Archive for February, 2009

USI Services is a pioneer in providing market-leading automated solutions for the utility industry. The company was founded by a management team with over 150 years of utility industry experience.

Water, Gas and Electric utilities upgrade their meters every 15+ years to replace existing infrastructure or implement new capabilities such as wireless automated meter reading (AMR). These upgrades often involve upgrading 5,000-50,000 meters and AMR units per project.

Meter and AMR installation projects require appointment setting, work order dispatch, removal of existing meters and recording all new meter and AMR information at each home.

USIServices uses USIConnect, a web-based solution, to manage projects from multiple locations. USIConnect allows project managers, utility managers and customer care to access the same installation and project information. Home owners can log on to USIConnect to schedule, cancel or reschedule installation appointments.

Web service dispatch scheduling – USIConnect

The traditional means of installation was for installers to take digital pictures of the old and new meters. Installers would then record the picture numbers, address, meter and AMR information on paper. At the end of the day the information would be entered into USIConnect’s web-based service management system from multiple field locations.

According to Tom Otto, Vice President of Sales at USI Services, “I knew we had to automate our proof of delivery and service installation. The manual processes and paper work order systems were time consuming and prone to error. I knew there had to be a solution that integrated our paperwork, GPS, pictures and our web-based scheduling system. We contacted Nick D’Uva at Compsee due to Compsee’s reputation as a Mobile Systems Integrator. Compsee helped bring the concept to reality by recommending the appropriate hardware mix and by introducing me to BizSpeed, a software company specialized in proof of delivery mobility solutions.”

BizSpeed worked with USI Services to automate the technicians work order system by integrating the goRoam mobile delivery software with USI Services’ service management solution. Through USI Services, work can be assigned to installers or to crews with the service delivery tickets wirelessly sent to the goRoam mobile software.

Crews now have all work order information on Motorola MC70 ruggedized handheld devices. The old meters and new meters are individually confirmed with integrated barcode scanning and pictures of each meter. Pictures are taken with the MC70 imager and attached to the individual work order. The installers no longer have to write down picture numbers, meter numbers, readings, etc. In addition to the integrated imager and barcode scanner, installers now use an integrated TLS GPS device to record the GPS coordinates directly on the ticket. (Note: Motorola MC75 devices now include built-in GPS.)

As soon as a work order is complete, the goRoam software uses the AT&T data network to upload the information, pictures and GPS to the USI Services server. USI Services allows municipalities to logon via the web to monitor project status as well as getting new meter data within seconds of installations.

Mobile utility screenshots

According to Jim Coughlan, Vice President of Operation at USI Services, benefits of the goRoam mobile software and USI Services dispatch system include:

• Seamless integration with the USIConnect web scheduling solution
• Ability to re-assign tickets on the fly and have all ticket information transferred wirelessly to the new installer or crew
• Paperless work orders – no re-keying of data
• Accurate data – meter barcodes are scanned versus hand written, pictures can only be attached to the current work order and the GPS coordinates are captured directly in the ticket so there are no transcription errors.
• GPS integrated confirmation of delivery
• Faster and minimal data entry – installers use a touchscreen, barcode scanner and number pad
• Eliminated re-keying of paperwork – we get paid to deliver, not to re-key data
• Eliminating lost and late paperwork – work orders are wirelessly updated as soon as the status is changed and sent to a secure central server
• Flexible dispatch – since tickets can be assigned and sent wirelessly, installers don’t have to wait on paperwork or phone calls
• Faster billing – no waiting on paperwork or re-keyed data
• Better forecasting and management – work orders are time stamped and tracked electronically so management has the tools to accurately track and manage jobs. This in turn has helped estimate new projects.
• More business – our automated mobile solution is a competitive advantage that has helped win new business
• Customer confidence – the automation in the field has given municipalities improved confidence

USI Services web scheduling and goRoam based mobile solution are available for use as a hosted solution or on-site installation.  For more information, contact:

USI Services: Tony Anderson at tanderson @ blutrend.com

BizSpeed: Doug Hollowell at dhollowell @ bizspeed.com

In a much anticipated announcement, Microsoft announced and released further details of Windows Mobile 6.5.  In general, the user interface continues to advance and initial experiences have been favorable.  It doesn’t appear to have multi-touch support like the iPhone.

Two new services are also coming with the release.

• My Phone – to support sync’ing from the phone to a cloud based storage service. This is generally a competitive announcement to counter Apple’s MobileMe.  For enterprise users – especially those who use BizSpeed’s goRoam mobile applications – the cloud based storage is not as important. goRoam keeps all data stored on the server for Line of Business apps.
• Windows Marketplace for Mobile – again, like Apple’s iTunes AppStore, the Windows Marketplace will be site where users can download direct to device software.  In our experience, most iPhone types apps are still decidedly consumer oriented. There are a lot of games, social networking (ex. Twitter, Facebook) and such. The business related apps like the SalesForce.com and Oracle CRM mobile client get much less press, usage and attention.

