Nokia automates AsPac field force with 9500

SINGAPORE – Nokia announced the phased rollout of a business mobility solution for its field force staff in selected markets across the Asia-Pacific region.

The first phase of the rollout includes Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, and is scheduled to be completed by end of 2005.

The next phase will cover markets such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan.

Through the XML-Java-based application developed by ELIAD for use on the Nokia 9500 Communicator, Nokia field force personnel will be able to update country and area operations on market information in real-time wirelessly over GSM, GPRS or WLAN.

"Nokia is taking the lead in business mobility through implementing solutions that aim to secure our competitiveness and lead the market in channel, distribution and retail in our industry," says Alex Lambeek, director of sales and business development of Nokia’s Customer and Market Operations, Asia-Pacific.

"This wireless field force solution is an important initiative within our total channel offering (TCO) that will deliver faster and improved market intelligence to better service our channels and customers adding value to our business ecosystem," adds Lambeek.

Over the next six months, Nokia will equip its field force staff with their mobile office, the Nokia 9500 Communicator, running the field force application.

Field force personnel will input data gathered at retail outlets into a standard form in the device. There are four options to transfer the information back to the server for data consolidation and reporting.

Users can choose to connect and transmit via cellular: GPRS, GSM data, faxform, or MMC card drop-off if GSM connectivity is not available.

"The role of our field force is to manage channel relationships and in many countries that means constantly being on the road. We were looking for a highly secure solution that is easy to manage in terms of connectivity options, data back-up, application updates, and revision controls," says John Cassidy, Nokia’s head of channel technology, customer and market operations for the Asia-Pacific.

"The solution we are implementing offers high levels of security through multi-layers from back-end to the device. The Nokia 9500 Communicator, being a secure platform device, also enables us to look at future applications such as barcode scanning and warranty capture to enhance this workforce mobility solution," he adds.

Mathia Nalappan, vice president for the Asia-Pacific of Nokia Enterprise Solutions, says, "Companies are constantly looking for business solutions to increase their business productivity and competitive edge."

"The benefits of mobility solutions go beyond the bottomline and address the evolving dynamics of the varied environments that businesses operate in. However, one key factor remains constant. Security continues to be an important decision factor when deploying solutions to mobilize the workforce," he says.