Location Based Services, Mobile Software and Dynamic Mobile Inventories

In a series of articles on the blog Mobile Strategies for Businesses the topic of dynamic and perishable inventories as they relate to LBS (location based services) and mobile handhelds and Smart phones is discussed. In summary, the article proposes LBS solutions that notify subscribers within a certain distance of the store location about limited and time sensitive discounts through email and text message alerts.

Here is an additional scenario to consider - mobile inventories in trucks or delivery vans can follow a route, and as they approach each store location the LBS alert is sent out announcing to subscribers within a 3 mile radius of the limited time discount of certain products in the delivery vehicle.

It may be that the alert will attract a small group at each store, and after visiting 9 stores the inventory is all sold. However, if the inventory was only announced at one store, it would not have sold. This is an interesting concept for retailers to consider.

Mobile Business Intelligence Apps Linked to GPS

In an article I wrote last week called Integrated Solutions and Mobile Software Applications for Route Sales, I discussed the value of integrating CRMs (customer relationship management) applications with mobile business intelligence applications, mobile software and Smart Phones for mobile salesforces. This week I learned that much of this technology already exists, at least for iPhones, in a company called QlikView.

They have a true business intelligence client solution designed from the ground up for iPhones. It connects with the QlikView server in the office, which performs the business intelligence, and provides the information wirelessly to the iPhone.

Based on the GPS coordinates of the iPhone, the QlikView application can be configured to automatically provide customer sales information to the iPhone.

There is a free demo version available for download here.

Very nice concept!!!

Small Mobile Service Businesses Using Rugged Handheld Computers and Smart Phones

Over the past few years I have spoken to many small service companies about mobilizing their business processes including field services, work orders, asset tracking, inspections, etc. These service companies were most often looking for a way to reduce administration, accounting and dispatch costs and to make their operations simpler.

Wirelessly dispatching service tickets to service technicians with Smart phones or rugged handheld computers is one obvious and relatively simple way to make things more efficient. You remove the need for a person to call the service technician and read the service ticket information while the service technician takes notes.

If you have 20 service technicians in the field, the average service company would have a full time dispatcher just calling service technicians all day. Each service technician could easily spend 30 minutes a day just on the phone with the dispatcher. That is easily 600 wasted minutes per day. That equates to a lot of unnecessary expenses and lost opportunity costs (lost opportunity to complete more work orders). This should be an electronic work order that is wirelessly dispatched and just vibrates your Smart phone.

Many small companies are run by an owner/operator. The mobile owner/manager is able to take customer calls while on the road and enter work orders and job assignments on his handheld computer, dispatch the job to his team and keep working in the field. All the work is electronically documented on handhelds and synchronized back to his office accounting and work order software without human intervention. Read this article for related information.

These above capabilities are very compelling to a small business. You have full business visibility on the Smart phone or rugged handheld. You don't have the high admin cost for the office. You can run very small operations very efficiently and with built in quality assurance.

If you are here in Australia and would like to discuss your needs for mobile applications please contact us.