Stay Competitive With Field Mobile Technology

ByAustin Beaty

Job-cost-accounting systems should reflect accurate budget and cost information. To ensure the accuracy of data, look at where it originates – in the field.

Austin Beaty is president of Austin Lane Technologies Inc. of Denton. The firm provides mobile solutions and services for the construction industry.

Conventional methods of tracking labor, equipment usage, production and safety  can be replaced with a more efficient process - mobile technology. With mobile technology, your company can gain huge benefits. Many contracting firms think mobile technology is not an option because field people can not keep up with paper work currently in place. Do not sell field personnel short; almost every construction company has similar challenges when it comes to field-office collaboration. The majority of field personnel will say that chasing paper work wears them out. Simplifying the field-to-office process creates excitement within the workforce.

With the right technology strategy, companies can get buy-in from field personnel. Deploy mobile technology with a crawl, walk and run approach. Start with a pilot,  allowing time to evaluate the solution and modify the business processes. Selecting the right solution is important. Basic requirements for a mobile solution include:

Ease of Use This should be top priority. The mobile solution needs to be logical and require minimal training. Also, get the operations manager involved in the decision process. Their support in the vendor selection process is invaluable.

One-Point-of-Entry Require that the mobile solution integrates with the firm’s primary system. For most companies, the primary system is an accounting system; for others it might be a project management system. Have the software provider demonstrate how the integration works. Look for proven solutions that are already implemented at other companies.

User Environment There are two types of mobile solutions, "always connected" and "occasionally connected."

Always-connected solutions require the software to be connected to a network or the Internet to function. All of the data resides on a server at a central location. An example of an always-connected solution is Application Service Provider, or ASP. One of the requirements of an ASP is to have high-speed Internet connections. ASPs charge a monthly fee per user to host the solution and data.

Occasionally connected solutions do not require a connection to a central location to function. Selected information resides on the mobile device to enable the field user to collect and validate data. That data is then periodically transmitted to the central location, which allows the field personnel to function where there is no connection to the Internet. This may be a better option for many construction companies.

Wireless This feature may not seem important, but purchasing a solution that is carrier agnostic should be a requirement. Construction does not always occur in a wireless carrier’s data coverage area. Look at the wireless carrier’s coverage map and pay close attention to the data coverage area. Evaluate the carrier’s bandwidth, coverage, costs, security and technology. Do not just take a carrier’s word that its wireless services are the best. Request evaluation phones. Test the carrier’s services and decide which one has the best network for your company. Firms that operate in multiple states or regions may need multiple carriers.

Mobile Device Platforms The most important thing is to let the solution drive the hardware and look at the mobile device as secondary. An e-mail device already in place may not support the solution of choice. Try not to get too attached to a specific device. The goal is to improve data processing efficiency to achieve accuracy in your job-cost reporting. Purchase a solution that supports multiple handheld operating systems.

Scalable Solution It is important to have a strong database engine to collect all field information. The back-office piece used for reporting purposes should utilize a database such as Microsoft SQL Server. Another aspect to take into account is company growth. Can the solution support growth without requiring additional administrative staff? Organizations with multiple companies should describe that environment to the vendor early in the sales process as they may not support multiple companies. Ask about the vendor’s new software development to gain insight into where the relationship may be headed.

Device Management Look for ease of use offered by the solution and its most commonly used device. Consider how the solution will be managed. Determine how easy is it to replace a broken device or to perform disaster recovery. Consider the total cost of ownership for the solution.

Business Rules Invoked The solution should enforce the same business rules as the primary system. For instance, time entry should mimic the primary system’s payroll time entry. Each data entry should be validated to ensure data integrity, which will allow certainty that the data is correct when it arrives in the office.

Assignment of Data When running multiple active jobs at once, field users may only be responsible for three of the active jobs. A good mobile solution will allow personalized information for each user.

Security Protection of company data is important. Most mobile devices have a way to automatically lock and turn off the screen when not in use. This step is usually enough protection. However, wireless transmission of data over the Internet could be a concern. If sensitive information (such as social security numbers) is communicated to the field, a secure connection from the device to the home-office server needs to be implemented.

Training Installation and training for the mobile solution should be painless. Ask about the software vendor’s typical installation. Does it guarantee the amount of time allocated to perform the installation? Find a mobile solution with an automated installation. This yields reduced implementation time in the home office. Also, field-user training should be less than six hours for one product. Look for a mobile solution installation that has minimal company impact.

Support Become familiar with how the software vendor performs support. Examine its stated response times for different priority support calls. Ask about software updates and new version releases. How often do they occur and what involvement is required by the user? Use the vendor’s customer references to verify response time and resolution.