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现场观察。通常情况下，这些笔记与其他销售代表和经理不会发生，直到一天结束，或可能更晚。随着移动的计算和高速持久网络的发展，销售代表可以向其他销售代表及其经理提供实时更新。此外，关键的预防措施也可以立即传达给现场销售代表，从而避免在稍后的日期安排另一次现场访问而造成的代价高昂的延误。Encore Market Engagement渴望扩展以前与Sheridan一起开发的原型，为他们的销售代表创建一个完全实现的移动的应用程序。Encore对这个协作研发移动的计算项目感兴趣，该项目包括：- 最大限度地利用销售代表的车内时间开展业务：Encore的客户目前使用iPad的数据采集/销售工具（EnCompass）。我们的目标是将开发的原型扩展到完全商业化的实施，以便销售代表在运输过程中更有效率。销售代表自定义路由算法：需要一个灵活的、可自定义的算法来生成路由计划，并提供销售代表可以根据需要调整其计划的选项（例如，需要解决一个高度优先的问题）。这个问题的解决方案将涉及云计算和移动的计算资源。这个项目给合作伙伴带来的好处包括一个技术解决方案，它将通过简化流程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。对谢里丹的好处是增加了学生参与应用研究和现实世界的挑战性问题。对研究学科的好处包括新的知识和专业知识，可以传播和转移到加拿大公司，地方，省和国家。

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.