Horizon National Contract Services Deploys DefinedLogic Mobile Solution for more Efficient Quality Control
DefinedLogic, LLC, a company with a long track record of developing and deploying mission-critical solutions for enterprise customers, announces that Horizon National Contract Services, the country’s premier contract management and self-perform cleaning services company, has selected DefinedLogic’s Mobile Solutions Methodology to facilitate the design and development of a custom mobile application to provide communication capabilities of Service Quality and Management Quality ratings in a more timely manner from the field.
West Long Branch, NJ (PRWEB) May 27, 2005 -- DefinedLogic, LLC, a company
with a long track record of developing and deploying mission-critical solutions
for enterprise customers, announces that Horizon National Contract Services, the
country’s premier contract management and self-perform cleaning services
company, has selected DefinedLogic’s Mobile Solutions Methodology to facilitate
the design and development of a custom mobile application to provide
communication capabilities of Service Quality and Management Quality ratings in
a more timely manner from the field. After going from concept to test within six
weeks, Horizon National is complete with its initial pilot stage and has now
rolled out the application nationwide.
Focusing on the retail, financial
and healthcare industries, Horizon National’s roster of clients include such
leading retailers as the TJX Companies, Office Max, Home Depot, Toys R Us,
Target, and Rite Aid. Since the company manages multi-state, multi-site
facilities through a network of area managers and numerous on-site contract
cleaning professionals located throughout the country, it is paramount to the
success of the organization to maintain a steady flow of communication in a
timely manner to and from the field.
Formed as a result of an
acquisition in January 2003, Horizon National immediately began a review of its
operations and found that the paper-based reporting process from the field was
taking up to 45 days to complete. This meant that there could be significant lag
time between an area manager’s routine monthly site visit and when their
findings finally reached corporate headquarters in Red Bank, NJ. As a result,
this directly affected Horizon’s ability to provide timely and accurate status
updates to their customer’s national headquarters on the cleanliness and overall
presentation and appeal of their locations nationwide.
“When we made the
acquisition in January, it was apparent to us that we had two parallel
management models that weren’t integrated – our area managers in the field who
were gathering data on individual customer locations and our corporate account
managers in the home office who were required to report to customer executives
with nationwide operational responsibilities,” said Kristen Bunnell, Executive
Director, Horizon National Contract Services. “We began to explore ways to
develop an internal management tool that would help us run the business in a
more streamlined and efficient manner, which ultimately led us to
mobility.”
During this time, DefinedLogic approached longtime partner and
customer Broadbeam, a leader in delivering proven software to support and
facilitate the rapid development and deployment of enterprise mobility
solutions. Broadbeam was selected to provide the platform and middleware on
which the solution would be built. DefinedLogic and the Broadbeam Corporation
worked with Horizon National to assess their business processes from an
information technology (IT) perspective and agreed that mobility would offer a
means for the company to improve communication from the field. Since then,
DefinedLogic has worked with Horizon National to develop a customized mobile
application that is capable of transmitting information on a daily
basis.
“We were looking at a relatively short turn around time between
the initial concept and the timeframe for the test pilot with about six weeks,
as well as a budget of $20,000 -- $25,000 to get the solution up and running,”
stated Alex Shanley, Principal Analyst, DefinedLogic. “The overall experience of
using the application needed to be powerful and user-friendly while still
offering a low cost. We were able to bring the project from concept through
deployment, fulfilling these goals, by following our proven methodology in
developing enterprise-level mobility strategies and the technology to support
them.”
The Bottom Line
Once a month, Horizon National’s area managers
conduct quality control visits to inspect the various locations within their
region and meet with each site’s local management team. The Horizon National
area manager and the customer’s local management team are responsible for
assigning the site a Service Quality Rating and a Management Quality Rating,
which are based on a scale of one to five. These ratings serve to measure the
performance of Horizon National’s locally contracted cleaning professionals.
This information is then communicated back to headquarters along with an action
plan and rationale for following up with the site’s manager.
With the
wireless solution fully deployed, Horizon National’s area managers are able to
document and transmit their findings directly from the device, which is cradled
at the end of the day. This automated system alleviates the need to fax or mail
the findings, which would then have to be manually entered into the system in
order to compile a report for all the sites nationwide. Also, the end of day
docking of the device in the cradle will compensate for any coverage issues that
may exist throughout the country, which could preclude the report from being
submitted wirelessly. Further, when the area manager returns to the site, he/she
will be able to access the information from the previous visit on their handheld
device.
“Essentially, the mobile solution will enable our internal
management structure to be set up around the information that’s being
transmitted from the field, which will consolidate our internal functions,”
commented Bunnell. “For example, we currently perform about 6,000 quality
control phone calls a month to make sure that all locations are satisfied with
our service. When we have access to the findings from on-site visits in a
timelier manner, we expect that about half of these will be eliminated.
“
According to Bunnell, Horizon National expects to reach a return on
their initial $100,000 investment within a year, which will occur through the
consolidation of their internal management structure, resulting in greater
efficiencies of time and increased productivity by freeing up staff members to
focus on other issues.
About DefinedLogic’s Mobile Solutions
Methodology
DefinedLogic’s mobile solutions methodology is a proven approach
to successfully developing and deploying enterprise-level mobile applications.
Focused on one goal, predictable results, the company’s methodology is grounded
by its stressed importance of identifying key business drivers of workforce
mobility prior to embarking on any technology decisions. The Mobile Solutions
Methodology provides the structure necessary to ensure a successful and
predictable project delivery, but remains flexible for use in all types of
mobile application development including sales force automation, field service
automation, work force management and route sales pick-up and delivery, among
others.
About DefinedLogic
DefinedLogic, LLC (www.definedlogic.com) is
the leader in developing and delivering proven technology solutions to
enterprises that need their employees, customers and partners to be integrated
into business processes. DefinedLogic offers highly experienced business
analysts, project managers, designers, and developers to assist enterprises with
completing projects on time, on budget and in line with their objectives.
DefinedLogic prides itself in remaining technologically agnostic to provide its
clients with the best unbiased advice and service available.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb244676.htm