SMC Field Marketing is one of the UK’s leading field marketing agencies, with an extensive resource of more than 4,000 staff, trained to deliver excellence across retail, B2B and consumer channels. The company is an enthusiastic advocate of technology to improve business performance; it has been using mobile electronic data capture technology on selected projects for a number of years.
Problem With many staff out in the field conducting street surveys using a basic paper based system to capture data, then sending it back to the office where it needed to be manually inputted to a spreadsheet, it was taking days to deliver the data to a client. This manual system meant the entire process was extremely time consuming and also prone to errors, as some handwritten surveys inevitably contain mistakes. In order to enhance their service, SMC decided to work with an external consultancy to develop a new real – time mobile data capture system that would offer them a quicker, more accurate turn around with the flexibility to suit different client’s needs.
eSAY’s Solution Using its extensive experience in the mobile solutions field, eSAY was able to quickly develop and deliver a Windows-based system operating on hand-held, internet-enabled Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices (O2 XDA devices). A simple tick box questionnaire pro forma is created and held on the PDA, and the system prompts the user to complete any missing boxes before a report can be filed – ensuring accurate data capture. Once a proforma is completed, the data is transferred instantly to a secure website – offering the option of live access to data as it comes through from the field. Results and Benefits eSAY delivered a useable system within just two weeks of the initial discussions with SMC, and it was hailed as a great success. SMC agents found the software easy to use and, in many cases, quicker than using paper forms Under the paper-based data capture system, it took an average of 5.8 days for SMC to enter, verify and analyse field data. Using InFormed, full reports are now turned around within one business day – a time saving of almost a full working week. Clients can also enjoy live, real-time access to data as it comes through from the field – extremely beneficial for high-profile projects. Built-in prompts in the software also ensure comprehensive data capture in the field, by refusing to allow a form to be submitted if any data is missing. InFormed delivered immediate and tangible benefits during the initial trial programme and has continued to do so ever since. “We have been delighted with the technology, which has delivered very tangible benefits for our staff, our clients and our own company. We are now actively promoting it to existing clients who are still using paper-based data capture.” Andy Shipton, Managing Director |
