as an independent consultancy to interview all our pilot participants and provide an objective view of the outcome. What results is an unprecedented insight in to our pilot programme - offering detailed and honest coverage for our customers to read and learn from.
The scope of our pilot programme
The pilot focused primarily on mobile email and calendaring, although some other useful 'executive' applications were included for designated users. We trialed SmartPhones and PDAs, running Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 2nd edition, supported on a Microsoft Exchange 2003 platform.
Both the users and IT support staff were asked to keep a daily diary of their device usage and experience over a two week period. These diaries, coupled with telephone interviews, have formed the basis our research.
This increased our cost and time overhead of preparing for the pilot. We recommend that companies implementing mobile solutions should place a strong focus on inter-operability between server and multiple device types to support the broadest range of user requirements. Our study therefore focused on devices that could connect natively to a Microsoft Exchange mail server.
Device considerations
Matching the right device to user needs is one of the key benefits of a pilot programme. Devices can be rotated as users adjust to the impact on their working patterns and the functionality available. Key questions to address are:
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Is this intended as a laptop-replacement? Users who simply want the ability to keep on top of email and frequently touch down in the office may not need the full capabilities of a hand-held PC and find a smartphone better suited to their needs. Others may find that the speed of getting to work on a hand-held device enables them to be productive on many tasks where laptop use would be impractical.
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Does the user mainly need to receive or originate information? Depending on business role, some users may find it sufficient to be able to monitor and occasionally comment on email exchanges, valuing the accessibility of information over the need to respond in great depth. Others may want to review attachments and make comments - a device's flexibility on data input may become an important factor, such as compatibility with Bluetooth keyboards.
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One device or two? Some users may prefer a separate PDA and phone, giving them flexibility whilst working but the discretion to 'switch off' during evenings or weekends.
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How the users reacted
Overwhelmingly, every user found that email was the 'killer application', All users reported without prompting improvements in two key areas: productivity and responsiveness. Perhaps more importantly, a strong common experience was a greater feeling of being 'in control' of their email inboxes, making their use of time more effective when in the office.
Work-life balance
Despite an increased frequency of checking or responding to email messages, the overall perception was of a reduced intrusion of work into home life. This was based on the much greater convenience of being able to check email by glancing at the mobility device compared to having to start up a PC in a study, log in remotely and connect to the office system. The larger block of time allocated to doing this felt like more of an inconvenience and intrusion into personal time than having an 'always-on' wireless device.
Unexpected challenges in supporting the users
Once devices were deployed, an interesting support issue emerged: users saw the device as an extension of the corporate network and so logically called the corporate helpdesk with queries of all kinds. These included queries on telephone functionality - from sending text messages to changing ringtones. The support team felt that this was beyond their remit, as they didn't support other mobile phone handsets.
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From this experience, three key points emerged:
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The support team (or the few dedicated to supporting the pilot) should have full familiarity with the devices, ideally being included in the pilot programme to share advice based on their own experience.
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The users' expectations of the support team should be managed in advance - perhaps reminding them that issues such as changing ringtones would be something they'd normally work out from a manual with any other handset. By setting these expectations upfront, rather than trying to handle it within a support call, user frustration and conflict can be avoided, as well as accelerating their own process of engaging with the device.
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FAQs of the most common issues raised can be given to the users at the start, reducing the support requirement and increasing their own feelings of accomplishment at managing the device.
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What's involved in running your own pilot
Servo's experience of mobility deployment, as both technical partner and an active observer of the users' perspective, provides a unique ability to offer advice focused on delivering tangible business benefits rather than simply deploying devices to users with the assumption that benefits will be realised.
The first steps are to identify a suitable pilot group - ones that will visibly illustrate to others in the organisation that mobility benefits not just the users but all those who interact with them. Sufficient support resources should be prepared to ensure the users don't struggle with the device during the first crucial days of usage.
Servo can provide basic training for pilot users and a diary template to record their usage of the device over a two week period. After 2 weeks, diaries are assessed, along with mobile call costs and IT support impact. The study is then documented to assist you in evaluating the pilot's success, and justifying wider deployment.
A successful pilot can lead to a well-coordinated widespread roll-out, adapted to suit the specific needs of the organisation. The aggregated increase in productivity that can result from the lessons learned in a pilot programme will ensure the business maximises its return on investment from mobility.
Download the full report
This article represents just a short excerpt from our recently published whitepaper titled "Running an Effective Mobility Pilot Programme". The full 40-page document is packed with advice including:
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Pilot preparation checklist
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Limits & frustrations
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The top 5 support issues experienced by the helpdesk team
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A summary of benefits to users, customers and the business
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Detailed learning points on planning, device suitability, security, contact management & etiquette
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Top 10 tips & tricks for mobility users |
To download a free copy, visit our web site at www.servo.co.uk |
