Energy theft is more common than most people realise. It’s an international problem with billions of dollars being stolen from utilities every year.
South Africa is no exception and our own utilities are also experiencing massive losses, and not just on the energy side, all utility services are affected. The reality is that these losses will ultimately be passed on in the form of higher rates, so any form of revenue loss experienced is going to affect every utility customer. There are a number of associations taking proactive steps to highlight the issues around revenue protection and theft, but at the end of the day, it’s the utility itself that has the most influence on how well it protects its revenue streams.
Sometimes it’s the simple ideas that can have the biggest effect. Give every employee in the utility a real-time mobile tool to capture and report on suspicions of energy theft, and see the effect this can have on reducing revenue loss. With this in mind, Touchwork has developed Utiviti - a suite of mobile productivity tools for utilities that are specifically geared towards maximising fieldworker productivity and at the same time finding ways of reducing revenue loss.
Utiviti uses ordinary cellphones as data collection devices in the field - so utilities don’t have to go out and purchase additional hardware, you can make use of cellphones already in the hands of your own or outsourced staff. Utiviti Theft Detector enables you to create a survey that everyone can access using their cellphones, to fill in details relating to the suspicion of theft. This could include photographic, audio or video supporting evidence. Once captured, automated alerts and workflow tools will ensure the relevant people in the organisation become aware of, and investigate any suspicion of theft recorded.
Simple and cost effective tools can go a long way to addressing revenue loss associated with unauthorised use of utility services, and if used correctly throughout the organisation, can result in significant savings to the organisation concerned.
For more information on Utiviti Theft Detector or any of the other Utiviti Mobile Solutions, go to our website www.touchwork.com or www.utiviti.com
Written by Thomas Lee and found on StarTribune Business (Article) - Jan 2012.
NEW YORK - Retailers had a lot on their minds during the National Retail Federation's annual conference last week: the weak economy, overseas expansion, Internet sales taxes. But for some executives, one particular image came into focus: the actor Tom Cruise.
More specifically, the character Cruise played in the 2002 sci-fi movie "Minority Report," directed by Steven Spielberg. In one scene, Cruise walks into a Gap and after a computer scans his retina, a holographic image appears and offers him a deal on clothing based on his past purchases.
"I thought that was kind of creepy," said David Jaffe, CEO of Ascena Retail Group Inc., which owns Duluth-based women's apparel store Maurices.
Conversely, David Lauren, the executive vice president of advertising and marketing for Ralph Lauren Corp., was impressed with the futuristic technology, in particular a smart window of various images and data Cruise could manipulate via sensors attached to a special glove. He liked it so much that Ralph Lauren actually created one.
"Spielberg called and asked how we built it," Lauren boasted.
In some ways, the two keynote speakers' contrasting takes on the film reflect retailers' ambivalence toward the latest gizmos and gadgets. Despite the explosive growth of mobile devices and online sales, retailers have waded only gingerly into digital technology, experts say.
Nowhere was that conflict more on display than the NRF gathering, where attendees pondered how to best integrate websites and social media into old fashioned brick and mortar stores.
"Retailers are starting to get cautious" about spending big money on high tech, said Alison Paul, vice chairman and U.S. retail and distribution leader for consulting firm Deloitte. "Just because the guy next door is going to give his sales associates tablets doesn't necessarily mean it will work with your store and customers. Every new, expensive technology is not going to fit in with the brand experience."
According to a recent Deloitte survey of retail executives, nearly half said they are playing catch-up to competitors or taking a wait-and-see approach.
"Making the right investments in [information technology] is not a matter of money," the report said. "It is a matter of priority."
Retailing is generally a conservative business, and tech crazes over the years have come and gone to no avail. Just a few years ago, analysts predicted radio frequency identification (RFID) tags would transform the industry. But RFID, which uses radio waves to track items going in and out of stores and warehouses, proved to be too expensive and cumbersome.
Today, smartphones and tablets are the latest buzz -- and for good reason. Fueled in part by mobile devices, online holiday sales last year jumped 15 percent to $37.2 billion, according to ComScore. As traditional stores' share of overall shopping dollars continues to fall, the growing consensus among experts is that retailers have crossed some sort of technological/cultural threshold.
"E-commerce has joined the mainstream as a holiday shopping option and we can no longer think of e-commerce as an 'emerging' channel," according to a recent report from Chase Paymentech.
But what exactly does that mean?
Take Ascena Retail. The company recently experimented with equipping its stores with iPads. The company theorized customers can purchase items not found in the stores like clothing in different sizes and colors. In the end, shoppers didn't bite.
"There were very few orders," Jaffe said. The iPads are great but expensive." Ascena also tried interactive store windows that shoppers could touch to access information. Again, few takers.
