Johannesburg – 14 September 2021
Mobile computing and barcoding solutions are instrumental in increasing efficiencies and driving traceability in the supply chain. There are several key components that make up a mobility solution, which include a combination of hardware devices, software applications and a range of services. What is key to the smooth running of a mission-critical enterprise mobility solution are the services required to ensure that it is always operational.
Bidvest Mobility, a leader in the provision of enterprise mobile computing solutions, has invested in taking its service offerings to the next level to support customers across the FMCG, retail, transport and logistics, healthcare, industrial and other sectors across Southern Africa.
Simon Grisdale, Managing Executive at Bidvest Mobility said that the demand for enterprise mobility solutions across the supply chain increased over the last 18 months due to the acceleration of e-commerce, digital services, and the shifting dynamics during the pandemic.
“The supply chain needs to be agile to respond to rapid changes in the industry and this has necessitated additional service levels to meet these demands and ensure our customers’ business continuity and minimal interruption,” he added.
Bidvest Mobility has made a substantial investment to accelerate its professional service offering by expanding its technical portfolio, installing new systems, and upgrading technology across three major categories which include Mobile Service Desk, National Repair Centre and an array of Deployment services.
A mobile Service Desk differs from a desktop environment due to the complexity of the elements that make up a mobile solution and the user’s plug ‘n play approach.
The technical staff at Bidvest Mobility are highly trained to deal with a range of offerings, from problem solving, service requests, device collection and returns, remote incident management to more sophisticated services such as Mobile Device Management, asset management, lost and stolen device management, device staging and deployment of software upgrades, to analysis, and reporting, to name a few. Some new services added to the range are SIM card management and third-party device repair management.
Service Level Agreements are playing an increasingly important role in supporting an enterprise’s mobility solution. “This allows our customers to focus on moving their goods through the supply chain, while we focus on supporting their mobile computing solution with a range of services that are delivered timeously so there is minimal operational interruption, loss of productivity and profits, and ultimately peace of mind,” added Grisdale.
Bidvest Mobility has extended the services of its national Repair Centre to ensure that the depth of technical knowledge is available to repair mobile devices from multiple global suppliers (such as Honeywell, Datalogic, and Zebra) to OEM quality standards.
Bidvest Mobility’s Executive Jan Hurn added: “Our inbound and outbound logistics have been enhanced to ensure accurate and timeous collection and delivery of mobile devices. We have also increased our field service repair capabilities so that we can undertake additional on-site and on-premise device repairs, and to this end, we’ve invested in dedicated resources including skilled teams and vehicles to fulfil these tasks.”
Bidvest Mobility has also extended its deployment services in the field, which is key to the smooth operation of a mobility solution. “Getting it right the first time is key to ensuring that the users have a positive approach to the use of mobile technology in the workplace,” he said.
According to Hurn, all these services really come into play when undertaking large mobile hardware and software deployments at corporates across multiple sites in different regions. “Our numerous teams around the country ensure that the correct mobile equipment is delivered to each site; each device is staged by loading the correct software and checked for communication connectivity; and old hardware is de-commissioned.
“We stay on site to provide ‘go live’ support to ensure that users receive extended support and ultimately to ensure that the project is successful. Our range of leading cloud-based Enterprise Mobility Management platforms allows our service desk to provide remote mobile device management, software upgrades and comprehensive reporting and analysis,” he added.
Bidvest Mobility has invested in additional training so that their staff are certified on all the main mobility software platforms, such as Android Zero Touch, 42Gears, SOTI, In-Tune and Ivanti.
“It all comes down to offering a wide range of services to choose from to ensure that our customers’ supply chains run smoothly and downtime is minimal, which is achieved by an installation customized for each customer, quality repairs and maintenance, and ongoing support both remotely and in the field to protect their mobile investment and create peace of mind,” concluded Hurn.
