Meeting the Needs of the Hyper Mobile Workforce

Panasonic TOUGHBOOK looks at the challenges facing frontline, hyper mobile workers and how to meet their mobile device needs in a dynamic market.

written by: Chris Turner, Head of Go-To-Market, Panasonic TOUGHBOOK EU

Meeting the needs of specialist front line workers

Hyper mobile workforces have grown rapidly in size and number, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed companies to scale technology and workflows for all employees—even those at the edge. This marked a turning point, helping mobile workers feel more connected to colleagues in traditional settings.

Hyper mobile workforces are specialist frontline field workers, such as those within emergency services, utilities, or supply chain/logistics. They are classified as any field worker who doesn’t have easy access to power and must rely on mobile connectivity to retrieve critical data in time-sensitive situations.

However, the challenges faced by hyper mobile workers differ from other mobile workers when it comes to what they need from their device. They operate in challenging, and dynamic environments, where their devices are needed 24/7, with unnecessary downtime simply not an option.

Therefore, what should organisations consider when they are evaluating rugged computing solutions for their hyper mobile workforce?

1.Understand user personas

Organisations need to identify diverse user personas and understand their unique requirements, which is critical for technology adoption. There will be different age profiles, locations, working environments, and application requirements in each organisation, that will all influence what it requires from its IT solution.

2. Importance of user feedback

Mobile workers are delivering a front-line service. Therefore, they are uniquely positioned to deliver feedback on elements such as ergonomics, performance, connectivity, and the compromise between battery life and device portability. Workers could be fixing power cuts or repairing an emergency vehicle, or they could be a first responder at an incident, or working with heavy plant machinery. No one understands their job as well as they do, so feedback is critical on what they need from their devices.

Take device screen technology as an example. How does the screen perform when it is raining? Or when the user is moving from operating one screen to another when using gloves? This is where the range of high-performance, Full- and Quad-High Definition touchscreens utilised on Panasonic TOUGHBOOK devices deliver the perfect combination of crisp visuals, usability, and performance.

3. The one-size-fits all concept doesn’t work

Hyper mobile workers use different devices, a host of applications, and interact with a variety of interfaces. Choosing the right solution is critical to meeting user requirements and ensuring productivity is maintained. Therefore, one type of device no longer fits all; they need a device that meets their unique requirements.

Finding the right balance is key. Requirements for the core technology – from screen technology to connectivity, mobility, durability, reliability and battery performance – will differ from one persona to the next.

This is why Panasonic TOUGHBOOK devices are engineered with a “modularity by design” approach. This enables users to adapt and customise their rugged mobile device with peripherals such as fingerprint readers, additional storage, extendable batteries, and microSD card readers.

4. Adaptability and flexibility are key for productivity

Such is the speed of technological advancements; many hyper mobile workers are still using legacy applications. Typically, organisations will deploy devices for three to five years in the field, but these devices might be integrated with equipment that could be 10 or 20 years old. Therefore, adaptability and flexibility is key.

Consumer and business devices differ significantly in terms of design, functionality, and purpose. Consumers might upgrade their phones or their laptops every year or two, but organisations don’t want to bring workers back into a central depot to change their devices in the field as often. Extended lifecycles are therefore advantageous from a productivity and cost-efficiency perspective.

Remote device management and deployment is key to maximising productivity, utilising a platform that can keep products updated in the field (take the migration from Windows 10 to 11 for example), and support new and old infrastructure/applications.

For example, when mobile carriers switched off 3G networks and moved to higher performance 4G and 5G networks across the UK, connectivity ‘blackspots’ emerged, making it difficult for workers to remain connected.

5. Future-proofing devices

Looking to the future, hyper mobile user requirements will continue to shape device requirements. AI and Edge technologies will be crucial for maximising productivity in the field, but we’re still exploring the exact benefits that these can deliver. Many of our customers are still migrating from on-premises to the cloud.

However, a key challenge that AI and edge technologies can help to solve is how to optimise data and insights to proactively diagnose issues in the field. Often, we find there is a trigger moment when customers ask if they can utilise data to understand what log of events caused a particular challenge; that level of visibility is new to the market. Previously, hyper mobile workers have struggled to get relevant data to drive action. This is where analysing data in one place can be a game-changer.

This is where the latest version of Panasonic’s TOUGHBOOK G2 2-in-1 rugged tablet can significantly increase productivity and data analysis in the field. It features AI-powered Intel^®processors on Windows 11 Pro, IP65-rated dust and water resistance, and 5G-ready connectivity.

6. Maintain an ecosystem of technology partners

Panasonic TOUGHBOOK is working closely with its partners, such as Intel^® and Microsoft, who have the capability to support the deployment of AI and Edge technologies. These close relationships, allied to our unrivalled knowledge of what customers require from their rugged mobile computing solutions, enables us to support the hyper mobile workforce – today and in the future.

Ultimately, hyper mobile field workers need robust tools that make their operational tasks easier, safer, and more efficient. At the same time, organisations require a streamlined, scalable, and cost-effective way to manage crucial technology required for frontline workers to remain productive and efficient.

Watch the expert panel discussion

Meeting the Needs of the Hyper Mobile Workforce

Meeting the needs of specialist front line workers

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