November 2002

Kwik-Fit Mobile, an early adopter of field service technology, is already implementing its second-generation application, and using its hard-won experience to make sure both customers and workers benefit

The mobile tyre business is an ideal candidate for a mobile service application. A quick look at the Kwik-Fit Mobile organisation soon makes that amply clear. The company's 200 mobile fitters can change up to 2,000 tyres a day, either as emergency replacements or as part of the routine inspection and replacement service the company offers car and van fleet operators. The staff are out and about, and they need to keep constantly in touch with their base.

Kwik-Fit Mobile is the mobile service business within the larger Kwik-Fit car accessories group, which now has an annual turnover of £30 million. The original mobile business was formed as a separate operation in 1987, and became part of Kwik-Fit in 1994. The parent company in turn was bought by Ford in 1999, then was sold this August to a management buy-out team.

Each mobile fitter is linked to one of six regional control centres. Customers call the control centre to request a mobile tyre fitter, and the controllers schedule jobs to suit the convenience of the customer. Job details are sent directly to fitters, who view them on handheld computers.

 

Mobile IT systems underpin the Kwik-Fit Mobile business. The company has been using a field service application for four years, mainly for job scheduling. Now it has moved on to a second-generation application, aiming to eliminate the paper-based processes that remain, including invoicing, and to increase the number of calls attended by fitters each day.

The original field service application used Norand handhelds with bespoke applications software developed by Kwik-Fit's own internal IT department. "Four years ago, using in-house IT to develop the mobile applications seemed the sensible route to go," explains managing director Ann Shankland. " The core of our business is the mobile service offering, so we knew what our customers demanded and what was required to deliver it."

Shankland admits Kwik-Fit Mobile's experience has not been trouble-free, but believes many of the difficulties stemmed simply from the fact that it was something of a pioneer in mobile computing. "Four years ago, there was less understanding of what happened to equipment in the field. What we failed to appreciate fully ­ and I don't think we were alone in our ignorance ­ was that mobile computing poses a completely different set of IT hardware and software challenges from static solutions."

The biggest problem experienced by Kwik-Fit mobile fitters, she says, was communications reliability. "The docking units for the handhelds were not designed for constant in-vehicle use, they were modified desk cradles. So fitters had to take extra care when removing and replacing the computers to make sure they were actually connected. Even then, vibration from the vehicle often resulted in interruptions to communications and power connections."

So when it came to implementing the second-generation of field service application, priority was given to replacing the in-van hardware and software, including handheld terminals and printers. "The new system will drastically reduce the amount of time senior management is currently having to spend rectifying the problems with the existing systems, whilst delivering the benefits associated with improved productivity, efficiency and data quality," says Shankland. "This will then allow a seamless flow of information to and from our mobile workforce".

However, Kwik-Fit Mobile wanted to retain as much of its existing infrastructure as possible, including the job management system. It also wanted to ensure that, unlike the first mobile application, the replacement technology could adapt to changing business needs of the Kwik-Fit Group.

The new mobile solution it has chosen uses ControlForce's m-Go software running on Intermec 700 series in-cab handhelds and operating on the Transcomm Mobitex network that is already deployed by Kwik-Fit Mobile.

"Given that the most common damage on the old handhelds was to the screens, I am dubious whether a PDA-based handheld would have been tough enough to cope. The handhelds do get left in the back of the van and thrown about, and fitters have even been known to drive over them." As for Mobitex, she feels it is the equal of more recent and fashionable technologies. "It's an always-on solution anyway, so there was no reason to change to another network.

"All our field personnel do have a mobile telephone as well. People do sometimes need to talk to resolve problems, and in any case, I believe it helps our fitters feel part of the business. After all, why should our mobile fitters be the only ones not able to talk to their fellow workers?"

Previously fitters had till-roll style printers, but these have been replaced with A5- size printers. "Customers did not like the tiny print or the fact that the paper receipts were so small."

ControlForce has managed the application development, hardware procurement and implementation of the solution. The company was founded just three years ago, and is best-known for its software applications for handheld computers; but its management and technical team has 60 years' experience in the mobile data market.

At Kwik-Fit Mobile, the fitters use ControlForce's m-Go forms software to guide them through the job. The functionality of m-Go handles both scheduled and unscheduled work carried out by fitters, and supports both mobile handhelds and printers.

Customer and vehicle details are presented on the handheld, and the fitter then checks the tyres on the vehicle in question to assess which of them, if any, need replacing. Data is presented and keyed in on a number of screens and forms, using pick-lists and the device's touch screen and keypad. The information is sent back to the controller for authorisation before any work starts.

Once the job is completed, the fitter prints a receipt, which the customer signs to confirm that the details are correct. Jobs are usually transmitted to the handheld individually, although fitters might be sent the first two or three jobs of the day as a batch. "Again, it's a human resource thing. People like to know what they will be doing the next day."

Tyre stocks on each van are also managed through the handhelds. Fitters collect tyres potentially needed for each job and deliver unused tyres back to stock points.

Extra advantages delivered by the second-generation mobile application include the ability to undertake a range of tasks locally via the new handhelds, including invoicing, credit-card payments and the associated on-site paperwork. Kwik-Fit believes this will be a crucial factor in building the business in future.

Fitter productivity is improved because the forms created in the m-Go software reduce the risk of job information errors, especially on tyre sizes required and the registration numbers of vehicles to be inspected. Less measurable, but an important benefit in Shankland's eyes, is the enhanced perception of the mobile fitter's role in the organisation.

There are tangible benefits as well, of course. Kwik-Fit Mobile has already experienced a substantial reduction in invoice rejections from customers, and improved turnround times for generation of invoices. Job information sent to fitters is reliable, which creates a good impression with customers and reduces the need for verbal communications between fitters and control centre. The controller themselves are more efficient, so each one can manage more vans.