BRACKNELL, UK. 11 MAY 2017 To deliver on its vision of world class customer service with industry leading service and repairs, Hoover is upgrading its field service application and replacing the mobile devices its engineers use with Panasonic Toughpad tablets.
Hoover decided to upgrade its existing FieldAssist service management application to the latest Windows 10 version and develop its own bespoke modifications to meet its needs. The upgrade also provided Hoover with the opportunity to re-examine its choice of mobile device for the engineers.
A rugged tablet solution
"The new functionality of the FieldAssist application allowed us to look at a smaller, and lighter touchscreen tablet device for the engineers, rather than a notebook. The point, click and menu-based options of the application meant a tablet solution would be ideal," said David Hunt, Business Support Manager, at Hoover Ltd.
The Hoover team reviewed a wide range of devices and spoke to business customers that had deployed a wide variety of tablet solutions. "When we did the total cost of ownership calculation, it was clear that the Panasonic Toughpad tablet was the right choice," said David.
Deploying to 180 engineers
Hoover is deploying the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 Value tablet with bar code reader and Near Field Communication (NFC) capability to its 180 field engineers. The engineers use the device to schedule their appointments for the day. The FieldAssist application with the Panasonic device can use the customer's address with the satellite navigation system to schedule the quickest route to the appointment. The engineer completes their job sheet using the device, can use the camera to photograph and digitally attach images to the report and order parts as required.
In addition, the device is used by the engineers for email internet access, including access to Hoover's online engineering knowledge and diagnostic database.
The information and reports are shared in real-time with the office-based systems using 3G/4G or Wi-Fi connections.
To ensure the Panasonic devices are future-proof, the NFC functionality will allow engineers to read chips in future Hoover products for faster diagnostics and repairs.
Fitting into a cushioned central pocket in the engineers' tool bag, the Panasonic devices have been generally well received by the team. "The devices are lighter and easier to use once the engineers become used to them," said David. "Initially there was concern that the screens would be too small to see diagrams, for example, but this fear was quickly overcome when the engineers saw the clarity of the screen and the ability to zoom in using the touchscreen. The always on tablet is also an advantage over the old notebooks. It is faster for the engineers to use and more efficient and professional when using with customers, asking for a signature on the device, for example."
The ideal field tablet
The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 Value tablet is ideal for industry sectors using field applications and looking to replace their ageing business PDA's or notebooks.
Full Case Study
For the full case study visit: http://business.panasonic.co.uk/computer-product/solutions-data-case-studies/utilities/toughbook
Press contact:
Michael Bartley
The Amber Group
michael@ambergroup.net
+44 (0)118 949 7750
About Panasonic System Communications Company Europe (PSCEU)
PSCEU is the European branch of Panasonic Systems Communications Company, the global B2B division of Panasonic. PSCEU’s goal is to improve the working lives of business professionals and help their organisations’ efficiency and performance. We help organisations capture, compute and communicate all sorts of information: image, voice, and textual data. Products include PBX telephone switches, document printers, professional cameras, projectors, large visual displays, rugged mobile PCs and fire alarms solutions. With around 400 staff, engineering design expertise, global project management capability and a large European partner network, PSCEU offers unrivalled capability in its markets.
PSCEU is made up of four product categories:
- Communication Solutions, including professional scanners, multifunctional printers, telephony systems and SIP terminal devices.
- Visual System Solutions, including projectors and professional displays. Panasonic offers the widest range of Visual products, and leads the European projector market with 28% revenue share (Futuresource B2B market tracking, Q1/2014).
- Professional Camera Solutions, including Broadcast & ProAV products, security, fire alarm systems and industrial medical vision (IMV) technology. Panasonic is one of the top two professional camera vendors in Europe.
- Computer Product Solutions helps mobile workers improve productivity with its range of Toughbook rugged notebooks, Toughpad business tablets and electronic point of sales (EPOS) systems. As European market leaders, Panasonic Toughbook had a 66% revenue share of sales of rugged and durable notebooks and Panasonic Toughpad held a 59% revenue share of sales of rugged business tablets in 2015 (VDC Research, March 2016).
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