Deploying True Mobility For Your Field Workforce
By Karl Schneider, VP of marketing, FieldAware, www.fieldaware.com
If your business includes mobile workers — and you want them to be successful — automation that goes with them is not optional.
Initially, most business applications for smart devices were “mobile-optimized” versions of existing Web applications rather than true mobile apps. In other words, they were simply scaled-down versions of the existing Web interfaces. Typically, they had less functionality than their predecessors so they could load slightly faster on devices accessing the Internet via cellular service.
Conversely, “native” mobile applications are actually developed for the specific platform of the device you’re using and literally reside on the device rather than being pulled across the Internet. Instead of accessing the app via a Web browser, you run the app directly on the device.
While there may be occasional transmission between the application on the device and the back end database, it is limited to the minimal amount of data that must be synchronized between the two and securely encrypted for protection.
The Benefits Of Native Apps Versus Browser-Based Apps
There are several significant business impacts of native versus browser-based mobile apps. The term “native” means that the entire application, including any necessary data, resides on the device. This means that you can use the application even if you don’t have connectivity of any kind. For a field tech down in the basement of a building without a service connection, still being able to perform their work and record it on the device is critical.
The native application can synchronize the data with the back end once a connection is restored. But in the meantime, the tech is still being productive. With a browser-based app, techs are at the mercy of the connection — if your tech has no connection, they can’t use it, and their productivity will suffer.
Don’t Depend On The Internet
Native applications put all of the necessary screens and functionality on the device so that the user isn’t waiting for pages to load as they navigate the application. Moving from screen to screen isn’t a painstaking process, and data plan usage is minimal because the only thing moving across the Internet is the actual data — not the screens with all of their source code and formatting, which are considered data by the service provider. Browserbased apps tend to require 15-20 times more data transmission than native apps, which often impacts the cost of deploying the solution.
Minimize Training, Maximize Adoption
Native applications are more “usable” because they are generally designed to match the look and feel of the platform for which they’re developed, such as Apple or Android. Users intuitively understand more of the interface since they’re familiar with other native applications on the same device. As a result, they require less training and have higher adoption rates than those with browser-based apps.
True Mobility For True Success
If your business employs mobile workers — and you’re reading Field Technologies — then surely you understand the need to outfit those workers with mobile applications to make them as efficient as possible. Given that, you owe it to yourself to research native mobile application technology for the reasons outlined here.
It’s not enough to assume that one mobile application is as effective as another. Beyond the basic functionality your mobile workers need, you should consider the key factors that will affect whether or not the solution will actually be adopted and used. Ultimately, your end users are the ones who will determine whether or not the application you deploy is successful or not. As more and more companies adopt native solutions for their mobile workforce and reap the inherent rewards, you don’t want to be one of the ones left behind.