Probably one of the biggest benefits of the official announcement is the fact that we are seeing more handset momentum around Windows Mobile. So much attention has been paid to the iPhone, Blackberry and Google Android that WM devices have been pushed to the backburner. The reality for rugged equipment (Motorola and Intermec) is that all their devices run WM or CE.NET.  This is expected to continue for a few reasons – including the fact that when enterprises purchase computers, they expect support for an extended period of time, whether it is a laptop, desktop or mobile device.

To get a better sense of the new features and see screenshots and videos of the new interface, check out the following:

• Microsoft official announcement – Microsoft Reveals New Windows® Phones With Marketplace and My Phone Services
• Boy Genius Report – Microsoft announces Windows Mobile 6.5, My Phone, Recite and a Marketplace
• GizModo – Windows Mobile 6.5 Hands On: The New Interface Rocks

The BizSpeed website now has a dedicated section on integrating barcode and RFID data collection into wholesale nursery management systems. We outline how RFID is integrated into Knox Nursery’s Grower’s Own system (GO) and how we can implement RFID modules in existing ERP/nursery management systems.

RFID is integral to nursery management at Grower’s Own because tracking production and inventory with barcodes is difficult – barcodes get covered with dirt, water and leaves, barcodes can be too far away to provide a clean line of site and alignment of barcodes is required on conveyors for shipping.

We are particularly excited to announce that we will be releasing a portable RFID inventory locator. This is a rolling cart with a battery to power a fixed Motorola XR400 RFID reader, a boom mounted Motorola antenna and a touch screen computer to see/record inventory location. The system will allow growers to roll the cart down an isle and have the reader capture all RFID tags (on trays) and their location. The output can be sent back to any inventory system so customers will know exactly where inventory is located.

Inventory location tracking is particularly difficult in a greenhouse because growing trays get moved during production and young plants look alike – so pickers have a very difficult and manual effort to find and confirm pick ticket items.

The complete GO system includes:

Core modules:

• Sales Order Entry
• Production, Seed, & Materials Planning
• Production Management
• Purchasing
• Inventory
• Shipping

Task sub-modules:

• GO Weigh Seed Management (Scale Based Inventory)
• GO SeedSow Production Line Interface (Controls production line)
• GO Label Print & Apply Labeling & RFID Encoding (Production Labels & RFID Encoding)
• GO Ship Packing Station, Featuring real-time FedEx Label Printing  (Validates shipment using RFID and prints FedEx label)
• GO Mass Data Collect Portal (Allows scanning of full beds in seconds)

The GO Mobile Computer modules are (Using Symbol/Motorola devices such as MC9090 RFID) :

• Mobile Disposals (Dump, Used Rework, Used for Transplant, and Resow)
• Mobile Growing Starts
• Mobile Container Revivals
• Mobile Verification

Coming soon:

• Trading Partner Business to Business data exchange via XML documents.  PO’s, Advanced Shipment Notification (ASN), Inventory Availability.
• Inventory Location Tracking via RFID — Know where your inventory is located for picking purposes.  To be developed as a stand-alone application with an interface module to most other existing inventory systems.

Alpharetta, GA, Feb 2, 2009 – BizSpeed, a provider of enterprise mobility software, has released an upgrade of the goRoam pickup and delivery software with integrated GPS tracking and on-board map / voice navigation.

goRoam provides wireless dispatch, barcode, RFID scanning, electronic signature capture and mobile printing. GPS timestamps have been an integrated part of the goRoam software for 2 years, allowing customers to record pickups and deliveries with GPS coordinates.

“Although the market for AVL and GPS tracking point solutions is mature, existing solutions are not integrated with Proof of Delivery software. This has required companies to purchase two systems, one for AVL tracking and one for Proof of Delivery. By delivering an integrated solution, our customers can track vehicles as well as use GPS navigation on the same device using a single cellular data plan,” said Chris Henry, President of BizSpeed. “With goRoam, when orders are pushed to mobile devices, drivers can navigate directly to the address with turn-by-turn, map directions or voice navigation. Additionally, dispatchers have full GPS tracking with breadcrumb trails, speeding reports and geo-fencing,” added Henry.

goRoam is integrated with a number of route optimization and order entry systems such as RedPrairie’s FleetCtl, Profit21 and many other packaged and custom applications. Orders originating out of those systems or the goRoam schedule and dispatch module can be wirelessly sent to drivers with turn-by-turn directions that comply with commercial vehicle restrictions. This results in more timely, accurate deliveries, at optimal cost, allowing verification of delivery by Signature, Scan and GPS. It also provides increased flexibility of fleet drivers to handle unfamiliar routes or accommodate temporary drivers.

About BizSpeed

BizSpeed, Inc is an enterprise mobility software and services company based in Alpharetta, GA. Founded in 2000, BizSpeed’s goRoam mobile solution provides Proof of Delivery for Pickup and Delivery, Route Accounting, Field Service and Inspection customers. For additional information, visit BizSpeed at http://www.bizspeed.com or call (866) 270-0541.

Press contact:

Doug Hollowell,

Ph. 678-287-3313; E-mail: dhollowell @ bizspeed.com