If you’re in any way responsible for implementing new technologies in your organization, you’ve probably been down the deployment road many times. But no matter how often you’ve managed a new solution rollout, it always pays to step back, do a sanity check, and make sure you’re accounting for all the key factors and considerations that will help ensure a successful implementation.
In our experience helping hundreds of companies successfully deploy new technologies, there are six core factors you should keep in mind when planning to implement new mobile solutions. While you may already be familiar with these in varying degrees, it’s important to review and incorporate these factors in your mobile technology project, and revisit them often as you execute on the plan.
The number one consideration for any new mobile technology implementation is the environment where your solution(s) will be used. Different working environments can ultimately dictate the types of solutions you may need to choose, including hardware characteristics and specs such as the following:
Mobile solutions typically need to fit into your environment in a number of these different ways, so make sure you’re evaluating the right technologies for the job while balancing them against other end user needs.
Software applications are a big driver of mobile technology choices, and they can narrow down your options quickly. For example, if the warehouse management or ERP app you’re using is written for Android, then obviously that will eliminate Windows or iOS devices. You then need to focus on Android hardware, which restricts your choices but can also introduce new improvements in touch-enabled mobile interactions, a simpler and easier-to-use OS, and the ability to migrate “green screen” apps and your other mobile software to Android’s user-friendly platform.
Security requirements such as support for single sign-on may also be important in choosing mobile solutions that will run your required software applications. It’s also important to keep security in mind with your devices’ operating system as well. You need to be sure you’ll be able to get OS and security updates for years into the future, and not just for the default support period that the OS developer offers.
End user experience should be a crucial part of any mobile technology implementation, from evaluating and testing potential solutions to being the obvious targets of final training and implementation.
End users are the ones who are going to be using mobile devices in their specific workflows and processes, and they know better than anyone else what they need on the front lines to make their jobs easier and get work done more efficiently.
We’ve seen many use cases where end user input or feedback completely changed the game on hardware selection, and that’s a good thing. In some processes, ergonomics and the weight of devices are critical. In others, it’s screen size, scanning capabilities, or pure ease of use.
Bring your end users into your technology planning, so they can help you define, evaluate, design, and test the right solution for the job. While resistance to change can sometimes be a factor, when you give your end users a chance to test and work with mobile technologies before you implement them, you’ll learn a lot about what works and what doesn’t, and where you may need to adjust your plans accordingly. Additionally, bringing end users into the planning stages early increases user adoption.
Ultimately, you can’t use devices you can’t support. Developing a plan to support your devices needs to be done in the earliest stages of your mobile technology implementation planning.
Support Plan Questions
What do you expect your support requirements to be?
Are the devices you’re considering going to reduce or increase support needs?
What sort of support systems and processes will you need to have in place?
What will those systems and that workload look like?
Do we have a help desk for them to call if they have issues?
How will you manage the repair and spare pool process?
Who’s going to handle and manage support throughout your devices’ life cycles?
Are you going to support everything in-house, or does it make sense to outsource?
As you narrow down and evaluate technologies, you need to determine whether you have the resources and expertise to support them in-house or whether it will be more economical and efficient to work with a qualified technology partner to monitor, support, service, and repair the devices for you. Consider the key questions on page two when considering supportability.
Another key factor to consider with mobile technologies is connectivity. Make sure to ask some fundamental questions to make sure you’re capturing your complete connectivity requirements and anticipating any potential limitations or issues before you choose any solution. Use the key Connectivity Plan questions on this page to help you determine your ideal connectivity options.
Connectivity Plan Questions
How will your devices connect to your apps, networks, databases, and IT/OT infrastructure?
Will you be using Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity, or will you need both?
Do your devices need to connect inside or outside the four walls, or both?
Will you be using batch updates if you need to use your mobile devices offline?
Are there any specialized connectivity requirements for your mobile processes?
Are there any environmental obstacles that could interfere with connectivity?
Are there opportunities to use newer protocols or methods to improve connectivity?
Is there a carrier data plan or a voice and data plan required? What do those expenses look like?
Budget and costs are a major concern for many companies who want to implement new technologies. Many tend to focus on their short-term cost to implement new solutions – the cost of the hardware, applications and security suites. But it’s critical to weigh your short-term or up-front cost against the long-term value of your investment. Understanding the true total cost of ownership (TCO) requires you to consider the supplementary costs including Mobile Device Management, help desk/support services, spare pool and maintenance.
Do you want to save money in the near term even if it means you can’t give your warehouse managers and workers the mobile technologies they really need to maximize productivity and efficiency? Have you considered the lifecycle of the mobile device and if it’s a three year life cycle, there is going to be costs associated to having that equipment returned, disposing of it or ultimately dispositioned that need to be factored when you’re looking at a TCO for your mobile solution.
