General Dynamics Itronix Field Service Market Page

Gaining A Competitive Edge in a Growing Service-Centric Economy

Your clients in the field look to you for quick response and repair assistance. Customers like Sears, who have used General Dynamics Itronix platforms for the last eight years with their mobile technicians, realize the role of technology in advancing customer service, resource and staff management and overall revenue and efficiency improvements.

But to do the job you need reliable, dependable, connectivity—regardless of the location or operating conditions. Therefore, whether you operate a mobile service and maintenance organization on a regional basis, or have to manage a nationwide organization, the General Dynamics Itronix fully integrated mobile computing, vehicle ready wireless solutions is worth a close look.

Onsite Connectivity: Onsite connectivity with home office services and information applications is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity. In today’s market, you must sustain high levels of service and on-site support for thousands of service locations to meet the expectations of millions of household and corporate customers. This is especially true when responding to the worst emergency situations such as hurricane response. In most cases mobile wireless connectivity is the only option for dependable, reliable field-to-home office communications.
Cost Efficient Operations: To create and sustain the processes required to deliver state-of-the-art service, field service and maintenance companies must manage a widely distributed work force that often numbers in the thousands. This involves optimizing field service schedule assignments, maintaining contact with field representatives, and ensuring customer satisfaction through timely job assignment, equipment maintenance resolution, and work order closure.

These challenges require rugged and reliable tools that enable your field technicians to do their jobs quickly and reliably. When it comes to field representative support solutions, General Dynamics Itronix can help. We specialize in the design, manufacture and delivery of reliable, innovative solutions for today’s field service agents. Let us show you how we can improve your return on investment by automating or updating your field work force scheduling, routing, and service inventory management.

Since 1987 General Dynamics Itronix has provided proven, long lasting solutions and services to the field service industry. Solutions that unravel complexity, services that connect field service teams, and integrated networks that empower managers and co-ordinators to meet your company's quality-of-service objectives while enhancing bottom line revenue. We welcome your interest in our field service hardware services and solutions and wish to assist you in achieving dependable, reliable, and go-anywhere connectivity. Our GoBook-Series notebook and tablet rugged wireless computers are designed for the specific needs of the field service industry. These solutions are designed to perform indoors and out in any weather condition, and they're manufactured with ergonomic features (such as touch screens) that make mobile computing convenient for both you and your customers.

General Dynamics Itronix partners with field service software providers to ensure that the hardware/software solution is a perfect match of rugged performance. Our customers love General Dynamics Itronix products for the reliable performance, rugged attributes and ongoing support they receive. To complement the hardware, General Dynamics Itronix iCare™ Services are available to make mobile computing deployments with field service a low-risk, high ROI investment.

Services & Solutions from General Dynamics Itronix

General Dynamics Itronix offers a number of products and solutions that will enable you to connect with a distributed field service team, as well as realize increased revenues, increase service response rates, and decreased claims fraud.

Wireless options to Enhance Customer Service
In today's customer-driven environment, time is money and real-time field access to back office systems is critical for optimal productivity and job performance. With General Dynamics Itronix' world class wireless integration, no longer is a service representative constrained by having to find a telephone connection to reach their home office. Wireless offers mobility and connectivity and enables you to meet customer expectations. The freedom to provide on site policy service or from a vehicle based hub reduces drive time and lags in the timely update of claim or policy information. In addition, real-time updates allow you to monitor representative locations to ensure that they safely arrive at the customer's location. Exceptional customer service bolsters customer loyalty and impresses governmental and regulatory agencies.

Increase Productivity through Wireless Connectivity
Couple wireless connectivity on a fully bundled platform with total field service technical support and you have an ideal combination for increasing productivity. Eliminate drive backs and return trips to the home or agency office, and enable active pushing of on-location assignments to your dispersed service teams. In addition, when the representative experiences device problems or has technical operation questions, General Dynamics Itronix' award winning iCare Services are there to resolve the situation quickly. Productivity increases as non-productive activities and downtime are eliminated.

Implement Field Team Management
When it comes to mobile field team management, information is power! Optimizing the deployment and work schedules of your field representatives is a key aspect of field team management. There are others like redirecting representatives in real time in response to unforeseen circumstances, shortening claim cycle times, capturing accurate claim submission metrics, accurately measuring employee performance, etc.

Improve Operational Accountability with GPS
With GPS-based location information and extended enterprise application connectivity you have the elements necessary for near-real time operational accountability. These elements provide the "feedback loop" that empower you to monitor what is happening where and when it is taking place in a near-real time manner. Potentially dangerous situations now become apparent and potentially resolvable. This results in improved accountability by all involved parties.

Improved Asset Management
There are multiple levels to asset management. The most obvious is monitoring the status of deployed assets. Often overlooked, but just as important, is the management of how those assets are used. Via the use of mobile connectivity policy management tools, you can determine and enforce asset usage practices. These practices can ensure your work force is using the most economical connectivity channels, that they are using their connectivity for job-related purposes only, and that their connectivity is always available and uninterrupted when needed.

Ensure Compliance
Compliance is a multi-layered challenge. Not only is there compliance with internal company standards but compliance with local, state, federal, and even contractual directives to be concerned with. For example, work force safety standard compliance is just one of the myriad of compliance issues. With rugged, mobile field team connectivity you can monitor, receive and verify in a timely manner that compliance items are being addressed.

