On the face of it this technology offers so much – speaker after speaker at Service Management Europe extolled the virtues of bringing the engineer onto the network.  Real business benefits were being gained around the concept of managers having real time information giving them high visibility of the operation - anything from the position and status of engineers and other resources such as parts to offering immediate customer invoicing.  The efficiency and service level improvements being quoted were very impressive. 

Achieved at massive cost then?  No, not necessarily.  Most players reported that the hard cash investment was quickly recouped by replacing the need for expensive mobile phones and their high running costs – everything else was icing on the cake. 

So why doesn’t everyone do it – why have so few as 19% actually done anything about it?  For all the fuss we make about business cases and proven return on investments, when it comes to projects, are these activities not often used as an excuse for not embracing the technology because, deep in our hearts, we don’t like the way technology is changing our lives.  Or is it fear that we might make a mess of it and damage our career?  

But it is inevitable.  Just like the hardwired computer has extended the network’s reach through offices and into homes so wireless technologies will allow it to follow us outside – there is no escape.  We can regret that development, sure, but we will have to accept it just as we have to accept that being in business carries risk.   Mobile data may not be right for everyone but it is a gift horse that needs looking into.

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