20 questions you should ask before investing in your mobile applications

Transcription

1 0 questions you should ask before investing in your mobile applications

2 Mobility makes sense

3 Improve your supply chain execution with mobile applications. With mobility you get instant access to the information you need no matter where you are. Mobile applications reduce paperwork and administration, boost productivity, shorten lead times and eliminate errors. Countless companies report that taking advantage of mobile applications has been a profitable investment. But where do you find those savings in your day-to-day operation? How do you calculate the total cost of the investment and when do you start to profit from it? This booklet will answer those questions.

4 1 1 1 Why should I read 1 this booklet? 1 There s never a bad time to make your supply chain execution more efficient. If you are up for a change, start with an 11 ROI study 1 to 1 make a smart investment. Change is a challenging process, but the cost of staying the 1 same can 1 provide you with a healthy argument to take on this task Why should I 11start 1 with an 1 ROI analysis? 1 1 A proper ROI analysis gives 1you an 1 understanding of your current business processes, and where and how to improve 1them. 1 It will demonstrate 0 where your savings will come from and how fast you earn back your 11 investment 1 in mobile 1 applications for things like delivery and store operations. 1 1 How do I make 1 a smart 1 ROI 0 calculation? It might sound simple: quantify the benefits of your investment and put that against the total costs of that investment 1 over 1 time. In reality this could be a challenge as some of the costs can be hidden, while some of the soft-value benefits are hard to measure. It is advisable to turn to an expert who will pinpoint the impact a mobile solution will have on each part of your processes. This saves time and gives you better accuracy of the calculated costs and benefits.

5 1 1 1 What are the steps? 1 1 Use a structured template to compile and analyse all relevant data. Back this up with a process study 11 to learn 1 how 1 your delivery or store processes branch and how they interconnect with your other business processes. Use your findings to identify areas of potential. Address and verify 1 the potential 1 in 0 a workshop involving all concerned parties. The outcome is your finalized ROI calculation Which people from my company should be involved? The main people involved in implementing a new mobile application are the transport managers, 1 fleet managers or store managers, IT managers and the Financial controller. Representatives for end-user groups like drivers and store personnel play an important role 1 1 in describing 11 1 complex 1working patterns. How long does an ROI analysis take? If you use external experts it should take you around a week. Working on your own it depends on 1the complexity 1 of your operations, allocated resources, availability of data, and your experience and tools. It could take one week or a few months.

6 1 1 1 Can I perform 1 1an ROI study in-house or should I call in experts? It s a good idea to balance the knowledge from your in-house personnel who know your internal processes 11 with 1 an expert 1 view on enterprise mobility and supply chain best practices. While your own staff know all about how your current systems work, an external consultant should be able to show 1 you ways 1 to 0 improve your operations with the benefit of benchmarking experience and lack of a this is 1how things 1 are done here bias. 1 1 What 11 should 1 1 I look for in a consultant? Make sure that any consultants you employ have the relevant expertise and experience. They 1 need 1 to love 0 and understand the solution domain (distribution, store operation) rather than consulting. 1 Ask 1 them a specific question on, let s say, what strategies for route planning or 1 which methods 1 of handling inventory a store will save most money in their opinion, given your 11 particular 1 kind 1 of business. If they can t answer then maybe try someone else. What 1 do 1most 0companies reflect on when conducting an ROI analysis? You d be surprised how much you can find out about your operations by being open minded and 1asking 1questions. Often, companies detect possible improvements even before implementing a mobile application.

7 What 1 benefits 1 does a mobile application give me in the context of supply chain execution? Mobile 1 applications 1 can automate and streamline processes, while eliminating paperwork. They provide your staff with tools to plan, analyse, make decisions and execute without geographic restrains. You should expect 1 measurable 0 effects on efficiency, quality and traceability. Moreover, mobility can reveal untapped potential to transform your business. It can empower people to expand their responsibility and role and re-define 1 work processes. As an example, a driver can be equipped with an application that also includes a CRM 1 module, 1 allowing him to realize additional sales How 1 does 1 a mobile application influence benefits and costs long term? Putting 1 in 1 place a solution that is scalable allows you to leverage its benefits to more users and additional processes. 1 0 Your strategy and architecture decisions, like selection of platform and vendor, often prove essential 1 for 1 an attractive Total Cost of Ownership. 1 Can 1 I start 0 small? Mobile applications can bring benefits to your business even if you start with a limited scope 1 of functionality to address the low hanging fruit. Over time, the solution can easily grow with new modules and applications, taking advantage of previous work done in, for instance, integrating with a backend system.

