June 20, 2005

AirClic MP: Now you can easily and cost effectively track your people and assets in motion. A smart way to put wireless to work. Read more.

AirClic AC 25: The only scanning device compatible with Motorola’s newest phones: the i355 and the i605. Read more.

Hear from logistics industry experts from the conven-
ience of your desktop. “Driving Better Decisions: Gain instant visibility from your business-critical mobile operations.” Featured presenter, CD&L CIO and VP David Kronick. View now.

June 14, 2005
Nextel’s Detroit Business
Solution Forum
Ford Field
2000 Brush Street
Detroit, MI 48226

June 15, 2005
Nextel’s Vendor Solutions Fair
Prime Hotel
4460 W 78th Street Cir
Minneapolis, MN 55435

View full list

AirClic
215-504-0560
information@airclic.com

Mobile Process Management: A Case For Automation

There was a time when it was accepted practice for businesses to shut down periodically to figure out what and where their assets were. The sign on the door read “Closed for Inventory,” and it meant that customers were not being served and profits were not being earned. With hungry competitors just a click away, that is a luxury few businesses can afford anymore.

Staying competitive means knowing what you have and where it is, not periodically but in real time. It means tracking assets from the heart of your operation to its remotest edges. And it means moving information regarding those assets wherever it needs to go without impediment or delay.

The technological pieces all exist. Assets can be easily marked with barcodes or radio frequency tags, and they can be read with mobile phones and a barcode scanner. GPS can pinpoint virtually any spot on the planet. Wireless communication is everywhere and instantaneous. So if the technology is now available and the payback potential so significant, why aren’t companies jumping onto the mobile process automation bandwagon?

Faced with changing technology and their own changing needs, some organizations choose to simply wait. The risk is that by the time their needs become clear and technologies stabilize – if they ever do – those organizations will have lost the opportunity to lead. Experience has shown time and time again that even industry stars can be left behind when technologies shift or markets move. And, in the meantime, we have seen those who seize the opportunity rise to become a new generation of leaders.

Implementing mobile process management may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. The technologies exist, as does the expertise needed to put them together. They can be tailored to fit your organization as they have been tailored to fit others in manufacturing, shipping, security, government, education, and more. The truth is, bigger isn’t always better. Complexity doesn’t ensure efficacy. But, if a job needs to be done, sooner is almost always better than later.

From people to packages, vehicles to parts, AirClic delivers mobile process automation that can be implemented in hours or days, not months or years. Our flexible, affordable system is compatible with a wide range of mobile communication devices and data systems. It can be quickly tailored to your needs, modified to fit changing requirements, and implemented without extensive, expensive training. Click here for more information.

The Human Factor

Decisions about new technology for any organization will undergo serious scrutiny—return on investment, integration, security, maintenance. According to Carl Zetie, an analyst a Giga Informational Group Inc. in Cambridge, Mass, one area often overlooked or underestimated is the human factor. It’s easy for mobile workers to reject or even sabotage a technology out in the field, so what can one do to ensure success?

Keep it simple says CIO and Vice President David Kronick of CD&L, a national “last mile” transportation and logistics company headquartered in New York City. CD&L has 1,500 employees in 106 locations nationwide and they use a device that every employee is already familiar with: a mobile phone with a scanning device.

Training is critical. Says Kronick, “It only takes us 10 minutes to train a worker to use their phone to track packages and deliveries.” When mobile workers are asked to take too much time from the field, they often resent the intrusion into their busy schedules. And when a mobile solution is too complex, workers can’t remember all the details when they’re hurrying from point to point.

Give them something they need. Too often mobile devices can create more work then they alleviate. Good things happen when mobile staffers get something that really helps them in the field. One courier using AirClic MP says that she has cut at least an hour from her route and better yet, customers treat her more respectfully. And CD&L workers love their mobile phones with the AirClic scanner—instead of a weight-belt of devices, they have one simple device for both voice and data transmissions. Read the full CD&L case study.

Barcode Scanners

Nextel has just released the newest Motorola handsets, the i355 and the i605. These powerful phones—and computing devices—are opening new doors allowing more and more mobile applications to run on its handset. AirClic MP—with the AC 25—is the only barcode scanning solution compatible with these two new handsets. Now you can have the newest technology to automate your mobile processes—processes like time tracking, proof of delivery, inventory management, asset management, and security.
Read more about the AirClic MP.

Vanguard Security

With more than 300 clients in 320 locations, Vanguard Security has carved out a leadership position in Florida as a trusted provider of full-service, high-quality security. Aiming to improve its patrolling process and strengthen its service relationships with customers, Vanguard officers carry mobile phones loaded with AirClic MP and equipped with AirClic’s proprietary scanning device. As they make their rounds, the guards use the phone to scan bar codes at various checkpoints throughout the facility they are guarding.
Visit www.airclic.com for more information.