Industry insights — Wayne Harper, Zebra Technologies

Many processes have been streamlined in the field service industry in recent years — what further improvements are likely in 2016?

From the back of the warehouse to the retail floor, productivity has never been more important. But there’s still this hidden productivity drain. The answer lies with the devices.

That drain can be plugged by making devices more ergonomic, more quickly maintained, less likely to cause fatigue and less likely to result in errors.

Which is why Zebra put its top engineers to task designing the most efficient, feature-loaded mobile computer possible. They did it — a breakthrough ergonomic design and an extensive list of productivity-enhancing innovations. Real improvements that make measurable efficiencies and add extra productivity.

What do you see as the greatest challenge for managers of mobile teams in the year ahead and why?

The challenge remains the same — finding extra productivity and efficiency.

Enterprises have already extracted the maximum available efficiency increases available through today’s handheld mobile computers, but new operational challenges require them to seek new ways to further increase productivity and accuracy.

It can be done. It has been done! And by a considerable amount. Innovation is key here. Our new device saves one hour per worker per shift in a warehouse setting. Across an eight-person team it’s like adding another worker to your line.

How has the field service industry evolved since the advent of mobile technology and what are the downsides of rapid change?

Many organisations were quick to adopt mobile technology but perhaps didn’t fully consider the true total cost of ownership. That cost is, for some, only now becoming apparent.

One of the challenges for organisations is understanding what really constitutes costs over the long term. According to research consultants VDC, it comprises the hard costs of deployment (hardware, accessories, software, implementation and training) and the softer operational costs (productivity loss, opportunity loss and IT support costs.) By evaluating hard and soft costs, organisations may well find that short-term purchasing decisions do not deliver the greatest value to the business in the long term. VDC estimates that hard costs may only account for 10% or less of TCO over five years.

Consumer mobile devices can look like the more cost-effective option compared with enterprise devices due to their low initial purchase price. But consumer-grade mobile devices can introduce unforeseen complexities and hidden costs once the initial purchase has been made. Enterprise-grade mobile devices on the other hand are purpose built for the harsh business environment and tailored to your requirements, making them rich in benefits that provide long-lasting value to your organisation and bottom line. All in all, although your initial purchase price may be higher, the softer operational costs will be much lower with an application-rich, purpose-built device, thus making your TCO significantly lower and guaranteeing an ROI that will deliver far more business value.

What trends are we likely to see emerge in the short term — what is the ‘next big thing’?

Managers are increasingly seeing the true value of rugged enterprise-class handheld devices and in that space there’s going to be some huge advances. They’ll be devices this year — and I know because Zebra are launching one — that put full focus on the user, and through this, find extra efficiencies.

Expedited service has become the norm, requiring orders to be fulfilled faster. Additionally, changing worker demographics add a new challenge — today’s workforce wants a familiar, easy-to-use, touch application interface.

Improvements to device design leads to real results. After intensive investigation and trials, Zebra’s own Innovation and Design team has been able to create a device (the TC8000) that increases productivity in a warehouse setting by 14%.

An increasing number of vendors have been attracted to the field service segment in response to market growth. How will that landscape level out and what will it look like at the end of 2016?

It will be those vendors that are not simply resellers but can offer their customers end-to-end software application services and prepackaged development and support offerings that will really prosper this year.

How big a role does customisation play in delivering the most suitable offering to your client and can off-the-shelf ever compete with a fully tailored solution?

There are certainly plenty of off-the-shelf, consumer-focused smartphones available today that offer some business functionality on tempting terms. The question is whether these devices have the right physical characteristics, capabilities and support to meet the needs of field workers in the field and their support team. Organisations should be looking at whether mobile devices that have been designed for business use — and specifically outside the office environment — could deliver a better service.

Are the devices that you currently use or are considering truly up to the task or will they bring further issues through lost or stolen data, device downtime and inability to use in certain conditions and lack of ongoing supplier support? Enterprise-class devices are customisable and better suited to the task.

Zebra’s range of rugged handheld and tablet computers can be tailored to meet the unique needs of any organisation, utilising our comprehensive choice of Android and Windows-based applications, plug-ins and accessories.

Wayne Harper is the Senior Technical Director for Zebra Technologies in Asia Pacific and is currently responsible for ensuring quality Technical Engineering support across the region. He has been part of the Zebra family since 1997 and is instrumental in guiding the pre-sales technical support team towards the design of end-to-end technology solutions, empowering businesses with enterprise asset intelligence. Wayne consults businesses across Zebra’s key trade verticals across Asia Pacific, where he oversees the consolidation of customer requirements, business reviews and process reorganisation. He is also leading Zebra’s Android and IOT initiatives throughout Asia Pacific.