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Computerworld - SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Maytag spent about $6 million to install a mobile computing system for its 830 field service workers, said CIO Ernie Park. But, he added, it expects to gain $13 million annually in revenue because the appliance repair technicians can work more efficiently and bring in more business.
Maytag's TechConnect application runs on handhelds from Intermec Technologies Corp. in Everett, Wash., and provides repair workers with directions and updates on service calls. Park said it can also track trucks via the Global Positioning System. Since the rollout was completed last October, the average number of service calls completed daily by individual workers has increased from 5.8 to 6.4, he said.

Rod Ghani of Safelite Auto Glass Image Credit: Dean Stevenson

A new compensation system was introduced along with the technology: Maytag now pays field-service workers more if they reach a certain level of productivity and less if they fall below one. Even so, it took until April for workers to fully accept the system, Park said. "The technicians originally saw it as a threat," he noted.
Safelite Auto Glass in Wichita, Kan., rolled out a mobile application for 200 of its safety glass installers in 2003 at a cost of $100,000, using Nextel phones. By month's end, Safelite plans to expand the system to 2,000 workers, who will be equipped with BlackBerry handhelds. Rod Ghani, assistant vice president of business development at Safelite, said the initial deployment has yielded millions of dollars in new revenue because installers can get more real-time information about available jobs.

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