Like many retailers, Best Buy Co. Inc., based in Richfield, monitors chatter about the consumer electronics giant on Twitter and Facebook. But the retailer has yet to figure out how to make sense of all of that information, said Mark Herzog, who oversees consumer research for Best Buy.*
"We're trying to be more research-focused," Herzog said.
Retailers are cautious because consumers, not businesses, possess the latest technology and know how to effectively use it, Paul said. Shoppers today can instantaneously compare prices, locate products and identify the best deals with a click of a button.
A better bet for retailers, Paul suggested, is to invest their cash on people. Stores today need a more skilled workforce that can promote brands and guide shoppers through this interaction between online and physical stores, she said.
"Consumers don't see the difference between the website and the store," Paul said.
SurveyThumb offers retailers a software solution that integrates mobile into their consumer and marketing strategy. Consumers use their own mobile technology to give feedback and interact with the store, and therefore no additional hardware investment is required. Furthermore, this software integrates social media channels - so all consumer feedback can be monitored and addressed from one central web portal. Information here is fully user configurable, with a library of reporting widgets available. This ensures retailers get to see the data relevant to them in the format they require.
To read more about this product, click here. If you would like one of our industry experts to contact you, click here.
SurveyThumb offers retailers the opportunity to integrate a mobile element into their marketing, sales and operation strategies. This innovative product was developed by Touchwork – an international industry leader in mobile solutions - and requires no additional hardware investment.
Why retailers should buckle up for mobile commerce – an article reposted
- Written by Mike Grimes, CEO of Modiv Media, and found on Mobile Marketer: www.mobilemarketer.com (Article) - Jan 2012.
In case you did not get the memo yet, it is time to put down the scissors and pick up your smartphones.
The days of clipping coupons, paying through a traditional checkout lane and even handwriting shopping lists are coming to a close.
With growing smartphone adoption, shoppers are charging ahead with increasingly high expectations that are centered on their mobile devices.
To keep customers engaged, grocers and other retailers need to provide customers with value, convenience and innovation – or risk losing them entirely. This sounds like old news, but the truth is, many retailers might think they are in the passing lane when they are really still stuck on the on-ramp.
Mobile super highway
Smartphone growth rates have had a heavy effect on retailers.
According to comScore/Mobilens, as of July 2011, nearly 82.2 million people nationwide own a smartphone, up 10 percent from the previous three months.
The North American Technographics Retail Survey conducted by Forrester Research in the third quarter of 2010 revealed that in the six preceding months mobile commerce purchases grew 25 percent faster than any other channel.
In a marketplace flooded with mobile applications and endless offers, retailers are eager to jump on the mobile bandwagon and deliver mobile commerce solutions that provide true and fundamental value to the shopper.
Consumers are rarely without their mobile devices, opening new market opportunities for time- and location-specific services.
For retailers, that means shoppers must be engaged wherever they are – both in the store and out of the store.
With smartphones nearly always on, the mobile platform is a channel like no other – if done correctly, the possibilities for customer engagement and brand building are virtually without limits.
Retailers are still learning, however, that mobile technology should augment the traditional shopping experience – not replace it. Mobile’s strength in retail is that it can be complementary – it is more personal, location-aware and delivers a wealth of on-the-spot information.
Getting to the destination
The results of a recent Forrester mobile commerce report found that 38 percent of retailers surveyed believe they do not have the right skills and expertise to approach mobile. Choosing the right partner to pair with your strategy is critical to capitalize on the window of opportunity that is now open.
In considering strategic partners, seek out a partner with:
• Direct experience and a track record of successfully bringing innovation to an industry slow to change
• Ability to integrate with existing systems, processes and people
• A commitment to continuous innovation
Driving the future
Mobile commerce allows retailers to build loyalty by providing a superior experience with their brand.
For the retailer, that means delivering a single solution that:
• Enhances the shopper experience from the moment that customer enters the store through checkout
• Learns shopper preferences over time, delivering targeted offers aisle-by-aisle
• Anticipates a customer’s needs and wants, for example, giving them new ideas for meals and recipes based on learned preferences, thereby encouraging the purchase of new products and increasing incremental sales
To keep up with consumers and their on-the-spot, on-the-go shopping, it is critical for retailers to invest their future in mobile commerce.
As mobile commerce continues to rise, so does the importance of the in-store shopping experience.
Along with convenience, personalization and savings, retailers need to start planning for what is next: the push for sustaining customer loyalty and mobile payment solutions.
The right mobile commerce strategy begins with fundamental utility: saving your shopper time and money.
Utiviti Theft Detector is the latest tool in the Utiviti suite of mobile workforce solutions. It is unique and empowers every utility employee to become the eyes and ears of the Revenue Protection department - able to immediately report suspicions of energy theft or tampering.
