Mike Pullon, CEO, VarlinkTechnology is prevalent in every aspect of our lives, and the working environment is no different. Providing the right technology for the job is vitally important in field service as it reduces the need for time consuming paperwork, means less margin for error, and increases efficiency, enabling service engineers to meet their targets. It certainly plays a role in attracting and retaining talent as an employer who invests in technology is, in turn, investing in its people.
The evolution of the smartphone market has not only increased awareness of and familiarity with mobile computing, but also continues to shape perception of what a mobile computing device should do or look like.
The growing number of millennials in the workplace seems to be increasingly influencing IT decision makers – hence more emphasis on smaller devices, with larger screens that can run multiple applications at any given time.
By providing mobile workers with a reliable, purpose-built device that can not only get the job done, but is also compact, lightweight and easy-to-use, is critical for adoption and ultimately effective in attracting and retaining talent.
Companies should maintain visibility of their hardware estate and regularly review its performance. In addition the obvious key performance indicators such as battery life, device downtime, breakages and replacement rates, there are other key considerations. Keeping abreast of the latest advances in technology is key, but it’s not always about hardware, for example the approaching end of life of Windows Embedded Handheld operating system, which will have a significant effect on hardware estates.
Whether you need to improve operational efficiency, increase accountability or cut costs, deploying the right mobile solution is critical to achieving these goals. With so many choices, IT decision makers need to not only identify a solution with exacting standards that is available at an attractive price point, but also select a product that can grow and evolve with their business.
One of the biggest challenges technology vendors face is the perceived and unverified need to stay ahead of the technology curve.
We work closely with our reseller partners to educate corporations so they understand that they can continue to deploy relevant, secure and efficient solutions without having to chase the latest technology.
This is especially true when we look at OS updates. As consumers we want the latest offering. From an enterprise perspective, we find that earlier versions that are tried, tested, proven and reliable are solid enough to be deployed safely into enterprise environments. Unlike consumer devices that typically have an 18-24 month lifecycle, rugged mobile computers are designed to thrive for more than 5 years in the harshest work environments.
We work closely with our customers to help extend the lifecycle of their device, and unlike other vendors in our space, we encourage customers to migrate to a newer device on their own timeframe. Companies want technology that does the job efficiently and over an extended period of time in order to maximise their return on investment.
Features Mike Pullon janam Robert Hurt rugged hardware The Big Discussion Varlink
Mark is an experienced B2B editor and journalist having worked across an array of magazines and websites covering health and safety, sustainable energy and airports.
Field Service News is published by 1927 Media Ltd, an independent publisher whose sole focus is on the field service sector. As such our entire resources are focused on helping drive the field service sector forwards and aiming to best serve our industry through honest, incisive and innovative media coverage of the global field service sector.
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