6th July 2007
Organisations have already invested heavily in back office systems that enable transactions entering these systems to travel at the speed of light. Given the significant commitment already made to support these new business processes, is there anymore investment required? If so, what will the next significant technology wave be that organisations utilize to further reduce costs and increase revenue?
The Next Wave - Mobile Business Applications
Enterprises and Businesses who are committed to flexibility and responsiveness in the market are now using the latest industrial strength technology – the mobile office. Creative organisations around the world have embraced the ‘moving of’ business processes out to the point of contact with customers and services by deploying hand held devices with purpose built applications. They are using mobility to provide a natural extension to their business processes. These extensions are as productive (some say more) as their traditional office environments. As a result, more innovation is going into new services. It is these new services that are fostering a stronger bond between customers and organisations.
To achieve this high level of value creation, untethered applications are being built. These applications provide the greatest opportunity for creative control in terms of the user experience and the data exchange between the client application and the server environment. In most basic terms this can cover what data is stored locally on the client (handheld) and what is managed and synchronised with the server/ backend system.
Let's have a look at some of these innovative organisations
Halliburton (energy services/engineering and construction company) have deployed an untethered mobile maintenance solution for their real estate services group using SAP and Microsoft mobile technology. The ROI was one hour per day for the service technician and 4 per day for the administrative assistant. The qualitative benefits were a more productive maintenance process, answering customer calls faster, more accurate data for the back office resulting in more effective trend analyses.
Infraserv Hochst, an integrated site operator and service company for the pharmaceutical and life science industry, has moved their paper based business processes for maintenance and facilities management onto mobile technology. Their existing business processes were error prone, time consuming and inflexible. The ROI they achieved was 108%, a breakeven point of 1.9 years and a positive DCF after 2 years.
Business Process Translation to Mobility?
The following example demonstrates the process of translation of existing business processes to mobility enabled processes. Insurance motor vehicle claims processing has been reviewed by IBM consulting services and found that there are numerous steps in the claims management process where a mobile application is relevant.
1. Insured’s statement recorded and included as part of the claims file
2. Adjuster and rental company advised of new case
3. Adjuster and claimant agree on appointment to evaluate damage
4. Adjuster records damage information and digital photo inclusion in claims file
5. Repair authorisation by supervisor via real-time messaging
The insurance industry’s sales process is re-defined by IBM consulting and these business processes now become a natural extension of the organisation by implementing a mobile solution.
Business processes supported by the mobile solution created for the insurance industry:-
1. Contact Management
2. Schedule initial interview and capture interview results
3. Capture insurers needs and prioritize
4. Create a value proposition
5. Collect information to assess eligibility
6. Trial close
7. Handle objections
8. Generate formal proposal
9. Handle objections
10. Issue proposal
The Wrap Up
IT Research organisations such as Forrester, Gartner and IDC are continually looking over the horizon to assess the coming wave of new ideas which will develop from implementing mobile solutions. Leading IT vendors such as Microsoft, IBM, Fujitsu and SAP are positioning themselves to be the enablers of this new technology wave. As mobility is both inevitable and called for by consumers and businesses alike, organisations will need to carefully consider their business strategy and how mobility will help them build efficiency and productivity in this next major technology shift.
Specialist partners with the major IT vendors are often the key driver in successful implementations where technology supports the mobilisation of these ‘in demand’ business processes. Basis Design is a strategic development company committed to mobility, its business partnerships and those client organisations that are serious about addressing ‘What can’t be done today’.
References
1. Microsoft - Benefits of Windows Mobile : Financial Services - August 2006
2. IBM - How mobility improves the insurance sales process – White paper
Stephanie Wolf, Business consultant, IBM Consulting Services 2005
3. SAP Customer Success Story - Halliburton SAP Solutions for Mobile Business helps streamline maintenance processes for Real Estate Services Group at Halliburton 2005
4. SAP Case Study - SAP Mobile Asset Management at Infraserv Hochst 2005
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