Business-to-Employee (B2E) Applications

Business-to-Employee (B2E) Applications
Wireless applications for sales and service professionals provide one of the largest opportunities
for m-business. As discussed, supplying employees with wireless PDAs (instead of
laptop computers) for on-the-road e-mail communications and file transfer can reduce
costs. Portable keyboards facilitate data entry. Devices can be updated regularly by synchronizing
information between the desktop and handheld when employees are at the work
site. In this section, we explore how wireless communications can enhance order transactions,
transportation and shipping, inventory tracking and corporate education. Wireless
customer relationship management is discussed in Chapter 4, e-Marketing.
The potential impact of the wireless Internet on the sales and service industry is enormous.
Wireless information transfers to remote locations reduce the amount of time
between order placement and order delivery. Using wireless applications, remote salespeople
can access product databases and place orders. PocketCashier (www.pocketcashier.
com) allows remote sales and service personnel to accept credit cards and
certify checks using their PDAs (see PocketCashier feature). Service professionals can
address customer needs immediately or an emergency medical technician can access a
person’s record immediately.
SignalSoft® www.signalsoftcorp.
com
Offers wireless location services
to businesses for tracking,
billing and safety applications.
724 Solutions www.724solutions.com Offers wireless solutions to the
financial industry.
PocketCashier: Service and Sales from Remote Locations
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PocketCashier’s MobileCashier service allows employees to conduct transactions from
remote locations using their wireless-enabled phone, Palm or Handspring PDA
(Fig. 2.7 and Fig. 2.8). This capability is relatively low cost and reduces the time needed
to make a transaction. False credit-card numbers and bad checks can be recognized
immediately, and equipment is multi-purpose. Many organizations already supply their
employees with cell phones and PDAs. MobileCashier also enables in-house sales
force management. Sales can be viewed as they are generated in the field.
Fig. 2.7 Wireless transaction verification using MobileCashier. [Courtesy of
PocketWorks, Inc.]
Users must enter their username and PIN to submit a transaction request. Then the
user must select the type of payment. These include, credit-card purchases, check clearance
and recording cash sales. MobileCashier then prompts the user for the necessary
information. For example, during a credit-card transaction the credit-card number,
expiration date and the amount are entered. MobileCashier communicates with the
cardholder’s institution (electronic credit-card transactions are discussed in Chapter 5,
Wireless Payment Options) and verifies the transaction.
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65 m-Business Chapter 2
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The $1.3 trillion transportation and shipping industry is also significantly enhanced by
the implementation of wireless Internet access. [***<www.tradient.com/
about>***] Major shipping vendors, including UPS (www.ups.com®), DHL
(www.dhl.com™) and Federal Express (www.fedex.com®) have Web sites to enhance
their services. Each of the sites allows customers to track shipments and process payments.
The trucking industry uses the Web to keep trucks fully loaded and to ensure timely
delivery. Web sites, such as CargoNet (www.cargonet.com) and CargoNow.com,
match available truck capacity with the shipping needs of many companies that are willing
to split the cost of shipment [***S. Lais, “Still A World Wide Web in Trucking
Industry,” Computer World 3 April 2000: 36.***]This process, called load matching,
reduces costs as trucks filled to capacity limit the number of trucks necessary for shipping.
These capabilities can be further enhanced through the development of wireless
Internet access. The use of location-based technologies enables businesses to keep track of
their employees during working hours. For the shipping industry, this enables faster shipping
times by guiding driver’s through unfamiliar areas where they might otherwise
become lost (see Terion feature). However, this method of monitoring shipping also raises
privacy issues. Privacy is discussed in Chapter 7, Legal, Ethical and Social Issues.
Many companies attribute significant losses to shrinkage—damaged, stolen or lost
materials. If these items were marked individually with wireless transmission devices they
could easily be located, saving the cost of lost sales. In the future, wireless chips will enable
companies to track sales and inventory. This type of tracking can also inform manufacturers
of low inventory at their customers’ sites. Advertisers will one day communicate promotions
to shoppers as they browse stores or deliver consumer purchase information to the
manufacturer via wireless device. [***C. Schmidt, “Beyond the Bar Code,” Technology
Review March 2001: 82.***]
Fig. 2.8 Verifying a credit-card transaction using MobileCashier. [Courtesy of
PocketWorks, Inc.]
Terion: Wireless Applications for the Shipping Industry
Terion (www.terion.com)is an end-to-end solution provider of two-way messaging
designed to enhance the transportation industry. Dispatchers use Terion to identify
drivers and track shipments. As a solution provider, Terion installs and maintains
equipment, provides service, integrates its system with existing infrastructure and
trains employees to use the system effectively. Wireless communications provide additional
benefits. They increase safety levels, as trucks can be located easily in emergency
situations.
Terion Tfleet Software™, operating on Windows®, offers mapping and messaging
capabilities. The messaging capabilities allow drivers to communicate with one another
in a simple text format. Through mapping technology, dispatchers maintain the location
and local time of all drivers. Dispatchers can also use established landmark references,
including large cities, small cities and well-known locations to help provide
directions.
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Wireless technologies can also be built into machines, enabling factories to run without
constant supervision. Production, temperature gauges, other instruments and computer systems
can be monitored remotely using wireless devices. Fewer employees would be
required to stay on site, reducing manufacturing expenses. Security is managed through
user-specific passwords. [***R. Tieman, “WAP Phone Technology Will Aid Factory
Animation,” Financial Times 6 December 2000: XX.***]
Wireless Internet access can also be used to educate employees. Although wireless elearning
is in its initial stage, it can offer significant advantages to organizations. Elearning—
the use of the Internet and related technologies for the development, distribution
and enhancement of learning resources—has enormous potential as a new educational
medium. Undergraduates, graduate students, postgraduates, international students and professionals
can obtain a degree in a variety of disciplines. E-learning provides students and
professionals with career-advancing skills, enabling busy people to learn new technologies.
Corporations are also implementing Web-based training to keep employees up-to-date on
new products, services and protocols. Experts believe it to be the fastest growing education
industry, expecting it to double in size from 2000 to 2002 [***B. Hall, “E-Learning,”
Forbes 2 October 2000: 38.***]
The advantages of instant communications and global accessibility over the Internet
and the decreasing cost of hardware and communications has encouraged organizations to
offer e-learning capabilities [***G.M. Farrell, Ed., The Development of Virtual Education:
A Global Perspective (Vancouver: The Commonwealth of Learning, 1999)
4.***] E-learning reduces time and travel expenses and allows people to complete courses
from their homes and offices. Businesses reduce training time and expenses. This reduces
time to market, the speed at which a company begins to sell its products and services. In
some cases, such as asynchronous learning (Web-based learning not conducted in real
time, but rather at the user’s convenience), fewer classes need to be arranged as a larger
number of employees can be accommodated at one time via e-learning. Further, the cost of
updating information is reduced by using content-management tools. Businesses can
implement changes to their materials in one central location, ensuring instructional consistency.
e-Fact 2.4
In 2000, an estimated 5 million people were using wireless devices to gain access to corporate
data. This number is expected to reach 206 million by 2005. [***B. Grimes, “Wireless
E-Learning,” <www.ieng.com/warp/public/750/iq/ele/new/cut/
ele_new_cut_0002/article_prt.html>*** 2.4
Smartforce (www.smartforce.com), an e-learning company, suggests that
employees take simple text-based tutorials and complete quizzes when away from the
office. This can increase the amount of time the employee can spend completing the more
graphical and complex courses in the office. As wireless bandwidths increase, eventually
even multimedia-intensive e-learning will be made available through wireless devices.