Custom Wap Sales Force Applications & Pda Enterprise Application Development

Custom Wap Sales Force Applications & Pda Enterprise Application Development

Contact and Expense Management: Cable Repair Systems

	BACKGROUND

Cable Repair Services, a Washington, D.C. based firm, provides network infrastructure installation and relocation services for government agencies and local municipalities. The firm provides their services nationwide using in-house engineers and subcontractors. On any given day, between 50 and 100 crews nationwide are on client sites performing:

Relocations – Teardown and packing computers and network systems, relocating the equipment to a new location and reconstituting the client’s computer networks.

Upgrades– Enhance and extend existing networks with additional devices, cabling or wireless setup.

Ongoing maintenance and security monitoring – Provide ongoing maintenance and troubleshoot anomalies, as well as provide intrusion detection and other security services.

	CHALLENGE

Responding to requests for proposals was a slow and labor intensive process, requiring a visit by sales agent, paper-based data collection and typing out a proposal back at the office. This process impeded efficiency in terms of number of quotes produced per week. Bids were often delivered late, missing the client’s window of opportunity and further lowing sales staff productivity.

On the operations side, managing and dispatching crews nationwide was challenging as it required individual crew tracking, work order routing, billing, and inventory management throughout the day. Without automation, field engineers had to rely on cell phones to communicate with the dispatch office and created a substantial amount paperwork to be processed for each Work Order, Invoice and Inventory Move. Paper-based transmission resulted in loose inventory control, inefficient scheduling and long billing cycles. The Dispatch Office required 8 full time clerks to manage the paperwork and dispatch calls alone.

	SOLUTION

Objectware created a web application for desk use and network-independent Palm sales force application software with custom estimating, scheduling and invoicing software for field use. XML based web-services synchronize data wirelessly between the Palm Pilots and headquarters on an as-needed basis. This architecture allows full operation of the Palm software where wireless access is unavailable and keeps the wireless data transmission services fees low.

The Palm application eliminated the sales agents’ need for paper forms. Now, site information is entered directly into the Palm and a quote is automatically calculated. Once a wireless connection to the Internet is established, the quote is transmitted to the main web application which than faxes or emails the quote to the prospect. Usually, the entire process happens before the sales agent has left the client site.

Scheduling and invoicing, including the electronic capture of the customers signature via the Palm’s touch-screen, has been likewise automated.

	RESULT

As a result of the new software, the sales team has been able to handle a growing workload with the existing staff. Not only has the number of proposals submitted increased, but the timeliness, accuracy and impressive use of mobile technology has dramatically improving their closure rate.

On the Operations side, scheduling and inventory control has substantially improved enabling Cable Repair Services to cut their dispatch staff by half. As a net result of the new IT systems created by Objectware, CRS’s sales have nearly doubled and operating margins improved, resulting in a large boost in the company’s net profits.