations can significantly impact the design, development and deployment of a successful project! Evaluate the physical environment of the work. How do moist, cold and dirty environments impact the mobile devices? How does low light or bright sunlight affect visibility of the screen? Can workers read the small text on the PDA screen, or does the text need to be larger?

Step 5 – Decide Who will Develop the Mobile Solution

Do you have an IT department with software developers that are available for a new development project? Do they have experience developing custom mobile software solutions? Are they knowledgeable with mobile data synchronization issues? Will they be able to dedicate the time to finishing the application in the necessary time frame? Do you have the risk tolerance for letting an inexperienced internal development team attempt the project, or is the ROI sufficient to justify contracting with mobility experts to develop the custom application?

Step 6 – Do You Start with a Mobile Software Platform or Build from Scratch?

Do you start developing your mobile software project with a blank computer screen, or do you start with a packaged mobile middleware solution that has a development environment included like the PointSync Mobility Platform from MobileDataforce? Again, your success is heavily reliant on your expertise in custom mobile application design and development. If you have experience developing mobile middleware applications and custom mobile software applications, then using a packaged application is less important. If you don’t have experience and are working with a limited budget and time frame, then it is crucial that you select a mobile application development solution to expedite the project.

Step 7 – Understand How to Re-engineer Business Processes for Mobility

Mobile solutions can provide bar code scanning, digital images, GPS, RFID, data synchronization, enterprise database queries, integration with inventory, scheduling, work order, accounting and many other enterprise software applications. How will these capabilities change the way the field user works?

Step 8 – Build in Phases

Most successful projects involve a series of phased implementations. Each phase can be developed, tested and implemented in an orderly manner. Once a phase is deployed and proven, additional phases can be layered on top that include more features and added complexity. Remember, the more data requirements that you add the more data you must synchronize, and the longer each synchronization session will take. Only synchronize data that your remote users require in the field. Be aware that most mobile devices don’t have the same CPU power or memory as a PC/laptop, so understand the performance of your application on mobile devices before designing the solution.

Step 9 – Evaluate Your Hardware and Connectivity Needs

The term “mobile devices” can have many different interpretations. Today, laptops, Tablet PC’s, UMPCs, PDAs and Smart phones are all identified with this term. When determining the best mobile device for your project you will want to consider screen size, data storage capacity, security, physical working environment, required hardware accessories such as barcode scanners, GPS, digital cameras, RFID, and the ability to upgrade the device with updated hardware and software components.

How do you connect your mobile device to your enterprise database applications? You have many options including cradle, WiFi, satellite, Bluetooth, wireless, dial-up modems and satellite uplinks to name a few. The method(s) you choose will be affected by how often your mobile workers need to send/receive data. How much data will be transmitted and will they always have connectivity. Study each option, your working environment and consult your mobility partner to make the best selections.

Step 10 – Deploy, Evaluate and Improve

Once you have completed the first phase of your mobile solution and you are ready to deploy in the real world, roll out your solution to a group of trusted and motivated field users. Define a specific period of time to evaluate the solution, document the results and identify any required changes and improvements. The result of this evaluation should be an improved mobile solution that is ready for a wider deployment.

Step 11 – Set and Enforce Hardware and Security Policies

Mobile devices are small computers with the ability to store sensitive corporate data, communicate this data over the Internet and even catch viruses. You must clearly communicate how mobile devices are to be used and for what purpose. Establish and publish guidelines for using mobile devices.

Step 12 – Provide Full Support for Mobile Users

Mobile devices are guaranteed to break. What is your plan for keeping a mobile worker productive and communicating business critical information when their mobile device ceases to function or gets misplaced? These are inevitable issues that are best planned for in advance. Have a plan and a documented back up process.

For more information on MobileDataforce's PointSync Mobility Platform please visit our website, email us or call us at USA 208-854-1200.