8 Can 1 I start fast? Many of the development methodologies and tools available today can support rapid prototyping which can be an excellent method to test the water. A well designed application will also enable you to start by supporting standard processes, which in a later revision can be customized to your specific unique needs Is 1it complicated to integrate a mobile application for store and delivery? No. A modern platform will have a standardized method to interface with virtually all backend systems and 1 data sources. That being said, recent studies have shown that project organisations tend to underestimate the time and resources needed for integration work as a percentage of the total implementation. 1 0 What about hardware? 1 Hardware matters. If the environment in which the application will be used, or the performance and/or data 0 1 transmission requirements of your business lean your decision towards a ruggedized device, it is advisable to choose a vendor with a hardware, software and managed services portfolio that would ensure the 1peace of mind of a one-stop shop experience What 0 about BYOD? The Bring Your Own Device trend has taken big strides towards being accepted and even preferred as a way of distributing business-to-employees or business-to-business applications. In that case, the choice of hardware is partially out of your hands, but organizations should preferably choose software providers with experience in deploying cross-platform.

9 How can I ensure that my investment performs /? The best way to ruin any investment in your operations is to have downtime. Though it might seem appealing to save money on single devices initially, to risk compatibility between the software and hardware quickly becomes expensive. Don t forget to include aspects such as service and support including replacement agreements to increase uptime and decrease cost of ownership Which costs of investment should an ROI study include? Any complete ROI study should demonstrate all costs a mobile application investment would involve, including license, project, hardware, integration, support and upgrade costs. Your internal costs should include project time, training, time lost for system changeover, etc. When can I expect payback from a mobile solution? In our experience we see payback within -1 months when an organisation introduces mobility support for the supply chain execution processes Are there any side effects of an ROI analysis? Yes, you might want to start your project sooner rather than later.

10 Find out about the positive effects mobile applications can have on your operations. Let us perform an ROI calculation together with you. Sweden Phone sales@se.consafelogistics.com United Kingdom Phone + (0)1 sales@se.consafelogistics.com Denmark Phone sales@dk.consafelogistics.com Norway Phone + 01 info@no.consafelogistics.com Mobility makes sense Netherlands Phone wms@nl.consafelogistics.com Poland Phone sales@pl.consafelogistics.com

11 In our Supply Chain Execution portfolio you find the right tools for supply chain precision and predictability. Our customers have chosen competitive solutions within; PRODUCTION Facilitating mobile production IT and realizing quality information to support production processes, keep cost down and traceability up. WAREHOUSING Single or multi-sites, manual or automated, our WMS brings you great value regardless. The solutions has proven themselves to be the right tool for to 00 concurrent users and is successfully used by top players all over the world. TRANSPORT Together with our partners Consafe Logistics integrate transport administration where needed in your supply chain. Providing functionality for transportation planning and follow up, cost control/kpis, Track & Trace, carrier dispatching, Proof-of-Delivery and much more. DELIVERY Improve customer satisfaction with mobile solutions supporting daily delivery activities off-truck sales, order processing, invoicing and replenishment. User interface fit for any hardware device and easy scalable. STORE Enhance your staff engagement and customer service using mobile solutions, in store warehouse providing automated goods receiving, inventory management, online access to product data, order handing, pricing and labeling. 11

12 SUPPLY CHAIN EXECUTION PRODUCTION WAREHOUSING TRANSPORT DELIVERY STORE MANUFACTURING EXECUTION SYSTEMS WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WAREHOUSE CONTROL SYSTEMS WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS YARD MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS HARDWARE MOBILE DELIVERY APPLICATIONS MOBILE STORE APPLICATIONS HANDHELDS SCANNERS PRINTERS VOICE WLAN VM SERVICES SUPPORT MANAGED SERVICES CONSULTING 1

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