4 steps to choosing the right mobile device

Choosing the right mobile device is more than just product selection. Here are four simple steps to guide you to a better final outcome.

Laptops, ultrabooks, handhelds, smartphones and tablets; there is no one device appropriate for every type of service organisation, but each has specific features that might make it more suitable than other options.

Define the problem

It’s critical to start the process with a clear definition.

A common mistake at this stage is to involve the wrong people. Include the team who will actually use the devices, which may seem like obvious advice, but not to everyone. Conversely, you’ll never satisfy everybody so it’s best to consider limiting participation only to areas where value can be provided.

Common requirements that impact on device choice:

• What conditions will the user be working under? Will they be working with gloves on, in the rain or up a pole with an electrical box? Wearing gloves requires a larger device and working at height requires a rugged device that can take a fall and must be attached to the user. Working on a pole means using the device one-handed, meaning smartphones may be preferable.
• What do your service level agreements look like? Do you guarantee a one-hour response time, regardless of technician availability? SLAs require devices that are always connected. Immediate notification of time-sensitive events helps prioritise projects and can affect whether you meet commitments.
• Who schedules the work? Do field service staff plan their own, are they scheduled automatically or controlled by a dispatch team, or is it a mix of the two? Do you want to take advantage of GPS in your schedule optimisation? When field staff are controlling their own schedule, they need a larger screen to view the totality of their workload. Companies relying on automated scheduling or a dispatch team may want the GPS capabilities of a smartphone so they can determine where each field service worker is and schedule them accordingly.
• Will your field service staff have to enter a lot of text or read large documents? If so, a smartphone may be less suitable than a tablet or laptop.
• Is it critical to take pictures, capture customer signatures or scan barcodes? Photos requirements generally mean a smartphone or tablet. Customer signatures and barcode scanning both require an external device for non-touch-enabled devices.
• How much access to data do you need to give your users? Is their customer list in the hundreds or the thousands? Do they need to access 100,000 spare parts? Consider wisely, as the total scale of the solution may push hardware capability.

Understand the costs

When conducting a cost/benefit analysis on various options, consider that some may include costs you’re already incurring. For example, upgrading mobile phones to smartphones can be less expensive than acquiring additional hardware such as laptops or tablets. Many smartphones are subsidised by carriers in exchange for voice and data plans, so additional hardware costs may be negligible.

Regardless of whether you currently have mobile devices in the field, the biggest financial consideration should be choosing the device that makes the field force as efficient as possible, lowering costs and increasing revenue. For example, while rugged devices require a higher initial investment in hardware, if the field force is working under inclement conditions, the cost savings associated with device uptime might more than make up the difference.

Efficiency gains are subject to economies of scale based on the size of the workforce and costs scale in similar fashion. If choosing a particular device enables field service staff to complete more jobs with higher first-time fix rates and improved customer satisfaction, those gains will offset any additional hardware costs.

Consider non-tangibles

Perception matters and human beings don’t always make decisions purely on reason. Service organisations must leave a good impression with customers, and field service staff arriving on time and behaving professionally, while treating clients with respect, will go a long way towards ensuring customer retention and referral.

Customers develop an emotional impression of a company based on that company’s representatives, including the processes and tools that they utilise. The ability to quickly draw up account information and service history can assure the customer that you are able to provide the service they require.

Assess operational readiness

In the end, while customer perception, cost and hardware requirements are all very important in choosing a device, if your organisation isn’t prepared or able to efficiently support a device, it might not be the right one for you.

The first thing to consider is the skill sets of employees and relevant third parties. If corporate IT is standardised on PC platforms, introducing an Apple-based solution may bring difficulties or increased costs. This is especially important if using internal resources to manage, develop or maintain software. Having 10 iOS programmers on staff won’t provide a great benefit if you choose Android phones over iPads. If your IT department maintains Linux servers, the Java platform implemented by Android would be a much better fit for the corporate ecosystem.

It is equally important to take into account the offerings of your software vendors. If you have been using a Windows mobile VPN package for years to provide secure data transmission between field staff and the home office, choosing a non-Windows mobile device will mean finding a different vendor and absorbing the associated costs.

Additionally, the software vendor providing your field service software might not support all devices. Vendors, like end-user organisations, typically make the choice to optimise for certain devices or platforms. Even with web-based software, the reality is that there is a wide gap in the level of support for web technologies on mobile devices. While the browser on a cutting-edge smartphone might match most of the features supported by desktop browsers, it may lag far behind.

Choosing the right device isn’t that straightforward. There are a lot of things to consider: how it will fit within your organisation’s technology outlook, how customer perceptions might be affected and how it can increase efficiencies. Take yourself through these four steps and you’ll probably have a better idea.

Image credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Onur Döngel