One example by Verizon...
On October 16, 2008, Verizon Wireless announced their new offering Field Force Manager. The utility is targeted to small, but mobile businesses. Verizon’s Field Force Manager is an all-in-one mobile resource management solution, which enables mobile business customers to reduce operational costs and increase productivity. It is available on a number of devices, including the MOTO Q 9c, BlackBerry Curve 8330, and BlackBerry 8830 World Edition smartphone, with more to be available later this year. The Field Force Manager provides management control in near real-time by allowing the main office to locate remote employees; schedule and dispatch jobs; and receive fleet, job, and employee reports. Remote employees using Field Force Manager on their smartphone device can submit timecards and customer and job status information, plus get turn-by-turn driving directions. Starting at $15.00 per month, Field Force Manager from Verizon Wireless is available with unlimited e-mail on BlackBerry Internet Service or Windows Mobile 6.1.
Verizon has identified a new segment of the small business market that iswilling to pay for a solution, which will allow central location tracking and management of mobile workers. This is an attractive segment of the market since the selling point is to reduce operating costs, increase worker productivity, and streamline business processes instead of price competition.
Written By Heather Taylor, Junior Expert Guide