“We Accelerate Growth”

July 2012

Jeanine Sterling

Mobile Workforce Management Solutions: Fast, Hard-Dollar ROI in the Field

Sponsored by AT&T

Mobile Workforce Management Solutions: Fast, Hard-Dollar ROI in the FieldMarket Insight

© 2012 Frost & Sullivan Page 2

Win-Win Mobility

One category of mobile business applications that has gained significant traction in North America is called “mobile workforce management.” These solutions use wireless and location-based technologies (such as GPS) to locate, track, and/or manage mobile workers and their tasks. These are not babysitting applications. Their purpose is to make it easier for employees to do their jobs—both out in the field and back at the office.

These applications can cut costs, increase worker productivity and even open up new revenue streams. Savvy businesses promote them as a point of service differentiation. And the usual objections around mobile solutions—too expensive to deploy, too difficult to use, too much havoc to implement—simply do not apply anymore.

Mobile workforce management applications run on a variety of device types, including feature phones, tablets, smartphones, and ruggedized devices. Specific features and capabilities include:

• Data capture: Workersareabletocollect,enterandtransmitalltypesofdataoutinthefield. Methodsofinformationcaptureincludebarcodescanning,image/photocapture,electronicsignatures,andwirelessforms.

• Wireless time cards: Time tracking provides mobile workers with the ability to clock in and out of work shiftsrightontheirmobilephones.

• GPS location, tracking and monitoring: With today’s handset-based location technology, worker location canbeprovidedonareal-timebasisandbecontinuouslyrefreshedthroughouttheworkday.

• Geo-fencing and alerts: Avirtualgeographicalareacanbedefinedtoestablishapprovedroutesorworkareasforemployeesandvehicles.Ifadesignatedboundaryiscrossed,managersreceiveanotification.

• Reports:Properlydesignedreports,bothstandardandcustomized,turndataintoactionablebusinessintelligence.

Today’s mobile workforce management applications are priced to be affordable across all business types and sizes. These are hosted solutions that are usually billed at a per-device, per-month rate. Solution pricing can start at a budget-friendly $10/user/month. And as a business grows, users and features can be painlessly added.

Fast, Hard-Dollar ROI

In a 2011 Frost & Sullivan survey of North American businesses, respondents made it clear that mobile workforce management solutions are here to stay. Eighty-seven percent of current users are satisfied with the service. Only one percent expresses any level of dissatisfaction.

Why the positive reaction? Because mobile workforce management solutions provide some of the clearest, quickest return-on-investment benefits in the mobile application space. The top ROI impacts reported in the survey included reduced paperwork, decreased labor expense, and improved field service response times. Mobile workforce management applications have gone mainstream, and businesses that haven’t given them serious consideration are falling further behind the technology curve.

About Frost & Sullivan

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Mobile Workforce Management Solutions: Fast, Hard-Dollar ROI in the FieldMarket Insight

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Figure 1 - ROI Impacts Experienced by Current Mobile Workforce Management Users

Increased customer satisfaction

Improved field service response times

Reduced paperwork

Improved competitive advantage

Reduced labor expense

Higher job completion rates

Expedited cash flow

0% 10% 20% 30% 40%

Q: Please select the top three ROI (return on investment) impacts your business has experienced while using a mobile workforce management solution.

Current Users (%)North American Businesses

Source: Frost & Sullivan Online Survey, 2011

Evaluating the Need for Mobile Business Applications

Any business that deploys employees out into the field should consider the potential benefits of a mobile workforce management solution. The ROI for this category of software applications is typically so straightforward that any of the following situations should prompt a trial and an inevitable rollout:

• Fieldworkersmanuallyfillingoutpaperforms,

• Drivers and/or inventory that have no or low visibility throughout the workday,

• Fieldemployeeswhomustfirstclockinatacentrallocationbeforestartingtheirjobs,or

• Fuelandvehiclemaintenancecoststhatarebecomingexcessive.

Your Next Step: Consult with AT&T

The quality of the mobility provider can have a tremendous impact on the quality of the mobility solution. Most recently, AT&T was presented with Frost & Sullivan’s 2012 North American Product Line Strategy award in the mobile workforce management solution category. AT&T is also annually lauded by survey respondents as offering the best brand of solutions in this category.

AT&T has the portfolio, relationships and expertise to address just about every business situation.

To learn more about how mobile workforce management solutions can help your business thrive, please visit att.com/business or contact your AT&T sales representative.