Panasonic Toughbook 52 Using Analytics for Better Mobile Technology Decisions - Page 4

What is given more weight are productivity and operation enhancements, which can have a significantly greater financial impact than reliability because employees spend much more of their time being productive than they do dealing with equipment malfunctions. A matrix of features and key workforce behaviors is developed to examine the relative importance of touch screens, wireless and GPS as well as each computer vendor's ability to provide those features as standard or extra-cost equipment. The features are rated for their Time and Motion impact on your organization, and an operations efficiency score is applied to imitate real-world results. During the session, the workforce is described in detail, because this information directly affects the cost and benefit. To assess the value of a technician's time, for example, the system must know the average number of daily service orders, the percentage of those service calls that require re-work, and whether techs are normally in the field five, six or seven days a week. Once the data is collected, input data can be modified to provide instantaneous what-if, heads-ups, and break-even analysis reports (without interference from the vendor). The model is built in Excel so that anyone can assess the credibility of the analysis, and determine that there are no hidden calculations or unfair formulas skewing the result. Conclusion The Panasonic simulation tool can help different organizations within a company come to consensus before making a buying decision. Analysis helps to clarify whether a purpose-built rugged or business-rugged system or some other commercial notebook solution is really the right choice to minimizing the TCO and maximizing the ROI of workforce mobility. Jason Buk is an Operations Director at Serious Networks, Inc. a Denver, Colorado-based business analytics firm. Serious Networks, Inc. uses honest forecasting and rigorous analysis to determine what resources are most likely to increase the effectiveness of the workforce, meet corporate goals, and manage risk in the future. Serious Networks, Inc. may be contacted through their website at http://www.seriousnetworks.com.