Clear Channel
Client Reference Tech Support
Application for monitoring activity and servicing of outdoor advertising companies, and maintenance technicians in urban real estate equipment (2,000 PDAs in over 5 countries)
Device
Psion EP10 Windows Mobile PDA
and Zebra Motorola TC55 Android
Network
3G
Users
2,000
Sites
7 countries
(France, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Australia) 9 agencies 2 technical sites per region
Client:
Clear Channel France is a subsidiary of Clear Channel Outdoor, the world's leading player in Outdoor Advertising with 1 million advertising displays in 44 countries across 5 continents. Omnipresent throughout France, Clear Channel France is a major player in the Large Format (billboard) demographic and Number 1 in advertising in shopping centers and car parks in the heart of the cities. Leader in the market of urban furniture in towns with less than 100,000 inhabitants, it is a key player in most major French cities.
Some figures:
970,000 ad display panels
8,000 partners worldwide
Net sales in 2008:
Group - $3,1 billion
France - 301 million €, with 1,250 partners.
Challenge
Mission:
Outfit 1,800 repair technicians specialized in urban equipment (public bill posting, green spaces, …) over 5 countries initially.
In France, 9 agencies with 2 technical sites per region with a mobile application for PDA and a Back Office application for activity monitoring, connected to 3 national Information Systems.
A technician will be able to complete up to 200 work orders per day.
Goal:
Monitoring of field tech maintenance interventions and service reports in electronic format for management in real-time.
Solution
Description:
Features of the PDA application
1. Information, log history of equipment identified by barcode, manually, GPS
2. Work order scheduling
3. Work order management:
- Picture proof
- Recording of GPS coordinates
- Information on equipment specifications
- Time spent and completion of work order
- Visualization of work order log
4. GPS Navigation
Technologies:
- Development of custom-designed application for PDA in .Net with Rayonnance components
- Implementation of the Harmonie Forms solution by Rayonnance
- Implementation of the middleware Harmonie
- Implementation of the SAP connection to the internal IS
- Installation of software components
Resulting gains
1. Multiple strategic and sales goals:
- Improving the reactivity, and thus the quality of information for advertisers
- Simplification of communication with field staff / communication tool for more effecient management of last-minute changes
- Improved responsiveness in the field for replacing panels, which eventually translates as a reduction of debts due to non-display downtime
- Acquisition of faster visibility in the field, for the purpose of improved planning of action to take and repairs needed
2. Operational Goals:
- user-friendly application
- optimal organization and activity management
- validation of tasks due to introduction of new technology.
Development and improvement of internal processes around impacted activities, e.g. allowing better GPS location mapping.