Building Businesses with Mobile Handheld PDAs and Mobile Software


I have written a great deal on the value of specific mobile solutions like the following:
  • Mobile Work Orders
  • Mobile Inspections
  • Mobile Job Estimates
  • Mobile Asset Tracking
  • Mobile Delivery Solutions

Today I want to focus on some key problems businesses face, and how mobile solutions can help solve these problems. When a company expands beyond the capabilities of the owner/manager, new employees or contractors must be added. This can often introduce the following kinds of problems:

  • Inexperienced workers
  • Unreliable workers
  • Irresponsible workers
  • Uncommitted workers
  • Forgetful workers
  • Thieves and felons on the payroll

These problems can lead to the following set of issues:

  • Unhappy customers
  • Cost overruns
  • Incomplete and/or incorrect paperwork
  • Inaccurate job estimates
  • Work quality issues
  • Slow work production
  • Lost tools and equipment
  • Management headaches

Believe it or not - many of these issues can be improved and corrected by using mobile software applications on handheld computers to help ensure the best work in the field. Mobile handheld PDAs can help the owner/manager keep better tabs on the work and equipment in the field, ensure completed and correct paperwork, monitor customer satisfaction, and get real time notification if the job is taking longer than anticipated.

For more information on mobile solutions that can help in these areas please visit our website.

Smartphones, Mobile Handheld PDAs, Location Based Mobility - Google, Starbucks & Safeway


I made an interesting observation while taking a road trip over the holidays. Mobile handheld PDAs and Google and mapping software have made it possible for businesses without obvious street front locations to become more successful. Let me explain - My wife wanted to know if there was a Starbucks location along our driving route. She googled (used as a verb) the word Starbucks on her mobile handheld PDA phone and looked for a location in one of the small rural towns we would be traveling through. She quickly found a Starbucks location inside a Safeway in Baker City, Oregon. Here is the interesting point, this Safeway was not visible from the freeway, yet Starbucks had a long line of travellers waiting for their hot drinks. Seems we were not the only travelers clever enough to use a mobile phone, Internet explorer and Google to find their favorite drink.

Again, the fact that the location was not visible from the freeway did not seem to be a problem. How might this change the economics of the retail industry? In the near future, the key to retail success may be more dependent on your ability to be found on search engines like Google and Yahoo, and less on the physical location of the retail establishment. Hummm...perhaps I should use all of my saved money and buy 1 share of Google.

Apple Stores, iPhones & Symbol MC50 Handhelds an Interesting Combination


I was shopping in Portland, Oregon yesterday and observed a very interesting combination of handheld computers, iPhones and PDAs at work. As I was shopping in the Apple store at Pioneer Place, I noticed that the Apple sales people were all carrying Symbol/Motorola MC50 handheld computers with wireless support, credit card swipers and bar code scanners all running on Windows Mobile 5.0 operating systems. Do you see the irony in this? The Apple sales people are selling smartphones (iPhones) and PDAs (iTouch) using the Apple operating system, but all of their sales people use Windows Mobile operating systems for their business applications. This is just not right.
The way the Apple sales people were using the MC50s handhelds was very cool. They could swipe debit and credit cards anywhere in the store, give you the product and email your receipt to you. That is very cool! No long lines at the cash register, the sales people can take care of all credit card and debit card purchases anywhere in the store. Now if only they could figure out a way to accomplish that using their own Apple PDAs.

Building a Small Mobile Business Using Mobile Handheld PDAs and Smartphones

Over the past few years companies were coming to MobileDataforce to ask about mobilizing existing business processes like field services, work orders, asset tracking, inspections, etc. These were companies that were just looking for ways to make things more efficient using handheld PDAs and smartphones. I am now seeing a new trend. This trend is companies that are starting from the ground up with a mobile business plan that takes advantage of mobile software and handheld PDA technology at their core.

Companies that can be run by a mobile owner/manager. The mobile owner/manager is able to enter work orders and job assignments on his handheld computer, dispatch the job to his team and keep working in the field. All the work is electronically documented on handhelds and synchronized back to his office accounting and work order software without human intervention.

These capabilities offer very compelling competitive advantages. You have full business visibility on the handheld. You don't have the high admin cost for the office. You can run very small operations very efficiently and with built in quality assurance.

For more information please visit MobileDataforce's website.

38 Reasons to Mobilize Your Business with Handheld PDAs

This article describes the value that mobile software applications on handheld PDAs can provide businesses:

