Case Study: Trends In Mobile Printing

Service organizations are increasingly looking to empower their field teams with tools and information to drive productivity, boost satisfaction, and drive down overall costs. In Aberdeen's 2009 Trends in Mobile Field Service Report, responding organizations reported an active interest in a wide variety of hardware tools for their field teams. Of that arsenal, mobile printers were currently being leveraged by 19% in 2009, trending to 25% to 27% in 2010. In fact, 27% of Best-in-Class service organizations highlighted that mobile printing functionality was a top priority for their firms.

Printing: Evidence of a Successful Transaction
With the increased connectivity afforded by Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks, and the ever diminishing size of printers, mobile printing is a capability that can easily be, and is already being, accessed by service organizations. In a follow on questionnaire to Aberdeen's 2009 mobile field service report, respondents indicated that nearly 28% of their workforces were currently equipped with a mobile printer with intentions of raising that to 40% in 2010. More so, 45% of firms indicate that they could be leveraging up to 100 mobile printers in 2010. Of firms that currently leverage mobile printers, the major items that are printed out in the field include receipts, captured signatures, work orders, and reports. These firms are also looking to utilize printers for work estimates and field reference information such as diagrams, maps, etc.