Enhancing Business Operations with Mobile Computing

目前，许多公司的销售代表依靠简单的笔记和实地观察。通常，这些笔记与其他销售代表和经理的同步直到一天结束，或者可能更晚才会发生。随着移动计算和高速持久网络的进步，销售代表可以向其他销售代表及其经理实时提供最新信息。此外，关键指示还可以立即传达给现场销售代表，从而通过安排稍后再次访问现场来避免代价高昂的延误。Encore Market Engagement渴望扩展从之前与Sheridan的研发计划开发的原型，为他们的销售代表创建完全实施的移动应用程序。安可对这个协作研发移动计算项目感兴趣，该项目包括：-出于商业目的最大化销售代表在车内的时间：安可的客户目前在iPad上使用数据采集/销售人员工具(Enneass)。目标是将开发的原型扩展到完全的商业实施中，以便销售代表在运输过程中将更有效率。-销售代表定制的路由算法：需要用于销售代表的灵活的、可定制的算法来生成路由时间表，并提供选项，销售代表可以通过该算法在必要时调整他们的时间表(例如，需要解决高优先级问题)。这个问题的解决方案将涉及云计算和移动计算资源。该项目为合作伙伴带来的好处包括一种技术解决方案，该解决方案将通过简化流程来提高销售人员的效率，并最终通过最大化投资回报来提高Encore的客户利润率。谢里登的好处是增加了学生对应用研究和现实世界挑战性问题的参与度。对研究学科的好处包括可以传播和转让给加拿大公司的新知识和专业知识，包括地方、省和全国的公司。

Currently, sales reps in many companies rely on simple note taking and observation in the field. Usually, thesynchronization of these notes with other sales reps and the manager does not take place until at the end of theday, or possibly later. With the advances in mobile computing and high-speed persistent networks, sales repscould provide updates in real-time to other sales reps and their managers. Furthermore, critical instructionscould also be relayed to the field sales rep immediately, thereby avoiding costly delays by scheduling anothervisit to the site at a later date.Encore Market Engagement is eager to extend the prototypes developed from a previous R&D initiative withSheridan to create a fully implemented mobile app for their sales reps. Encore is interested in this collaborativeR&D mobile computing project, comprised of:- Maximizing sales reps' in-car time for business purposes: Encore's clients currently use a dataacquisition/sales force tool (EnCompass) for the iPad. The goal is to extend the prototypes developed into fullcommercial implementations so that sales reps will be more productive while in transit.- Sales rep customized routing algorithm: A flexible, customizable algorithm for sales reps is needed togenerate routing schedules and to provide options by which sales reps can adjust their schedules if necessary(e.g., a high priority issue needs to be addressed). The solution to this problem will involve cloud computingand mobile computing resources.The benefits of this project to the partner include a technology solution that will result in increased sale forceefficiency by streamlining processes, and ultimately increasing Encore's client profit margins by maximizingtheir return on investment. The benefit to Sheridan is increased student engagement in applied research andreal-world challenging problems. The benefits to the research discipline include new knowledge and expertisethat can be disseminated and transferred to Canadian companies, locally, provincially and nationally.