No Internet, No Field Data Collection Problem, Right?
May 21, 2019
Wrong. It turns out that many field data systems lose data collected by reps’ devices when they are unable to connect to the internet.
So the view these systems present to decision makers like you has gaping holes in it.
How could this be? If we don’t have WI-FI we have a cellular data internet connection right? Yes, and no.
Outdoors, yes. Cell phone coverage outdoors is quite remarkable. Indoors… not so much. Steel-reinforced concrete construction
interferes with cell phone signals. Signals can be strong in some areas and non-existent in many others.
Indoor WI-FI works pretty well when you’re in line of sight with a router. Once again, the steel-reinforced concrete reality interferes
with the ideal. The bones of retail stores mean you need a lot of routers to ensure a consistent signal. Instead, what we have is areas of quite spotty WI-FI coverage.
Despite these facts, most field data collection systems assume that the device will be connected to the internet all the time.
Many people tell us that when their reps’ mobile devices lose their internet connection, all the survey responses and photos
they’ve collected disappear.
Nor do the systems gracefully deal with interrupts during uploads. If they’re lucky, the entire upload has to start over again.
How many stores in your channel fall into the internet connection dead zone?
We’ve heard brands and merchandisers complain that
the
numbers of locations that lack reliable internet connection is around 20% - 30%.
In some areas, the situation is worse.
Reps adopt a variety of coping strategies.
The advance planner. These reps print out the surveys they will need the night before they go to stores they know have spotty
or non-existent coverage. They complete questionnaires by hand. Then, they transcribe the results when they get to a place with reliable cell or WI-FI coverage.
The memorizer. These reps rely on their memories to recall what they saw during a store visit and fill out the surveys when
they find a place where they can get an internet connection.
The estimator. These reps actually skip stores that don’t have good coverage and rely on their experience to make up
numbers that seem to make sense.
One way or the other, valuable data is lost.
There are gaping holes in the data you’re using to make tens of millions of dollars
of sales promotion decisions.
To find out more about the unique features of Metaworks’ Mantis field data system, that enable reps to focus on their jobs
instead of their internet connection, give us a call or drop us a line.
No Internet, No Field Data Collection Problem, Right?
May 21, 2019
Wrong. It turns out that many field data systems lose data collected by reps’ devices when they are unable to connect to the internet.
So the view these systems present to decision makers like you has gaping holes in it.
How could this be? If we don’t have WI-FI we have a cellular data internet connection right? Yes, and no.