Do you want to save on hardware costs by purchasing cheaper consumer-grade devices but end up with higher long-term costs due to damage and replacements because you didn’t invest in more durable solutions? Have you considered the mission criticality of the device? When a device breaks, will the end user need a replacement immediately or are they down and if so, how do we facilitate a ready replacement?
Have you factored in the hidden costs of mobile such as time spent managing a large number of vendors or investigating lost or stolen devices? This can really add up. In fact, according to a recent survey by VDC Research, 34.8% of manufacturers say the time and effort implementing new technology tools or infrastructure has an ‘extremely significant’ impact on total costs. We’ve seen a lot of businesses make the costly mistake of having a short-term vision when they could have saved a lot more money and made much better mobility gains by making smart long-term investments.
Warehouse & Manufacturing respondents report the highest rates of capex models for mobile technologies by far, a possible point of friction as it relates to their flexibility and agility in more effectively responding to disruption.
2021 Enterprise Mobility Outlook, VDC Research
Warehouses of the future will rely less and less on manual and labor-intensive processes. Instead, they’ll use automation technologies to augment human labor and drive more productivity and efficiency wherever possible.
But a warehouse has multiple workflows, so you can’t apply the same automation solutions everywhere in your operations. Different workflows require different technologies geared for each area and process. Each workflow presents an opportunity to use innovative new technologies to solve specific challenges in that area.
For example, in receiving and shipping, you will normally need forklift-based solutions, which have traditionally been vehicle-mounted mobile computers. But recent innovations allow mobile computers to serve as both a forklift-mounted and a handled mobile device that can be removed from the mount and taken wherever the operator needs access to critical apps.
In picking, entirely different technologies improve worker productivity, such as a hands-free wearable device. A good example is Zebra’s complete hands-free voice-directed picking solution, where you can combine Zebra’s wearable WT6000 Android touch mobile computer with a ring-style finger-worn barcode scanner, headset, and picking software to enable more efficient workflows. Pickers access their next order through a mobile app that directs them to the correct warehouse location and helps them scan and verify each is correct with visual cues and voice audio instructions.
Beyond the mobile worker, there may be additional opportunities for automation, such as implementing radio frequency identification (RFID) to automatically track and locate products and inventory as they move through your warehouse. Systems such as these can be used in combination with sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to create completely automated tracking and traceability processes, so you can eliminate manual-intensive activities and refocus your warehouse workforce on other business-critical tasks.
An introduction to RFID
Opportunities and considerations such as these are relevant for every area and process in your warehouse. The key is to take a holistic view of your entire warehouse, from receiving to outbound shipping and all points in between. Understanding every process and end user may lead to a unique solution for each use case.
In the end, a holistic approach will help you see the bigger picture and identify the top priority opportunities to increase automation and improve your warehouse throughput and accuracy. This is where your technology partner can play a crucial role by sharing insights on the latest available mobile technologies and how different systems and solutions can be deployed and integrated to help automate your workforce and each warehouse process.
Zebra Technologies Warehouse Vision study
There are many reasons why you might need to upgrade or refresh your current mobile technologies, but each case is also a potential opportunity to do more than just solve the initial challenge at hand.
For example, many warehouses were the first to adopt mobile technologies, but now these devices are nearing End of Life (EOL) or require a newer operating system (OS) to ensure continued security and support for their mobile platform. In most cases, this means investing in new devices that can run the latest OS options, but those same devices are unlocking many other benefits in their warehouse operations.
It might be as simple as your current warehouse management system (WMS) or enterprise resource planning system (ERP) running faster and more reliably on newer technology equipped with more processing power and memory. But by upgrading your mobile devices, you can also simplify your mobile workflows with Android touchscreen apps; replace more paperwork by being able to scan barcodes, form fields, and signatures; and unify your voice, text, PBX phone, and push-to-talk communications through a single device.
There are many potential opportunities to speed up, optimize and improve warehouse processes by replacing aging and outdated mobile technologies. It’s a chance to evaluate all your processes and find opportunities to integrate new hardware, a new OS, and new capabilities that can transform the way your warehouse runs – for the better.
As a reminder, make sure to take a holistic approach and look at the bigger picture of your warehouse for opportunities to leverage new mobile technologies to increase automation, productivity, and accuracy in everything you do. But don’t forget to consider each workflow individually.
Different solutions, device types and form factors may be a better fit for certain areas, so don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. Make sure to consider each mobile workflow in its own context as well as how it fits into the bigger picture of your operations. Then make sure you do your research and consult with the right experts to get guidance on the latest mobile devices and operating systems, their capabilities, and how these can be applied to each process for maximum benefit.
