The Challenges Of Deploying Mobile Solutions: Real Users Speak Out

By Sarah Nicastro, publisher/editor in chief, Field Technologies
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Mobility isn’t without its challenges - so if you’re having a tough time as you’re researching, evaluating, and deploying mobile technologies, rest assured that you’re not alone. As we were conducting interviews for the July 2013 issue of Field Technologies, we asked our interviewees to share their thoughts on the biggest challenges they’ve faced in deploying mobile solutions at their various organizations. Here we share with you their responses.

Avita Coffee & Provision, a small coffee company based in Florida, recently deployed a fleet management solution. We asked president James Clancy, “As the owner of an SMB, what do you feel is your biggest challenge when it comes to evaluating, selecting, and deploying technologies to improve your business?”

Clancy: There are only ten people that work here. Because we're a small company, nobody really has the time, as you might in a large company, to say this person is in charge of this project. So our biggest challenge is time. There is so much information out there, and in many ways it's easier to find a solution than it ever was before. But I would say just to have someone devote that kind of time to this one-time project, that's the biggest challenge.

When telecom GCI selected a field service software solution, they went with a cloud-based application. We asked Kevin Sheridan, VP of combined service delivery at GCI, “What was the biggest draw of cloud computing? Conversely, what was your biggest concern with cloud computing?”

Sheridan: The biggest draw was the flexibility of the Web. The cloud-based solution doesn't tie you to a single server or device. There are a lot of advantages to that.

Our biggest concern was connectivity. But it worked out well. As we have progressed, we've opened up the wireless network in more of our markets. That has allowed us to introduce the technology without having to use another platform.

Chesapeake Energy, our July 2013 cover feature, overhauled its large fleet operation with a brand new telematics solution. We asked Tim Denny, VP of administration at Chesapeake, “What was the biggest challenge you faced in deploying your fleet management solution? How did you overcome it?”

Denny: I think it goes back to trying to deploy a large number of vehicles in a short amount of time. The phased deployment was a key contributor to our success. We coordinated deployment when the majority of staff was attending safety meetings, and they all had to go to their field offices at one time anyway. We would have Telogis schedule all the installations, and get the vehicles ready in a short amount of time.

Our goal was to not disrupt operations. We tried to make this as seamless as possible, make it driver focused, and we were successful in doing that.