Increased Field Productivity Means Increased Revenues
With the increase in field productivity, operations efficiency and effectiveness, customer service and quality, you can realize greater revenue retention and growth. Fully functional field support automation systems enable specific customer appointment commitments and, most of all, delighted customers. With delighted customers and the time savings already captured, you can turn your strategic asset (the field force) into a potent sales channel, or at the very least, a source of leads.

Employee Development and Safety
Rugged mobile computing platforms enable on-location training, tracking, and certification, permit OSHA compliance monitoring (if coupled with GPS), provide online access to intranets and electronic distribution, enable near-real time performance metric data reporting, and facilitate remote access to internal business and operations systems.

Recommended Platforms & Applications

FIELD SERVICE APPLICATION -- SHOWCASE PLATFORM

Rugged, reliable, and dependable are the hallmarks of General Dynamics Itronix computers. Whether you need a computer with a compact form factor (such as our Tablet PCs) or something more conventional in size but with military-rated durability (our GoBook XR-1), we have the platforms with the capabilities you can depend on in the worst of conditions.

NEW! Duo-Touch® II Tablet PC

The Duo-Touch® II is a rugged slate Tablet PC with a user-selectable dual active/passive touch screen that puts the power and flexibility of tablet computing to work in environmentally challenging situations.

Mid-sized, lightweight and ergonomic, the Duo-Touch® II boasts the rugged and weatherized features you've come to expect from General Dynamics Itronix. With up to four integrated wireless options in the same device, including GPS, the Duo-Touch II is ready for any wireless network. The Duo-Touch combines the features of an active digitizer with the flexibility of a passive touch screen. Never fear losing your tablet stylus again!

Additionally, the Duo-Touch® II features our award-winning DynaVue™ touchscreen display technology that dramatically increases outdoor viewability through optimizing contrast ratio rather than trying to overpower sunlight with brute force, battery-draining display brightness.

With the Duo-Touch® II, General Dynamics Itronix has taken the best attributes of two generations of Tablet PCs and perfected them for high-performance mobile applications requiring comprehensive wireless capabilities and fully rugged durability. Ideal for industries such as commercial field service, the Duo-Touch® II is backed by General Dynamics Itronix' innovative total-solutions approach for implementation at the enterprise level. For more details, click here.

NEW! GoBook® VR-2 Notebook

General Dynamics Itronix proudly announces the first semi-rugged notebook optimized for vehicle-deployed workforces with new DynaVue™ all-light viewable display technology.

This next generation semi-rugged notebook features the new Intel® Core™2 Duo T7300 2.0 GHz processor, plus ergonomics and wireless features. Designed to meet the needs of mobile workers in a variety of commercial, field service, public safety and military markets, the GoBook VR-2 has a 13.3-inch display with DynaVue technology that offers viewing in all lighting conditions, even direct sunlight.

The only semi-rugged notebook tough enough for vehicle deployments, the GoBook VR-2 meets fully rugged standards for temperature, vibration, dust ingress and humidity. For best-in-class durability and performance, check out the GoBook VR-2—it works where you work. For more details, click here.

NEW! GoBook® XR-1

Launched in October 2006, the GoBook® XR-1 is the world's most powerful, most ergonomic, wireless, rugged notebook ever! Its performance features include:

Intel® Core Duo - 1.83GHz, FSB 667Mhz
Genuine Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional SP2 operating system
ATI M22-CSP/32 external graphics controller,
Removable, shock-mounted, encased, heated hard drive for data swapping and security at extreme temperatures,
Simultaneous support of up to three RF modems (HSDPA, UMTS, EV-DO, 802.11 a/b/g Wireless LAN or Bluetooth technologies)—plus GPS,
Flexible/upgradable CRMA Express® radio architecture, and
New display technology for increased brightness & improved outdoor viewability.

Additionally, its rugged capabilities make it the safest, most rugged notebook in its class: MIL STD 810F compliant, IP54 sealing for dust and water intrusion, truck transport vibration test certified, extensive electro-static discharge testing, comprehensive mechanical life testing, hazardous location certification for combustible environments, and sealed input/output ports for improved ruggedness. Ergonomically the GoBook® XR-1 comes with a large 12.1"display, a full sized NiteVue™ keyboard, the in latest industrial design, all included in a compact form factor that weighs just 3.1 kg (6.8 lbs). Click here to learn why the GoBook® XR-1 is truly an industry leading computing platform!

Mobility XE™
Mobility XE enables standard IP-based applications to be deployed in wireless and mixed network environments. It brings "firewall security" and enterprise-class scalability to wireless communications, and keeps workers seamlessly connected from LAN to WAN to wireless WAN.

Why General Dynamics Itronix?

The General Dynamics Itronix Difference

Wireless Integration and Creative Solutions From an insurance industry perspective, one of General Dynamics Itronix' key advantages is its wireless integration expertise, which includes a comprehensive offering of wireless mobility solutions that provide mobile workers with ubiquitous and roaming wireless coverage, as well as a comprehensive set of hardware platforms designed to allow seamless upgrades as new wireless standards emerge. General Dynamics Itronix has shared its wireless workforce support system integration expertise with numerous companies whose requirements push the limits of traditional wireless mobile computing.

Award-winning iCare® Integration and Support Services
To ensure end-user satisfaction and provide communications companies with a single-source for project consultation, service and support, General Dynamics Itronix can provide comprehensive pre-deployment consultation services and end-to-end life cycle support programs, which include:

Project management
Mobile system design
Application development
Wireless consulting
Implementation

Training
Gold disk image management
Asset and network management
4-tiers of help desk support