Konica Minolta Clicks on Scanners
06.07.06
discuss >
New Jersey-based digital imaging company Konica Minolta has been working with mobile automation firm AirClic Inc. to allow its service technicians to more quickly enter details about jobs with just their mobile phones.
Konica Minolta is using clip-on barcode scanners, which AirClic sources from Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - message board), to turn their Technicians' Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S - message board) phones into basic all-in-one data entry devices. The phone transmits the time of arrival and departure at a job and the parts numbers scanned -- including revisions -- so that those fields are already completed when an employee fills in a Web-based job report. All this information flow is managed by the AirClic mobile process automation software.
"We're looking for a higher 'first-call' fix-rate... to capture exact dates and times of service and to avoid 'fat finger' syndrome," says Ed Hoyer, director of the national customer support center at Konica Minolta.
ADVERTISEMENT
AirClic was picked because of its relationship with Sprint Nextel and existing customer wins with big names like ADT. "We looked at other vendors but this was a vendor that was recommended by Nextel," says Hoyer.
Konica Minolta started testing the AirClic system back in January. "We will begin full-blown implementation in the first part of July," Hoyer explains. The deployment is expected to be completed within 60 days.
Hoyer won't reveal exactly how much the project will cost: "Let's just say we expect this project to pay for itself with the first 18 to 24 months."
Original Post