Mobility in Service: Increasing Interest in Devices and Applications in 2010

Organizations Experiencing Double-Digit Growth in Productivity and Profitability From the Use of Mobile Field Service Applications


BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - April 6, 2010) -  The latest research report published by the Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS) entitled Mobility in Service: The Agenda for 2010 found that service firms were increasingly looking at mobile tools and applications to drive productivity and profitability in their operations. Top-performing companies were essentially those that were able to ensure that the information available to technicians while out in the field was timely, accurate, and valid enough to allow uninterrupted service work. In turn, this ensured that technicians spent more time getting to and resolving service issues and less time on scrolling through their handwritten or onscreen notes to figure out what to do next.

"In a professional setting, mobility allows for employees to be on the 'always-on' mode, thereby being able to access work-related information without being tethered to their specific work desks or cubicles," said Sumair Dutta, senior research analyst, Aberdeen Group. "The mobile device is the new cubicle, and organizations that focus on delivering the right information on the mobile device are seeing double-digit growth rates in productivity and profitability."

Research findings in the Mobility in Service report indicate that while all firms are looking to increase the proportion of field workers equipped with a mobile device, from 69% in 2010 to 77% in 2011, leading firms focus on the mobilization of process and information as enabled with real-time integration between data captured in the field and enterprise systems. As such, these firms exhibited the following:

* A 27% increase in service profitability over the last 12 months, compared to a 5% increase for all others
* A 19% reduction in total service costs from the use of mobile solutions
* A 71% current performance in workforce utilization when compared to a 52% performance for all other organizations

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: ClickSoftware, Metrix, Psion Teklogix, and TOA Technologies. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=6339&camp2
Visit Research.Aberdeen.com for additional access to complimentary Service Management Research.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

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