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What budget should I allocate to roll out Mobile to my techs?
I have 15 field techs. I am considering rolling out Mobile, and wanted to get a sense of what budget I should plan.
I would be interested to hear from the community for people who have rolled this out, and what worked for them and what did not?
Should I bring in someone to assist with pro services (configuration, Integration, deployment)?
Is the licensing actually that straight forward? How much should I allocate toward Software expenses?
Do I need to deploy an additional server?
DO I need to make changes to my firewall etc.
I am looking for some best practices from people who have done a mobile deployment in the last 2 years.
-thx/Alex
Comments
Leonid,
Ours was a bit longer ago than 2 years, but......
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I have 15 field techs. I am considering rolling out Mobile, and wanted to get a sense of what budget I should plan.
I would be interested to hear from the community for people who have rolled this out, and what worked for them and what did not?
Should I bring in someone to assist with pro services (configuration, Integration, deployment)?
Is the licensing actually that straight forward? How much should I allocate toward Software expenses?
Do I need to deploy an additional server?
DO I need to make changes to my firewall etc.
I am looking for some best practices from people who have done a mobile deployment in the last 2 years.
I hope that helps. Sorry there isn't a basic number I can quote in answer to the question, but there are a lot of variables.
Rick
Thanks for your thoughtful response Rick.
I apologize in advance if I am being too specific. I find it best to get answers from the community before engaging in the sales process.
Quick question about the connection server, is it licensed separately, or just a download? Does it have to run in a separate virtual server instance, or can it run on the same one as the DB?
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Hey Leonid!
The connection server is a utility that you'll download onto the same computer that you use as your server/main computer. It does not take up a license.
We also have an article, here, that covers how to install it.
If you decide to take the plunge with mobile, our sales team/support team will be there to help you get it setup. But we also have a ton of self-serve resources if that's more your style.
Let us know!
Leonid,
I started with Mobile right off the bat when I first signed up with ESC so I don't have a whole lot of insight as to what it's like to use ESC without mobile, BUT I will say that it is probably the single-best thing I have ever done for my company. Before that we were using paper invoices. I started with 4 mobile licenses almost 2 years ago and I think I'm up to almost 20 now. The cost is nothing more than the 15/mo per tech, but let me explain some of the ways this "expense" increased my bottom line.
1) The $15/mo per tech probably saved me that in paper alone.
2) Field Labor Cost - It's faster and easier to write an invoice on mobile. The learning curve will take a month or two, but overall the app is really easy to learn and use. My techs were able to hit at least 1 more call per day not having to write paper invoices. Not to mention eliminating the cost of bringing those paper invoice back to the office every day. Techs can also view history in the field and any pictures/documents linked to the customer. This equals less time trying to find the answer to who did what and when. Should we warranty, should we not? Etc etc. All available to the tech onsite. Also, you can track all labor costs+overhead based on each techs wages depending on how long they were on the job (controlled by their status updates) My field labor dropped about 8% per tech after 3 months.
3) Office Labor Cost - As soon as a tech writes an invoice or quote, its available in the desktop program for office staff to review and send. This way you can fix any spelling errors, prices, etc and make sure it gets to the RIGHT person immediately. One person can do this no problem. If it doesn't give you the ability to use less people, it will most certainly give those people the ability to do and handle twice as many tasks. My office labor decreased by about 12% (with adding another employee) and my collections went from 32% past due to 7% past due over the span of 2 years.
4) Inventory Cost - Every tech can be linked to their own "warehouse" (truck stock) and every time an invoice is generated from their device it automatically removes whatever parts are used from their inventory. This has been a life-saver for me because of the amount of stock my trucks carry. You can then run your re-order reports on each warehouse (truck) to find out who needs what before they have to ask. My turnaround time for same day fix rate went from 42% to 88% in 2 years.
5) This one is intangible, but is probably the most valuable... communication. The ability for everyone to know exactly what each tech sees on each job is priceless. More importantly, customers always have answers to their questions. And that's what fuels growth.
There are a few glitches like invoices not transferring from tech to tech, quotes not always coming through properly, and if your internet goes down that your server is connected to, your mobile devices will not work. Will not be able to invoice, quote, etc. Just have a backup plan for that and you'll be fine.
Not sure if I answered many, if not any, of your questions here lol. Sorry. But I think it's important to take the right prospective... don't focus so much on what it's going to cost you. Focus on what it's going to save/make you!
Good luck and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
All good points.
One of the most difficult parts is getting everyone to realize that it's an electronic process, and they can let go of some of the paper.
We haven't gone mobile just yet, but I thought I would add that you might want to look into MDM (Mobile Device Management). We have done a bit of research and have contracted with a provider. It is a software product that allows you to manage your mobile units wireless-ly. If you need to send a new app to your field team, update the OS on all the devices, find the device, set up the same device settings for all users or just some users, change settings, trouble shoot, order a new device already set up when it comes out of the box, have your device information at your finger tips, etc, you can do it from your laptop/desktop.
We have a few devices in reserve. In the plumbing business, devices get wet, broken, or just plain dirty. Having one to exchange for the day is quicker. You may want to look into repair costs, what support is offered and the costs for that support (such as Apple Care), so you can add that into your budget.
We went Mobile / Paperless 1 year ago. Huge step forward.
Our company made the mistake of buying tablets thinking it would be best. Tablets are great for sales, but cumbersome for service techs. We found most the techs used their smart phones for ESC. The tablets were used for games and GPS.
The biggest hurdle is teaching old dogs new tricks. My Sr. Service Techs have 10 times the issues when compared to the Technicians I’ve hired after going mobile.
Just wanted to add to the great info Lisa gave. We use Meraki MDM for our mobile devices. It is a free service offered by Cisco Meraki. We have the devices locked down so no one can do anything except what we allow from our management profile, so it goes without saying they do not have access to the internet or app stores and can only access email, calendar, esc, google drive, and a few other items.. It is a little tricky to set up but once it is running it pretty much manages itself. I can tell from my online portal everything about the Ipad, including present battery life, IOS version and the such. If one of the IPads become lost or stolen then we can lock it down remotely and it can never be used again even if it is factory reset.
We have around 25 mobile devices, but Meraki MDM can manage way more than that....not sure there is even a limit.
Anyway, wanted to add this as it really helps narrow down the frustration of techs ruining or misusing their IPads, which only adds to the efficiency you can gain in the field.
https://documentation.meraki.com/SM
John Shartzer, on behalf of all the old dogs that have no issues.
<<blows a raspberry>>
And I mean that in the nicest possible way. : )
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