Assets are defined as an economic resource that represents an ownership of value.  This could be a truck, a piece of software or, yes, even an inventory of widgets.  Inventory is a list of compiled assets for sale or use in another process.  When it comes to the differences in tracking we need to look at assets as being here for long term use and inventory being here for consumption of some sorts.  Think of it as the difference between a library and a book store.

An asset would be like a library.  When tracking an asset we track them individually, we want to know certain information on specific items.  When an item is scanned we can track maintenance information, age, location, or as in our library example – who checked it out.  Inventory tracking systems can track any combination of this data and more – on an individual item basis.

A book store would represent our inventory tracking.  Rather than being concerned with individual item data, we are more concerned with data of identical items.  When an item is scanned we want to know how many of an item, add an item or remove an item from our inventory levels.   The point is we want to track a collection of identical assets rather than on an individual basis.

MobileFrame’s Asset Management and Inventory Tracking Software gives you the flexibility of creating a tracking system to specialized for assets, inventory or both.  Our 100% code-free platform allows you to make customizations to fit your needs.  Click here to sign up for a demo.

The mobile apps used by the route delivery drivers are crucial to run an efficient field force. However, the current DSD apps in the marketplace don’t allow customers to modify their apps without paying the vendor exorbitant fees.  And, most of these apps lack important workflows for today’s environment. These solutions are typically hard coded, so process changes and route re-scheduling are costly and time consuming – if possible at all.  All of these shortfalls add up to lost time and frustrated customers – both of which cost you money.

MobileFrame’s Direct Store Delivery Suite is built on cutting edge technology, solving all the problems that customers are frustrated with.  Customers can make changes to their apps as the business dictates it, all without writing a single line of code and without paying the vendor any fees for the changes.  Real-time updates enable immediate changes to workflow, route scheduling and even third party applications.  Drivers can process deliveries and returns on remote devices, so invoices can be modified on the back end immediately. MobileFrame’s DSD Suite has applications that are tightly integrated to each other

• Embed photos of delivery issues into the record
• Mobile device management provides precise control over all devices
• Pre- and post-trip vehicle inspection apps are built-in
• Competitor activity and promotions management are built-in
• Route re-sequencing and accident alarms keep everyone in the know
• GPS tracking, turn-by-turn directions and geo-fencing give drivers and dispatch up to the second information

These added benefits are costs to legacy users that are often overlooked.  MobileFrame can help you realize these benefits with our pre-built Direct Store Delivery application.   Our code-free platform gives you the flexibility to modify the applications to fit your business needs. We know that integrating to your business system is key to your project and our Integration Wizard makes the pain of integration a thing of the past.   All of this enables you to create and deploy a custom mobile solution quickly and easily.

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April 18th, 2012 at 1:00 pm PST or April 25th at 10:30 am PST

Automate your entire team from dispatch and work order prioritizing to parts used and labor costs. MobileFrame will deliver the data to your technicians when they need it most, on-site with the customer.

The apps are fully customizable for your business process and can run on any device. Some of the features include:

Dispatcher’s Features:

• GPS Tracking – Track tech locations in real-time to respond to changing customer requests.

• Work Orders – Assign and work orders based on the status, date, location, technician, or customer.

• Calendar View – Use drag and drop scheduling on the built-in calendar. All appointments can be color coded.

• GPS Tracking – Track tech locations in real-time to respond to changing customer requests.

Mobile Worker Features:

• Mobile Work Orders – Tech can review, select, update and create work orders on any device

• Color Coded Preventative Maintenance – Easily prioritize PMs with customizable workflow for each piece of equipment.

• Parts Tracking – Searchable parts list to review quantity of inventory on hand and on order.

• Warranty Tracking – Track warranties of each piece of equipment on the job.

• Timekeeping  – Capture travel and work times with the click of a button.

• Take Photos of Damage – Capture photos and embed them in the record. Photos can also be annotated with comments.

• Capture Signature – Capture both customer and technician signatures to complete work orders.

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April 18th, 2012 at 1:00 pm PST or April 25th at 10:30 am PST

Mission Impossible?

Not for MobileFrame.

This was the mission for a recent client.  Inventory data was held in their Oracle database yet the physical inventory was spread across 5 warehouses.  Inventory tracking was done on paper forms, resulting in time consuming errors so there were definitely efficiencies to be gained by going mobile.  This required a bi-directional custom application to interact with the existing database.

