Benefiting From Remote Data Collection

Not all employees can be chained to a PC and expected to efficiently gather and enter data. Sales force automation (SFA) allows mobile workers to enter data and send it to a host computer in real time or through batch applications. VAR Taylored Technologies Corp. (Eden Prairie, MN) helps these remote workers by capturing data on the move. According to Dave Ulrich, company president, Taylored Technologies provides the necessary pieces for an effective solution - portable terminal hardware, software, and accessories - to collect data in the field and get it back to a host computer.

"I'm sure there are other companies doing what we do," says Ulrich, "but we don't run into them very often. I think a lot of other VARs in automatic identification and data collection (AIDC) add more traditional types of value, such as bar code label printer integration or back end applications. We concentrate on data collection and delivery."

Taylored Technologies operates with an average of six employees, but it can jump to seven or eight depending on projects. The company's customer list includes well-known companies such as Kraft Foods, Sam Goody, GTE, and Dayton Hudson/Target. Some leads come from manufacturers, but Ulrich says most come from word of mouth.

"Our customers are typically medium-sized organizations with about 25 to 250 remote users," he explains. "We have installations at organizations with as few as five users and as many as 2,000 users. Most of our customers are engaged in order entry. We are not vertical-market specific. We are application specific."

Out In The Field
For some customers, Taylored Technologies provides complete front end to back-end systems. This may include data collection terminals, portable printers, portable modems, and various customized accessories and supplies. The company also provides portable data terminal software applications and the back-end host application to communicate with scanners in the field.

SFA provides mobile workers with as many data collection tools as possible to do their jobs. To do this, Taylored Technologies must pay careful attention to its customers needs. "We recognize that designing good data collection systems is a collaborative effort," Ulrich explains. "We must understand our customers' requirements and operational procedures. At the same time, we need to expose our customers to various technologies and educate them as to which products will best meet their current and future needs."

The first step to providing a solution, says Ulrich, is to get a good understanding of what the end user wants to accomplish. The second step is to stay abreast of current and leading edge products. The third step is to use Taylored Technologies' experience and its software development tools to provide solutions as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

"We have a good installation with a parts manufacturer that currently has about 500 outside sales representatives," Ulrich details. "The reps collect orders at customer sites with Denso ID Systems bar code terminals. Then they transmit those orders to the corporate headquarters each evening by connecting the handhelds to a modem. We provide and support the terminals, the terminal application software, and the remote modems. This customer also uses our DataPort Com software, which receives data from the reps through a multi-port modem pool and moves the data to a corporate AS/400." Most of Taylored Technologies' customers store data on mainframe computers.

Making Smart Data Collection Choices
While Ulrich embraces new technologies, he's quick to point out that the newest technology on the block isn't necessarily the safest choice. "I wouldn't say we aggressively pursue bleeding-edge technologies," he says. "But, we do bring in a lot of products to discern how well they function and how easy they are to use. We never know what a customer might require. The better our understanding of the available technology and products, the better we are at providing quality solutions."

When you are responsible for rolling out anywhere from 20 to 1,800 portable data terminals, they had better work. "We really haven't had any failed installations," says Ulrich. "But, I have been associated with a couple of projects that could have benefited from a few more weeks of testing. Insufficient testing typically makes everyone involved look bad. There's so much activity in the development of high-tech, leading-edge products. Sometimes, especially in the data collection market, the best solution is one that is a little lower tech. But, it's truly gratifying to realize that hundreds or thousands of people are using our software every day and that we are making their work a little easier."

One More Technology Benefiting From The Information Super-Highway
Ulrich sees the combination of wireless technologies and the Internet as the next biggest movement for data collection. "Data collection is not exactly glamorous," he admits, "and new technologies typically make their way slowly into our market. However, wireless data will eventually be as ubiquitous as wireless voice capability is today."

Ulrich cites four reasons why wireless Internet connectivity will take off:

• Companies such as Aironet, Lucent Technologies, and Symbol Technologies all have strong 11 Mbs wireless local area network (WLAN) products.
• Now that Cisco has acquired Aironet and Intel has teamed up with Symbol, there are three major players (Cisco, Intel, and Lucent Technologies) aggressively promoting the technologies.
• There are a number of consumer-targeted products by companies such as Proxim, Intel, and 3COM that will help to increase the comfort level associated with wireless computer technologies.
• Cellular smart phones, which provide varying levels of Internet access, are the hottest trend in cellular.

Ulrich sees good things for Taylored Technologies as Internet use increases. "The Internet makes data movement easier and more standardized," he explains. "It will allow us to provide better solutions, sometimes using existing corporate infrastructures, which can be extremely cost efficient." When business becomes more cost efficient, that savings can be passed down to the customer, making everyone happy.

Questions about this article? E-mail the author at NancyS@corrypub.com.