Many back-office solutions offer mobile applications that can be used by your drivers and technicians in the field.

How does it work?

Mobile apps are installed on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets that travel with your drivers. When these devices are connected to the internet using a wifi network, the mobile apps can communicate with your back-office software.

If there is no wifi internet connection available, mobile apps can use cellular data networks to communicate with the back office. These are the same data networks you use to surf the internet on your cell phone when you’re away from your home’s wifi network. Your access to cellular data will depend on the data plan you’ve purchased from your company’s cellular provider for your mobile devices.

If a data plan is not available, most mobile apps will function offline and then sync with the back-office software as soon as they have internet connection.

Why should I consider mobile technology?

Real-time information flow. The number one benefit of mobile technology is the ability to communicate with your drivers and technicians throughout the day in real time. This means a dispatcher can update a route on the fly to accommodate an emergency will-call stop. Executives can update prices throughout the day to maintain margins. And drivers can mark tickets as completed in the field, instantaneously updating the back office about their progress

Because the mobile app syncs with the back-office system over the internet, there is no need for drivers to come to the office in the morning. They can receive the day’s deliveries directly on their mobile device and immediately set off on their routes.

Improved efficiency. With mobile delivery or mobile service apps, there is no need for paper tickets. Instead, tickets and routes are created in the back office and sent directly to your drivers’ devices. From there, they are marked as completed through the mobile app and posted through the back office. There is no need to print tickets, sort them manually, or distribute them to the drivers.

Better customer experience. With mobile apps, drivers and technicians can do more in the field, like capture a customer’s signature or print a bill while they’re on site, improving the overall experience for your customers.

Geolocation tracking. Mobile devices transmit their geolocation, so if a customer calls in to see when their fuel will be delivered, your customer service rep can see where your driver is on his route and offer an accurate time of arrival. In the unfortunate case of billing disputes, geolocation can be used to confirm a driver was at a customer’s location.

OS options

An operating system, or OS, is software that runs (or operates) a computer, tablet, or smartphone and all of the programs on it. You could think of it like your business’s operations manager, overseeing all the moving pieces and making sure everything happens efficiently and on time. Operating systems do things like:

• Decide which program requires the most of your device’s attention when multiple programs are running
• Coordinate programs’ access to your device’s processor, memory, and storage
• Recognize connections to external devices, like a flash drive or your power cord
• Display status bars or error messages

When it comes to mobile operating systems, you have three options: Android (by Google), Windows (by Microsoft), and iOS (by Apple). Android is the most widely used, representing 68% of the mobile OS market, and here’s why.

Designed for mobile. While Windows OS for mobile is actually the same desktop software that runs on your laptop or desktop computer, Android OS started its life as mobile software with mobile users in mind. Unlike Windows, Android doesn’t try to give you a desktop computer experience. Instead, it delivers a mobile experience.

What does that mean? Android OS is designed to look good and function well on a small screen. And it is built to work with touch screen technology like scrolling, swiping, and tapping. While Windows OS makes sense and feels natural on your desktop computer, Android OS makes sense and feels natural on your mobile device.

Better connectivity. Because Android was designed for mobile use, its mobile connectivity is hands down just better than Windows, which can be unreliable.

The apps. With Android leading the mobile OS market, nearly every app created is compatible with it. The same cannot be said for Windows. Because the number of Windows users is so much lower than the number of Android users, developers often don’t take the time to create Windows-friendly apps. If there are apps you want to use for your business, they may not be available for Windows OS.

Easier to use. All of those apps available for Android OS make for a better user experience, with loads of options to complete tasks outside of a web browser. Plus, have we mentioned that Android is designed for mobile? Instead of replicating desktop processes, Android OS has processes that make sense on a mobile device, making it straightforward and intuitive for users.

Less expensive. Android devices are a fraction of the cost of Windows devices. You will pay two or three times as much for a quality Windows tablet than you will for an Android tablet.

What About Apple?

So where does Apple’s iOS come into play? Android still leads the market over iOS because Apple devices are pricey—just as pricey as Windows devices. And Apple devices don’t use standard ports (like a USB port), which means you need special plugs and adapters just for them, adding to the cost. But the big reason is Apple’s restrictions.

Apple is very protective of its brand and user experience. Because of this, Apple devices are limited to doing what Apple wants them to do. Fuel delivery requires integration to lots of industry-specific hardware like printers, meters, and registers. Android offers the flexibility to connect to these devices while Apple does not.

Not all mobile solutions are created equal

It’s important to know that most fuel delivery software on the market is compatible with Windows, but not all are compatible with Android because Android arrived after they were developed.

In addition, some solutions were built before the age of wifi and cellular data networks. They may include a mobile component, but it might not work like other modern solutions. You may not have real-time information flow, for example. Instead, the mobile devices may have to be plugged in to the back-office system to download routes and update tickets.

Mobile Technology and Cargas Energy

When it comes to software for your business, it’s good to have options. Cargas Energy offers mobile applications for both Windows and Android operating systems that are focused on the specific needs of propane, heating oil, and HVAC service companies.

Our mobile apps take advantage of wifi and cellular data networks to communicate in real time with our back-office software, giving you the flexibility to take action or make strategic changes quickly.

Wondering what mobile technology can do for your business? Contact us to learn more and get a free assessment of your company’s needs.