Have you ever had an employee out in the field who seemed to get nothing done all day long and when he returned to the office claimed “I couldn’t get a wireless signal!”? Maybe it’s even happened to you, personally.
It’s okay, it’s happened to us all at one point or another.
One time, I drove over two hours to a job location and as I was getting out of the truck realized too late that the charging cord was wrapped around my leg and pulled my laptop right out with me. Boom. Just like that, an entire day of work was lost. It taught me the all-important lesson that you need to bring the right tool for the job. Bringing a flimsy, fragile laptop out into a rural area was a mistake, but one that many businesses make with their employees every day.
“But, but I looked at a rugged computer when I was doing my purchasing and I can get several of those flimsy laptops for the same price!” I hear you say. What you’re not factoring in is the total cost of ownership of that product. How much is replacing that flimsy laptop worth? How much is your employee’s wasted time worth? It’s been estimated that you may be spending 65% more per device by choosing not to use the right tool for the job.
If you have employees who work in the field, do your business a favor and get a rugged computer like the Intermec CN70. It’s rugged, lightweight and is only computer of its kind that conforms to the 3.75 wireless specification, meaning your employees can stay connected and get their jobs done without the threat of breaking flimsy gear.
I’ll bet that I’m not the only one who has had this happen to them, share your best (or worst, depending on your perspective) stories in the comments!
