Tergeting corporate consumers to further boost sales

Indra Gunawan, Contributor, The Jakarta Post

The Apple 1 computer, created by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in their garage in 1977, was followed by the subsequent Apple 2 and then Apple Macintosh, all of which greatly assisted the countless millions who enlisted them to carry out their tasks. The performance of these computers initially satisfied the users, however, it wasn't long before they asked for more. They demanded a processor with a higher speed, but even the processors that came along later were considered insufficient.

Several years ago, the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), regarded as the real personal computer, was introduced to the market as consumers required something more than the original desktop version.

Today, the market is flooded with various types and brands of PDAs, each coming with different operating systems and formats, such as the PALM OS, Pocket PC and RIM Blackberry. The necessary facilities, like the modem slot or memory slot, were naturally provided. Their practical design also made it easy for users to carry them around.

But being productive at anytime and anywhere, is not all that consumers want to get out of their computers as they are also clamoring for "mobile connectivity".

In this Internet era, a constant link to the Internet is the key to facilitating work. In response to consumer demands, several manufacturers have come up with PDAs that combine communication boards with high-speed data technology, such as the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). Actually, most PDAs are not used for voice communication, but more as mobile data transfer devices.

Selling these products in Indonesia is not easy, because the market only has a small number of IT savvy customers and the price of PDAs, categorized as high-end products costing between Rp 3 million and Rp 10 million (about US$1,200), further limits the market.

Mobility solutions are widespread throughout enterprises of all sizes, as business processes and information management have become more mobile than ever. Many believe that the PDA has emerged as the latest global productivity tool for corporations and their workforce. The growth of the mobile computer market, to some extent, was spurred by the transformation of the corporate environment into an extended, virtual enterprise with a highly mobile and easy-to-access electronic communications.

According to the leading IT research agency, IDC, the world's total shipment of PDAs in 2001 went over 12 million. This figure is predicted to grow 34 percent annually between 2000 and 2005 to reach 44 million.

Employees on the move appreciate the value of staying connected with their companies and other parties by using PDAs. This kind of mobile connectivity will increase their productivity.

Mobile enterprises are inseparable from mobile communication equipment and wireless technology. Mobile communication equipment depends on wireless technology to connect to the enterprise and transfer data to fulfill the user's business needs. When you are in a meeting with a client and you need the latest sales report, there is no need to worry, you can instantly access it on your handheld device.

As a corporate tool, the PDA is a must-have adjunct to a desktop PC for anyone who makes regular use of computerized e- mail and diary products, such as the MS Exchange or Lotus Notes.

Without a PDA slipped into your shirt pocket or handbag before you leave the office, access to your diary, contact database or to-do list while in a meeting or at a social event is simply impossible. And when you get back to the office, you simply pop the PDA into its cradle and all those appointments you made while you were out are merged back into the main system.

The recent role of PDAs as essential tools for corporate users poses a big problem, namely that of data security and confidentiality. A thief who steals a PDA and manages to gain access to its data will typically find spreadsheets, lots of emails, important notes and hundreds of details on clients and contacts. If the thief is on the ball, this information might well find its way into the hands of competitors of the PDA owner's employer.

Some companies have more reason to worry than most. The BBC, for example, recently started an 18-month program to standardize a single PDA format for all its staff. This would enable IT security personnel to protect confidential data kept by staff on their PDAs.

Before deciding on the type of PDA to use, you are well advised not to choose a device based on its design, since looks can be deceiving. Go beyond what is under the hood and find out more about its security features.

Some PDA manufacturers currently provide biometrics and conventional log-in passwords, but the next version of PDAs will be equipped with an operating system featuring a biometric voice security system, so that users can simply say a password to start the device up.

Quite a number of manufacturers are also selling bolt-on products, which provide major PDAs, such as the Palm and Pocket PC, with access control and encryption on the same par as products available for desktop PCs and laptops.

These include features such as 128-bit encryption and automatic lockout after an incorrect password is keyed in three times.

To drum up a large volume of sales, PDA manufacturers would do well in making corporate customers their main target. Changes in business culture from the traditional to modern methods in this highly mobile era certainly take some time. Therefore to speed up the adaptation process, a PDA maker has to visit corporates together with the related application developer to research ways to provide the required customized solution, so that the PDA can give the customer the total solution to his needs.

Take a courier company for example. It would perform much more effectively if its staff did not need to come to the office to only register the consignments from customers. The consignment could be sent directly to the airport by the customer, as the procedure is online and the related data is constantly being updated with the server at the courier's office.

For fast-moving consumer goods, such as bottled mineral water, collecting up-to-date sales data from all outlets -- from the street vendors to the distributors -- is obviously very crucial for coordinating stock level, production, distribution and market analysis. Doing this the conventional way is very costly and difficult. But the task becomes much easier when using mobile communication equipment with online features connected to the server at the head office. The collector does not need to make a report every time data has been collected, but it can be sent directly to the server from each distribution channel, so that the staff at head office can simultaneously analyze the data. This way a sales analysis does not require much time and can be done in a more effective way with less cost. Any improvement deemed necessary can then be implemented in almost no time.

Keeping these examples in mind, it seems that PDA manufacturers are better off selling their merchandise to corporates as the volume is clearly larger than selling in small numbers to personal users. The availability of application features useful to the user is also another important element to consider for successful selling of PDAs.