The client chose MobileFrame because of our code-free platform that allows for easy development and our hassle-free cross-browser compatibility which allowed the use of existing equipment.  Along with the MobileFrame platform they purchased ten hours of consulting time.  What was the end result?  In less than two weeks they went from idea to deployment – and they had left over consulting hours to boot!

MobileFrame offers a unique and variable application that this company was able to develop themselves, saving valuable time and money, to create a scalable solution to fit their needs.  It integrates with their existing database and gives them the mobility they need to be efficient while reducing errors.  In the end it seems that MobileFrame was the solution that proved to make this Mission Possible!

Although, for all their differences, one thing is for sure; inspections happen all over the place.  Apartment complexes, garages, hangars, constructions sites, maintenance rooms, kitchens, sewers – the list goes on and on.  And often these remote locations are in different places every day creating the need to collect data from multiple locations.

Inspections have been historically processed on a paper form in duplicate or triplicate.  One copy is given to the inspected, one is kept by the inspector (or the office) and possibly another is sent to a regulatory body.  And at the end of the day all of that information must be recorded – in a database, in a log book – somewhere, for safe keeping.  Hard to read carbon copies, lost or damaged forms makes this job difficult at best.  Accompanying documents such as photos are misplaced.  Regulatory deadlines put undue pressure on remote inspectors.  And managing this mobile workforce and capturing the correct information in a timely manner is a stressor – there must be an easier way.

Luckily, MobileFrame offers a truly mobile solution to solve these complications.  All data can be electronically captured, photos attached and a copy can be sent to multiple email addresses all from your mobile device which will synch with the office.  MobileFrame allows you to automate workflow such as work order generation and invoicing.  This saves time and reduces errors – resulting in more satisfied clients.  Integration with existing system and easy customization via our code-free platform makes setup easy and cross-browser compatibility allows for the use of existing hardware.

No matter what industry you are in, MobileFrame makes it easy to automate your inspection process for maximum efficiency.

There are two major types of barcodes – one and two dimensional. One dimensional (1D) are probably more commonly seen, they are on every item you see in the store. 1D barcodes are made of a series of vertical lines (bars) and spaces of varying widths. These bar and space combinations are strung together to represent different characters. Two dimensional codes use a series of dots, blocks and other geometric shapes into a square or rectangular pattern. 2D barcodes are generally able to contain much more information than 1D. Where a 1D barcode such as a UPC code contains 12 digits, a 2D barcode such as a QR code may contain thousands of alpha-numeric characters.

In either case the codes need to be read by something – a reader. Barcode readers act as a translator between the code itself and the data it contains (those 12 digits in the UPC for example). Today you can download literally dozens of apps for your smartphone that will read both 1D and 2D barcodes, but here’s the trick; there are literally dozens of different “languages” of barcodes to translate. Let’s take a look at some of the more commonly used codes.

	Universal Product Code (UPC) has been standardized worldwide for retail and food sales. It is the code seen on virtually every product you buy at the store. It uses 12 digits (number only) represented by bars and spaces of four different widths. UPC is a subset of the International Article Number system which includes an additional check digit.
	Code 39 is used primarily for inventory and manufacturing applications. Each character comprises nine bars and spaces, of which three (either bars or spaces) are wide and the remaining nine are narrow. Code 39 supports 43 characters: 0-9 A-Z and several special characters. There is no predefined limit to the length of code 39 barcodes, sometimes leading to long codes unsuitable for smaller items.
	Code 128 is used in shipping and packaging industries. Where code 39 lacks, Code 128 excels – it is the most compact barcode. It uses all 128 ASCII characters and includes a check digit. Other 1D barcodes include codes standardized for pharmacy companies as well as the various postal codes.
	PDF417 barcodes are used across multiple industries for its capacity to store large amounts of data. It can encode things like fingerprints used on identification cards. It contains units of 4 bars and spaces and each pattern is 17 units long.
	Aztec codes are a 2D code with a bull’s eye in the middle and are read in a spiraling direction. They are primarily used in European transportation applications.
	Data Matrix codes are used in the aviation industry as well as the Department of Defense. They are used in cases where a linear barcode would be too long on small objects. They consist of a rectangular (usually square) block made of black and white squares. They can vary in size – generally from 8×8 to 144×144.
	QR codes originated in the automotive parts industry in Japan. They have since been used extensively in advertising, entertainment and promotional applications, particularly aimed at smartphone users due to their ease of readability. QR codes can not only contain alphanumeric and bit/binary but also Kanji data as well.
	High Capacity Color Barcode was developed by Microsoft using a series of colored triangles. Uses are similar to Data Matrix and QR code uses.

