Mobile Enterprise shines the spotlight on AirClic Learn how Wessin Transport deployed a wireless proof-of-delivery and GPS-reporting solution that matches the advanced technology used by UPS and FedEx—at a fraction of the cost.
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Konica Minolta Wins Mobilizer Award Honorable Mention
Mobile Enterprise magazine has awarded AirClic customer Konica Minolta with an Honorable Mention in its annual Mobilizer Awards issue, which honors the most effective mobile technology deployments.
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AirClic Solution for Alaska AirCargo Featured in Integrated Solutions
Alaska Air Cargo was the subject of the September insert of Integrated Solutions which highlighted the customized tracking and monitoring system designed and deployed by AirClic. The solution has given the airline real-time visibility of all shipments, and as a result, has virtually eliminated time spent searching for missing cargo, and has radically reduced customer claims reimbursements.
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AirClic wins 4 Mobile Star Awards
AirClic customers, Konica Minolta and Keystone MAXX, both won Mobile Star Awards for their deployment of AirClic. AirClic Time Management and GPS solutions were also recognized.
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Announcing the next version of mobilizing your business,
AirClic MP 5
Learn how you can empower your field staff. Read more
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Location, Location, Location
The three most important words in real estate can also be very important to the performance of your field service organization. "Location-based services" (LBS) is an umbrella term for systems that allow companies to track the location of their mobile assets and personnel. LBS systems include global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS), automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems, and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags for parts and inventory tracking.
In an October 2006 research report*, the Aberdeen Group examined the mobile field service practices of more than 250 enterprises in aerospace, automotive, high-tech, manufacturing and other industries. They found that LBS systems enabled service organizations to "pinpoint the locations of their field assets to enhance asset security, improve dispatch accuracy, drive workflow compliance, and improve responsiveness to customer service requests."
The companies who used location-based services enjoyed significant advantages in a number of areas. In employee productivity, LBS-enabled service organizations were able to complete 0.7 more work orders per day per technician. For a business with a field staff of 50, that adds up to an average of 35 additional work orders each day. Overtime pay was reduced by 11%. And fuel consumption in service vehicles was reduced by 4.4% as a result of more efficient scheduling and routing.
Customer retention, one of the best indicators of customer satisfaction, increased by 16% for companies using LBS solutions. But perhaps the most compelling finding was a 16.4% increase in service revenues along with higher profit margins for service for companies using LBS.
Yet, even with so many advantages, 37% of companies in the Aberdeen study were not using any type of LBS solution for their service organizations. What's holding them back? The biggest single obstacle cited by those companies was that of integration problems with back-office systems. The second major obstacle was the cost of hardware and software. (Both obstacles, we need to point out, map to the AirClic solution's greatest product strengths).
Gaining the advantages of LBS for most if not all field service organizations is, judging from the conclusions of the Aberdeen report, not a question of "if," but only of "when." For organizations who want to remain competitive, the sooner the better.
Read the full research report from the Aberdeen Group.
*Sumair Dutta, Mark W. Vigoroso, Location, Location, Location: Does it Matter in Mobile Field Service? Put your service operation on the map. Aberdeen Group, Inc. 2006
From Cost Center to Profit Center — Customer Service Evolves
How many times have you seen advertising that promises "free" delivery? The truth is, like the proverbial "free lunch," there really is no such thing as free delivery. Every service represents a cost for the business that provides it, and that cost is almost inevitably paid by the customer in the form of a higher price for the product.
But the whole arithmetic of products and services is changing. More and more products of all kinds are becoming "commoditized." That is, features and functions are becoming uniform from brand to brand, and producers have little power to raise prices above their competitors. Consequently, profit margins are slim. So companies are increasingly looking to customer service as a source of revenue and profit growth, and as a way to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
For service organizations, this demands a fundamental shift from running their operations as a cost center to a profit center. In order run a profit center profitably, of course, systems and processes need to operate as efficiently as possible, using the most advanced and cost-effective tools. Many service organizations, however, lag behind their counterparts in manufacturing in the use of automation and technology. A surprisingly high percentage of administrative functions are still run with traditional paper-based processes.
The AirClic solution is tailor-made for this new service-as-profit-center environment. Virtually no other solution offers a greater level of functionality at such a low cost, and with such ease of deployment. In addition, because AirClic is a hosted solution, the service organization can save on the additional cost of hardware and IT support.
As companies increasingly look to post-sales service for revenues, profits, and competitive differentiation, mobile solutions like AirClic MP offer great opportunity for efficiency and productivity gains. Against the background of product commoditization, when products are not substantially different from each other, service has to be.
Worldwide Flight Services
From the time you step off an airliner at a major airport, to the time you pick up your luggage at the baggage claim, it is one very busy time for the ground crew. And among the busiest ground crews in the world are those who work for Irving, Texas-based Worldwide Flight Services (WFS). The company is one of the largest providers of ground handling services to the global airline industry, delivering cargo, ramp, passenger and technical services.
Two years ago, WFS bid on British Airways' U.S.-based ramp service contract, and the company chose AirClic to help them meet the need for an efficient way to capture information on the many tasks associated with each flight. AirClic developed an electronic version of the job checklist—all the tasks are performed between an aircraft's arrival and departure—and uploaded it onto WFS' existing phones enabled with the AirClic solution. Workers capture all job-related data, such as unloading bags, cleaning cabins, loading and unloading freight, and moving equipment.
The results were outstanding. Within 18 months of deploying the AirClic solution, WFS won the prestigious British Airways Innovation Award for 2005 for outstanding use of technology in meeting service commitments. John Robinson, VP of Information Technology for WFS, said "The AirClic solution matches our company's IT strategy of ‘radical simplicity.'" said Robinson. "Looking ahead, we see incredible potential."