Some 2,250 service technicians and managers at networks firm Verizon are now getting immediate access to work orders, time-reporting and network information via smart phones, following implementation of a mobility system from Dexterra.
US-based Verizon Partner Solutions is a wholesale provider of networks and services to wireless, Internet, cable and phone companies, whose field technicians use electronic systems to manage installation, maintenance and repair services.
Previously, engineers each carried 8lb laptops that had to be rebooted from job to job. Moving up to five-ounce smart phones will, says the company, bring new mobility, as well as enabling testing and project closeout – and improving productivity and job satisfaction.
Verizon says it chose Dexterrra because it needed to deploy fast, and the Dexterra Concert mobility platform meant no low-level data transport code writing. The platform’s integrated independent developer environment (IDE) tools and pre-built integration adapters also accelerated the application development process, it says.
Finally, Verizon says it also wanted to deploy the applications, configured for a small form factor, on a range of PDAs, mobile phones and smartphones, including RIM BlackBerry and Microsoft Windows Mobile devices.
“Mobilising complex field practices and then deploying them on a small form factor, like a smartphone, is not an easy thing to do,” says Dexterra CTO Suhas Uliyar, who participated in several development team meetings.
“By leveraging Dexterra’s mobility platform, development tools and expertise, Verizon was able to streamline their development efforts and quickly introduce a cost-effective smartphone application that significantly increases the mobility and productivity of their field service personnel.”
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