Barcode use has grown to universal proportions since they were first introduced around 40 years ago. Recognizing the different types and uses of these barcodes will help you in identifying not only which style will work for you but also the readers and applications to support them.

Let’s say you run a direct store delivery (DSD) business selling bakery goods.  By simply capturing the data that the DSD application provides, you can keep track of inventory and automate invoicing, which in itself is beneficial.  But by optimizing your data management into a decision support dashboard you can determine which goods are selling better in which stores and going faster off the truck and link that to ingredient ordering and labor management.  Knowing this information allows management to make informed decisions about what ingredients to buy and what products to send to different outlets.

Of course this is simply an example, but dashboard functionality can be beneficial to most businesses.  It’s a matter of determining what information is required to make solid decisions and putting that data in front of the decision makers.  Contact us to discuss how utilizing a Dashboard management system can collect the information you need to make sound decisions.

We figure that we have tracked just about everything – from the cradle to the grave.  And now two customers are putting that to the test!

MobileFrame was recently deployed as the application for Paternity Declaration at Contra Costa County, California.  This application captures vital information and parent signatures at the time of birth.  With over 2500 clerks at over 700 birthing centers across California, MobileFrame’s integration into the county’s Vital Records is saving time, sometimes months, and increasing accuracy.

MobileFrame is also excited to announce the recent customer win of Service Corporation International.  SC I is a leader in the funeral services industry and the application allows for mobile tracking of remains and personal affects, for the deceased.  With nearly 200 Personal Care Centers MobileFrame is increasing efficiency across the company.

We are excited to work with these new customers in providing reliable solutions to their mobile needs. MobileFrame can quite literally handle any and all of your tracking needs, from the beginning to end. If you are interested in seeing how we can help you please contact us today.

While getting ready for the holidays I was at the mall, and it was packed!  People were hustling and bustling about, looking for the perfect gift for loved ones.  I mean it was NUTS!  It made me think, why do we put ourselves through all this?  Couldn’t we just as easily get a gift card, or whatever is in the sale ads for the people close in our lives?  Wouldn’t they be happy just knowing we thought of them?  No.  There is something to be said for the perfect gift, the one thing that – when you see it – you know it was made for them.

Why settle for less when it comes to your organization’s mobile application needs?  Off the shelf systems are designed to meet industry wide needs, but not necessarily the requirements of your organization.  Your organization is unique and chances are your software needs are as well.  Settling for an off the shelf system might solve some of your problems, but it will surely leave holes – probably in just the places that differentiate your organization.

MobileFrame is a tool that is used to create the perfect mobile and web based applications.  MobileFrame helps to solve all of your mobile software needs, not just some of them.  Whether it is a modification of an existing pre-built solution or a complete customization, our 100% code free platform makes it easy for you to solve the exact problems that typical off the shelf systems cannot.  This means that rather than a system that will simply allow you to get by; you can have the system that works for you.  Allow electronic data collection and managed workflow to be seamlessly integrated from the field to backend systems, making sure your mobile workforce has access to the data they need and the backend system is fully up to date.

From mobile application development to device management, MobileFrame gives your business the benefit of the perfect mobile and web based application – one that when you see it you know it was made for you.

Click here to schedule a demo and have us build your perfect mobile application and demo it to you live on our very first phone call.

MobileFrame‘s built-in Mobile Device Management (MDM) is designed to help in these instances.  Since the MobileFrame application is not hard-coded on the device you can quickly and easily change from one device to another.  Just install the client on a new device and you are back up and running, with barely skipping a beat.   And as far as security, you can force logoff, requiring password authentication to log back in.

But there is more.  The MDM allows remote updates so there is no need to recall devices from the field to implement changes, even if those updates are other than MobileFrame applications.  It allows remote device control to assist with troubleshooting and training issues.  Device power, location, memory utilization, messaging, alerts, synchronization status and all other critical device status information can be remotely monitored and controlled for all devices on the system.

The next time you have an unfortunate incident happen to you don’t let it hinder your production. If you would like to take a look at MobileFrame’s complete Enterprise Mobility Platform please do not hesitate to contact us today.