Optimizing inventory management is an entirely new game today, with many potential opportunities for improvement. As you explore the possibilities for your warehouse, make sure you’re up to speed on the latest developments and available mobile solutions for better inventory management.
These include the following solutions:
These are just some of the many examples of how today’s warehouses are modernizing and deploying mobile technologies to help them improve their inventory management. Relevant solutions may vary based on your business needs and requirements, but there is a world of opportunities available, so make sure you have a clear understanding of what’s out there and what could be a good fit for your business.
Warehouse workflows are highly dependent on having the right mobile devices or other equipment in place, when they’re needed, and making sure they’re running optimally.
For example, a lost mobile device or an inability to quickly locate a required piece of equipment can bring a critical warehouse process to a halt. A failure to keep mobile devices updated with the latest security patches or to swap out failing batteries can create vulnerabilities and disrupt workflows as well.
There are many things that can go wrong when you can’t track and manage your key assets properly. But many warehouses struggle with locating and tracking their assets, keeping them updated and properly maintained, and making sure they’re in optimal health.
Fortunately, there are many ways to use today’s mobile computing, barcode scanning, and RFID technologies to improve your asset management, visibility, and control. With the right tracking technologies and asset management strategies and solutions, you can achieve significant gains:
As you explore opportunities to deploy or upgrade mobile solutions for better inventory management, workforce efficiency, and process improvement, don’t forget to look for these ways to use mobile technologies and software to enhance your asset management as well.
Few technology executives or managers would turn down an opportunity to save on costs while getting the performance and results they need from a solution. But achieving that requires a long-term view of total cost of ownership (TCO) and an awareness of what kind of value and savings you can get over a solution’s life cycle.
Short-term costs and budgets are important, but they must be balanced against long-term costs, return on investment, and actually getting the work done and achieving your warehouse improvement goals. With this in mind, here are a few key factors to consider as you look for ways to reduce technology and overall warehouse costs.
Most warehouses need rugged, enterprise-grade devices built to withstand the rigors of their environment, from drops to concrete floors to extreme temperatures, dust, dirt, moisture, and all the wear-and-tear of all-day, everyday use in an industrial environment.
But not all enterprise-grade devices are created equal, and while some may seem less expensive up-front, they cost a lot more in terms of long-term repair and replacement expenses. Often, it’s better to invest a bit more in the short-term for better durability specs and, ultimately, long-term durability.
Doing more with one device is another great way to lower TCO. By being able to access more functions and more capabilities with less hardware, you can purchase fewer devices and lower your related costs.
For example, when outfitting their managers with computing technologies to manage operations, some warehouses have replaced the need for separate office desktop or laptop computers with a 2-in-1 rugged tablet solution.
Enterprise-grade tablet-style computers are now available with high-end computing capabilities as well as detachable and magnetically storable keyboards and other accessories that allow them to be used as both an office computer and as a portable tablet. This means managers don’t have to be tied to their desks and can take their business-critical apps and the speed and power of a laptop wherever they need to be in the warehouse.
Maximize the value of your mobile technology investment by considering multi-purpose devices and consult with a good technology provider to help you design a solution based on the unique needs for your warehouse and end users.
Just as software as a service (SaaS) revolutionized software purchasing models, mobile device as a service (MDaaS) is now a great new way to save money and avoid big up-front capital expenditures when you need to implement new mobile technologies.
MDaaS works much like SaaS, where you pay a flat monthly fee per device you use in your warehouse. And just like SaaS, it offers several key advantages over traditional purchasing models including:
With MDaaS, you pay a flat monthly fee per device, encompassing all the life cycle services and support to meet your business and operating needs. There are never any ‘surprises’ and instead of having to invest a large sum against your CapEX budget, you can roll the costs into your OpEx budget and implement new solutions more affordably.
Instead of a five-year depreciation for devices, the MDaaS model allows you to upgrade and refresh your technologies as often as every two years, when it makes sense for your business to do so, rather than being based on a financial depreciation schedule.
The MDaaS model also includes end-to-end support and life cycle management for all your mobile devices. That means your devices and end users will be supported throughout the life of the device while it’s in your employ – when a device gets broken, you have a replacement in 24-hours and you never have extra fees.
With a MDaaS agreement, you can also enjoy the convenience of a single point of contact for all your hardware, implementation, support, and customer service needs. For example, at Stratix, we manage all the mobile devices for many of our customers, through a single pane of glass, and they’re able to work with a dedicated representative who manages their account and their hardware so they can stay focused on other pressing issues in their business.
