Bringing the Mobile Workforce to Business: A Case Study in a Field Service Organization

The purpose of this research is to examine how businesses are using mobile computing technologies to improve their workforce efficiency, increase productivity, and to justify this investment. The study addresses questions such as: What benefits do businesses expect to justify their investment in mobile technologies? Once implemented, do mobile technologies match the expectations of the business? Are projected returns on investment positive? What are the key barriers to the m-workforce? How are these barriers being addressed? These questions are addressed through a case study in Alpha, afield service organization that implemented a mobile job dispatch application in 2002. The findings indicate that Alpha has received both monetary (e.g., reduced operating costs) and non-monetary (e.g., reduced abandoned calls) benefits. Additionally some of the drawbacks of mobilizing a workforce found in the literature (e.g., reduced contact between field staff and the organization) were verified and are being addressed.