4-page Case Study - Posted 12/8/2008
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Mail Provider Deploys Mobility Solution with 40 Per Cent Lower Total Cost of Ownership
Post Denmark takes its customer service responsibilities seriously and works to strict delivery times. But, until recently, employees could not send delivery data back to the network in real time. The company wanted to improve its tracking performance and enhance operations with comprehensive data. After investigating a number of providers and devices, it chose a combination of smartphones and mobile handheld online scanners running Windows Mobile® version 5.0 software. It also selected Softwired, an innovative mobility solutions specialist based in Switzerland, to extend the Softwired solution iBus Mobile, so that Windows Mobile devices could communicate with the company’s database. Now, Post Denmark can guarantee delivery times and total cost of ownership is 40 per cent lower than it would be using the alternative solution of mobile handheld scanners only.
Situation
Post Denmark is one of Europe’s leading mail providers and was founded when King Christian IV established a network of postmen in Denmark in 1624. Today, it employs 21,000 people to deliver approximately 11 million items of mail to 5.2 million customers daily. The company wants to provide the best postal service in Europe and has already won the Danish Quality Award for consistently excellent customer service.
Each day, 15,000 employees deliver letters and packages for Post Denmark. Until recently, employees manually entered important job data such as route plans, the number of items carried, and the time taken to complete tasks, into local IT systems with offline scanners at the start of each day. This information was not uploaded to Post Denmark central systems until late in the afternoon when staff finished the day’s work. This meant it was difficult to track the movement of mail scheduled for early deliveries, coordinate shifts, or arrange work tasks.
For example, Post Denmark offers a service to customers where it guarantees that mail will be delivered before 10:00 A.M. the next day. To make this promise, Post Denmark needs to track the progress of mail and prove that packages are delivered on time. The company’s Chief Information Officer, Jens Risgaard, says: “The time gap in adding data to our central systems made it difficult to manage this guarantee.”
Risgaard started looking for a solution that could reliably convey large quantities of data in real time to the company’s network. “At the same time I wanted to improve daily operations and find a way to capture comprehensive customer and operations data from our mobile workforce.”
Solution
Risgaard realised that smartphones and mobile handheld online scanners running Windows Mobile® version 5.0 software could give its staff the mobile connectivity it needed. Post Denmark considered providing mobile handheld scanners for all employees, but found that smartphones offered better price performance and mobility mail delivery tasks. Risgaard evaluated technology from a number of vendors before deciding to deploy a mobility solution based on Windows Mobile 5.0 and the Microsoft .NET Framework version 2.0. “Many smartphones and scanners come with proprietary software from the manufacturer, but we didn’t want to alter our systems every time we changed our hardware. It made sense to choose a flexible, integrated, Windows environment,” he says.
Risgaard selected HTC S310 smartphones for the 15,000 Post Denmark mail delivery employees and Symbol MC7094 scanners for its 1,000 parcel distributors. Risgaard chose these models for their portability and the variety and depth of data they could transmit. His team needed to integrate the Windows Mobile environment with the company’s existing Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) servers. At this point he turned to Softwired, a specialist software message oriented middleware development firm.
Softwired extended its patented mobile solution to support Microsoft.NET Compact Framework devices for Post Denmark, released as iBus Mobile 6.0, which is a unifying mobile technology—translating data between Windows® applications on the mobile devices and the Java server environments. Henry Wild, Chief Executive Officer, Softwired, says: “We worked closely with Post Denmark. It developed its applications at the same time as we worked on releasing iBus Mobile 6.0, so we sent early versions over for POST Denmark to test—it was a real partnership.”
With the new solution, employees log on to the company’s systems at the start of their routes with a smartphone or mobile handheld scanner. This information is relayed to another IT system at Post Denmark, which indicates the tasks for the day and the route needed. Throughout the day workers can register when each activity starts and finishes, record lunch breaks, and add and delete tasks as required. For example, a postal employee might be called to work in the distribution centre at the last minute. This can be registered on the smartphone and the information is sent to Post Denmark headquarters for reference, planning, and payroll purposes.
