Keep Wireless Simple

Being affiliated with the BlackBerry SI (Systems Integrator) Alliance Program was one of the key components to systems integrator AR Consulting's recent wireless field force automation installation win. Offering a converged wireless solution that required minimal changes to the client's legacy application was the other key.

TPC Associates, Inc. is a full-service company specializing in IP (Internet Protocol)-based telephone solutions and fire and smoke detection solutions. Most of the company's technicians spend the majority of their time in the field. To communicate activities such as work orders and billable hours, the company used cell phones and paper forms. "Forms were often illegible and required office workers to track down technicians for clarification," says Aric Rosenbaum, president of AR Consulting. "Also, field workers often forgot to include repair parts when writing up customer bills, which caused a noticeable drain on company profits."

Customers Demand Flexible Wireless Solutions
AR Consulting recommended a converged BlackBerry solution. The solution included 40 Nextel 7510 BlackBerry devices (for field technicians) and Cingular 7290 BlackBerry devices (for executives), and 10 IPC mobile printers. It also included a BlackBerry Enterprise Server and AR Consulting's WEM (Wireless Extension for Mobile) middleware. "The WEM was the clincher for getting the contract," says Rosenbaum. "The middleware features an architecture that allows the BlackBerry devices to wirelessly interface with AS/400, Oracle, or SQL platforms using XML [extensible markup language] or CSV [comma separated value] files." The middleware uses Microsoft Windows services to communicate with legacy host systems, update data fields, and place data in a BlackBerry Enterprise Server queue, which is then pushed to mobile workers.

The installation took two months to complete and was rolled out in two phases. Phase one entailed giving field workers devices and allowing them time to use the devices' phone, e-mail, calendar, and personal scheduling features.

Concurrent with phase one, AR Consulting developed a customized application that included the client's workflow and business rules. One of the rules prohibits workers from accepting jobs out of order. Another rule requires a field foreman to sign off on a work order before it can be printed and given to a customer. "Phase two required only about 20 minutes of classroom instruction," says Rosenbaum. The wireless solution eliminated TPC's billable hour disputes, and the VAR predicts the client will realize a complete payback on its investment within six months.