  1. Eliminate time spent in the re-typing data collected in the field.
  2. Reduce time spent on the phone dispatching service tickets , rather dispatch direct from your office computer to the mobile handheld computer in the field.
  3. Send driving directions in the mobile work order to save driving time and fuel costs.
  4. Save driving time by wirelessly synchronizing work orders with the office.
  5. Reduce fuel costs by minimizing the need to drive back and forth to the office to deliver paper work.
  6. Provide better customer service by accessing their account information via wireless connectivity on your handheld computer.
  7. Improve the efficiency of field data collection by using barcode scanners or RFID readers for rapid asset tracking.
  8. Improve the quality of work by providing real-time management visibility to work being done in the field.
  9. Create and schedule service tickets direct from the field. Reduces the need for an administrative intermediary.
  10. Immediate invoicing for faster collections and cash management by synchronizing with the office accounting system or by using a mobile printer and credit card swipe machine on the handheld computer.
  11. Proof of work – GPS audit trail of work with date and time stamp documents location and time of work. Reduces invoicing disputes.
  12. Reduce introductions of human errors with automated business processes and systems integration. Move electronic data from the field to your database applications without human intervention.
  13. Ensure complete data is sent from the field – incomplete data wastes time tracking down later.
  14. Avoid handwriting and translation errors by pre-populating electronic form information.
  15. Validate answers on mobile handheld PDA forms – to ensure data accuracy.
  16. Take digital images to document work and avoid invoicing disputes
    Push data to the handheld and avoid time communicating information on the phone.
  17. GPS tracking for reduced travel time and lower fuel consumption.
  18. Compute and analyze data on the handheld in the field – programmed analytics can help field users make quicker and better decisions.
  19. Automated business processes - your mobile application can be configured to perform all kinds of automated business functions, queries, computations, analytics and many more time consuming features automatically based on data input or buttons pushed.
  20. Enforce business processes for efficiency and best practices - mobile software solutions can be configured to ensure the field user follows the appropriate business processes.
  21. Avoid lost data —capture data immediately and sync to headquarters.
  22. Avoid undocumented inventory usage and unbilled time due to forgetfulness. Enforce real time data entry at point of work.
  23. Require clock in and clock out at jobsites to document the accuracy of work/time estimates.
  24. Train new service technicians and inspectors with audio memos or video clips.
  25. Capture digital signature for proof-of-delivery and proof of work on handheld computers.
  26. Query for available inventory in nearby work vans to save travel time, inventory and fuel cost.
  27. Use product and services information on handheld computers to up-sell.
  28. Query latest shipping status and/or inventory levels via handheld computer while onsite with customer.
  29. Document work and inspections time and dates to limit liability and disputes
    Use mobile technologies as a competitive advantage and show instant visibility to work.
  30. Demonstrate to potential customers the advantages of including GPS, time and date stamps, digital images, audio memos and more to document work and synchronize with the office using your handheld computer.
  31. Download product warranty information to the handheld computer for review at point of work.
  32. Using rugged handhelds are often easier to carry around at job sites and are more durable than using laptops—lower ownership costs.
  33. Mobile handheld computers with barcode scanners capture data quicker than typing on a laptop.
  34. Combine your phone, GPS device, laptop, digital camera, paper forms and barcode scanner all on one mobile handheld device to save money, weight and support costs.
  35. Combine job estimates, inspections, work orders, mobile inventory, time sheets all on one mobile application and one synchronization platform to mobilize and automate the entire business.
  36. Scale your business by lowering administrative costs and the administrative work required to run the business.
  37. Improve profits by analyzing real-time data collection on handhelds to understand the amount of time each task takes—so better scheduling and estimates can be implemented.
  38. Push data to the handheld and avoid time communicating information on the phone.

MobileDataforce, Mobile Software, PDAs and Handhelds at the 2008 Olympics


MobileDataforce has a customer in the Netherlands called Janssen-Fritsen. They are supplying all gymnastics equipment for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing next year. This is their fifth Olympic order. They are a market leader and expert in the field of equipment and materials for sports education, gymnastics and sports centers. Most of their products are developed in-house and supported by their professional services team.

The company has 25 field workers that register and work with large quantities of information related to the installation and condition of the equipment. Until recently, all of this information was managed with paper forms. They have now mobilized these paper processes using MobileDataforce's PointSync Mobility Platform to improve service efficiency and to significantly reduce the reporting time.

Mobile Handheld PDA Applications for Inspections on Hospital Equipment

MobileDataforce is working on a mobile software application for use on handheld PDAs and barcode scanners by a biomedical equipment company that provides services to over 200 hospitals. The mobile field services application provides:
  • Work Orders software
  • Inspection Software
  • Breakdown repairs and preventative maintenance on all biomedical equipment
  • Safety and performance testing of all biomedical equipment
  • Loan equipment to minimise inconvenience
  • Acceptance testing of all new biomedical equipment
  • Training and education on equipment operation and maintenance

Our mobile application will integrate with their pre-existing CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) to provide mobile handheld PDA applications for their service technicians.

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