Benefits
Mobile employees now work more productively, while Post Denmark has the data it needs to improve its operations and deliver exceptional customer service. Risgaard says: “We’re very happy with the combined Windows Mobile 5.0 and iBus Mobile 6.0 solutions—and it costs significantly less than the alternative solution of mobile handheld scanners only.”
Employees Work More Productively
With the solution, employees are very productive and responsive. Risgaard says: “Employees can turn to their mobile devices for product information rather than waiting to look up details in printed manuals. Plus, information on temporary changes of address or a receiver signature requirement can be sent to employees while they’re travelling, so they don’t lose time delivering mail to the wrong address.” Also, the HTC S310 has a built-in camera so staff can collect photo documentation of anything that makes delivery impossible, such as heavy snow or aggressive dogs. Crucially, both the HTC S310 smartphones and the Symbol MC7094 scanners have global positioning satellite capabilities so that the location of mail is always available at the company’s headquarters. This ensures the company can offer a better quality of service to its customers.
Total Cost of Ownership 40 Per Cent Lower Than Alternative Solution
Risgaard chose the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system for its versatility. Because Post Denmark is not locked into proprietary software it’s free to change its smartphones and scanners when it needs, and is not locked into a particular manufacturer’s product life cycle. Risgaard chose the HTC and Symbol units for their competitive price and reliability. And, as a result, the total cost of ownership for the solution is 40 per cent less than it would be for a system based solely on mobile handheld scanners.
Comprehensive Data Enhances Business Operations
The quality of data that Post Denmark now collects is put to good use by Risgaard and his team. All the information collected by employees is entered into a central database and used to improve business processes, such as resourcing. For example, the hardware records the working hours of all staff, which helps senior management to see which areas of the business are over stretched or under-utilised and make changes accordingly.
With greater visibility of resources and processes, Post Denmark can refine its methods and reduce overall operational costs. Risgaard says: “With the devices running on Windows Mobile 5.0, we have a much better understanding of how our employees work. We’ve used the data gathered to design more efficient routes and deliver mail faster.”
Customers Receive Excellent Service Delivery
With such sophisticated tracking in place and a wealth of data continuously sent from mobile staff to its headquarters, Post Denmark can offer a service guaranteeing delivery before 10:00 A.M. the following day. If a customer’s mail doesn’t arrive on time, he or she just has to call an operator who can easily track which employee was registered to deliver the package and the progress of the package in real time. Risgaard says: “Now, if the delivery has been delayed, the customer claims department will be notified instantly and can offer an explanation to the customer.”
Collaborative Partnership Speeds Solution Deployment
The collaborative development environment that Softwired and Post Denmark fostered led to an early deployment of the solution. Because Softwired delivered the crucial mobile middleware early, it was possible for Post Denmark to deploy the new hardware among its 15,000 mobile staff one month early. Since deployment, Post Denmark has made no major support calls to Softwired about iBus Mobile 6.0.
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile® brings the power of the Windows® operating system to mobile devices, helping businesses and their mobile employees stay connected while on the go. Windows Mobile runs mobile versions of Microsoft programs, including Microsoft Office Outlook® Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile, Pocket MSN®, Windows Media® Player Mobile, and Microsoft Office Word Mobile, PowerPoint® Mobile, and Excel® Mobile. With Windows Mobile, information workers get powerful software combined with the familiarity of Windows. Combined with available service plans and connectivity options, Windows Mobile–based devices, available from 42 device makers and 68 mobile operators in 48 countries, can be used to make calls, send e-mail and instant messages, surf the Web, and access critical business information even when users are away from the office.
For More Information
For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/
For more information about Softwired AG products and services, call (+41) 43 466 0787 or visit the Web site at: http://www.softwired-inc.com/
For more information about Post Denmark products and services, call (+45) 33 61 00 00 or visit the Web site at: http://www.postdanmark.dk/
All rights reserved. This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
