When field techs have to rely on phones to get their assignments and manage their workload, all sorts of problems and inconviences can stand in the way of efficiency. IT pro Jeff Dray shares his experiences with a better solution: a GRPS-enabled PDA that receives automated field assignments from a job-logging server.

Field engineers are a bit of an anomaly when it comes to managing their time. They're mostly out of sight and manage their own workload. You hear about them only when a customer complains or praises them. If they simply get on with the job, it's a case of "No news is good news." So how do you track their time? Do you ask them to report in from every call? Do you employ a fulltime office worker to track them and spend a small fortune on cell phone calls? Do you fax them a list of calls at the beginning of each day?

All these methods have been used in the past, but mobile data is beginning to come of age, bringing with it some solutions to the management of field engineers and their workloads. With the use of PDA phones, you can speak to your field techs and transmit details of jobs over the air. You no longer need to wait for them to answer the phone, which may involve their being in a cell reception area, a place where phones are permitted, or completing a job or journey.

I've been working for the past six months using second-generation mobile technology -- a GRPS-enabled PDA that receives automated field assignments from our job-logging server. Overall, I'd have to say this is a big step forward; no more missed phone calls or struggling to take in complex information while negotiating heavy traffic. Here are some of the issues I've encountered in the transition to mobile data technology.

Keeping it safe
In Britain, it's an offence to drive while using a handheld mobile phone, and it can be tricky to take calls sometimes. Even with hands-free equipment, phone calls can distract a driver. Evidence the lady who was driving at speed on the M6 motorway in Staffordshire when she took a call via her Bluetooth headset. The news was that her mother had just passed away; the shock could have caused a serious accident.

The beauty of an over-the-air (OTA) data system is that calls can be assigned to a worker and collected at his or her convenience. From personal experience, I know this can be a benefit. I was recently driving in the centre of Birmingham, Britain's second largest city, trying to find my way through convoluted and poorly marked streets when I was called and asked questions about a piece of software we sell. I found it distracting to try to remember all the screen layouts and attempt to cross several lanes of unyielding traffic, so I advised the person to call our technical support team at the head office. Sometimes, I find it necessary to turn off the phone so I can concentrate. Being able to choose the time I review my workload is a great help.

Restricted places
Along with my voicemail, an OTA data system also helps ensures that I can receive assignments even when I happen to be in a situation where I don't have access to my phone. In the course of my work, I visit all kinds of places, court buildings, hospitals, prisons, secure R&D facilities, the list is endless. Many of these places require me to check my phone in at the gate, especially if the phone also contains a camera, something that is standard on all but the most basic models these days. At these times, I am more than happy to let voicemail take over. When I recently completed a job at Dorchester prison in Dorset, I was so long in the car park responding to all the messages, a guard approached me to ask why I was loitering!

Disadvantages
Automatically assigned jobs can sometimes lead to problems where it would be beneficial to have a real person to talk to. Like any computerised system, automatic job assignment lacks that one basic element we all take for granted, intelligence. If a call can't be assigned to the first choice engineer, the system looks down the list until it finds an available body. This can lead to silly job assignments, like the time one of my colleagues was sent a job in Harrogate in Yorkshire, nearly 300 miles from his home patch. It can also lead to one engineer being swamped with calls, while the engineer on the neighboring area is sitting in the local McDonalds twiddling his thumbs. In these situations, you have to build in flexibility so that calls can reassigned quickly and without fuss. It's important to encourage good communications between team members. Often, automation is used to replace plain speech communication, which is a great mistake.

The equipment
Most cell phone manufacturers now offer a combined PDA cell phone. The choice of operating system is one to take seriously. It's a poor idea to simply pick a handset that's offered by a dealer who has stock to clear. Also check whether your chosen network provider has good coverage of the area in which you operate. It's useless to roll out a system your engineers can't use for substantial parts of their working day due to dead reception spots. General packet radio service (GPRS) is a must, both from the cost angle and data transfer speeds. You won't be sending large amounts of data to the handheld, but it's still very slow and expensive to rely on dialup.

Third-generation mobile technology is even better. With transfer rates of 468 kbps available in the UK, imaging becomes a practical option, although coverage still needs to be improved, especially in coastal and rural areas. Most of all, a PDA is usually a tradeoff between usability and portability. If the screen is large enough to display all the required information, the handset will probably be too bulky to carry easily. The one I have is not of the first quality; the screen is as large as can be accommodated on the device, yet sometimes I need to change my glasses to read the fine detail. The application used by my company has some shortfalls, too, not least of which is the lack of any option to resize the text on screen. Overall though, having my work arrive onscreen rather than via a phone call is an improvement. When the office used to call me with a problem, it was usually when I couldn't write anything down, halfway through a 60-mile motorway journey or while struggling along a city street with both hands full of toolboxes and spare parts.

Rollout and support
If you expect to roll out a mobile data solution overnight, think again. The rollout can be a slow and painful process, leading to some frayed tempers. Again, it's vitally important to maintain top quality communication and support. No matter how many eventualities you plan for, there will be unforeseen problems, while some things you thought would be problematic will go smoothly.

Support after the rollout is vital. It's no longer a simple matter of taking a phone call and writing down information. There are now procedures to follow that are essential to the success of operations. Many companies make a huge mistake by neglecting to train new members of the team, relying on colleagues to show them the ropes. This is fine, but bad habits can be passed on in this way. It's far better to make sure that part of any induction includes a briefing in the use of the equipment.

The technology
Mobile data technology has come on in leaps and bounds in the last few years. Eight years ago, there was only one option for a data connection, GSM dialup at 9600 bps. You attached your GSM mobile phone to the serial port of a laptop or a PCMCIA modem card and dialed in, collected data, and rang off as quickly as possible, as the charges were phenomenal.

Next came HSCSD, high speed circuit switched data, a method by which you could bundle two or more carriers to increase the data rate, similar to dialup ISDN. This could achieve speeds of 19200 bps. It still had the disadvantage of being a dialup service, charged by the minute, but it was at least a little faster.

Then came the big breakthrough, GPRS. This offers rates of usually 28.8 kbps, although it can be faster, in theory. The big advantage is that it's connectionless, so the carrier can stay connected and you pay only for the amount of data transferred. This makes it possible to use a PDA or a GPRS-equipped laptop to send out job assignments in real time.

Third-generation mobile is deploying in the UK at the moment. Networks such as Three and Vodafone have offerings, providing us with the mobile equivalent of broadband, with Three claiming data rates of 473 kbps.

The applications
So what applications are available for use on these mobile devices? Mostly, they are custom tracking packages, but there are also off-the-shelf systems, like Seibel and Antenna, which are user configurable. Whether you're delivering flowers, repairing laundry machines, or taking parcels, there's something for you. The most important thing is to flowchart all your work processes and clearly define your working procedures so that you allow for every eventuality. When you change from a direct contact solution to an automated one, you take human intelligence -- and plain old common sense -- out of the equation, so it's critical that your system can handle all contingencies.

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