There are two elements:
The Mobile Theft Detector form contains the data fields necessary to file a theft report. These are accessed via links on the field workers device. These links work on all ordinary cell phones, smart phones, tablets and PC’s that are on-line with internet connectivity.
The Web Portal is where theft detection forms are set-up, theft reports are monitored and analysed; and report history tracked.
Main Benefits:
• Provide a consistent mechanism for all utility staff to report suspicions of theft or tampering
• Dramatically increase the number of field reports, which results in increased revenue recovery
• Ability to collect photographic/video evidence before it can be destroyed
• Supports voice memo’s for easier and more comprehensive reports
• Geo-stamped with date/time stamps to maximise data integrity
• Easy to use – maximises adoption and therefore reports filed
• Reduce your energy losses and increase revenue recovery
• Provides a central repository of tamper reports for ongoing analysis
• Automates workflow which improves turnaround times from initial theft suspicion to report resolution
Click here to find out more, or alternatively contact us directly.
SurveyThumb offers the retail and FMCG market the opportunity to engage with their customers – using their mobile phone as the channel. This allows for real-time feedback, interaction, queries, information dispersion, and a modern competitive advantage. Click here to read more about SurveyThumb, alternatively, contact us directly here.
Pacific Natural Foods puts QR codes on packaging to simplify shopping - an article reposted
- Written by Chantal Tode and found on Mobile Commerce Daily: www.mobilecommercedaily.com (Article) - Jan 2012.
In its first move into mobile marketing, Pacific Natural Foods is rolling out new packaging this year that features QR codes as a way to simplify shopping for groceries in a store.
The QR codes provide usage ideas and recipes when scanned with a smarpthone. The company expects the recipe ideas to help drive larger basket sizes.
“QR give us the opportunity to provide consumers with more information than we can fit on the package,” said Jennifer Herrick, marketing communications manager for Pacific Natural Foods, Tualatin, OR. “Through these links, Pacific offers how-to videos, usage ideas and recipes, shopping lists and information about where our ingredients come from.
“We put QR codes on package to help consumers make shopping decisions in the aisle,” she said.
Sales tool
Marketers across a wide range of categories are embracing 2D bar codes such as QR codes as penetration of smartphones increases and consumers show an affinity for using their phones to scan a variety of bar codes.
In a recent survey, Scanbuy Inc. found that half of marketers are already using 2D bar codes as part of their overall marketing strategy and 86 percent plan to use the technology in the future.
Over 100 marketers in industries such as healthcare, retail and entertainment were surveyed.
A separate survey from Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies found that half of smartphone owners have scanned QR codes and 18 percent of them made a purchase after scanning.
Placing QR codes on packaged goods give brands a way to engage consumers while making it easy for consumers to access relevant information that there is not enough room on the packaging to display.
Pacific Natural Foods’ new packaging features the QR codes on the side of the packaging to give consumers a way to easily access recipe ideas, vidoes and other information when they are in a store making their purchasing decisions.
Cosmetics brand Smashbox put mobile bar codes on some of its products to educate consumers about its makeup with the QR codes leading to mobile tutorial videos.
Heinz Ketchup used QR codes on the back of its ketchup bottles to enable consumers to play a trivia game and enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win one of several prizes.
Quaker Oats used QR codes boxes of Quaker Chewy Granola Bars to initiate a dialogue with customers that continues online. By scanning the codes, customers can see a preview of how they can send their kids personalized messages from teen musician Nick Jonas.
The new packaging featuring QR codes from Pacific Natural Foods should be on shelves by mid-2012.
“We hope it will give consumers information that they’re seeking, be it about ways to use the products, recipes or cooking tips and techniques,” Ms. Herrick said. “We hope that this additional information also increases sales of Pacific products and overall basket ring for retailers.”
Utiviti has added yet another product to its suite of workforce solutions. These solutions are all designed to better manage and operate current paper-based processes.
Utiviti Meter Auditor is used to collect meter data when installing meters, conducting meter sweeps, or validating existing utility databases. This data can then be analysed and reported via a web portal, or exported for integration with other applications. And pertinent to note is that there are no additional hardware required. 
Key advantages...
• End to manual data processes
• Reduce duplication of data and errors
• No more paper, data is electronic from the time of capture ("green"!)
• Attach photographic evidence to validate data
• Geo-stamped and date/time stamped to maximise data integrity
• Improves fieldworker performance
• Can use barcode scanning to automate field processes
• Data is available in real-time
• Fully flexible and configurable solution
The How...
The Mobile Audits contain the questions and/or data fields being collected, and are accessed via links distributed to the field workers device. These links work on all ordinary cell phones, smart phones, tablets and PC’s that are on-line with internet connectivity. The Web Portal is where the initial configuration takes place, audits are set-up and the analysis and reporting of data collected is managed.
If you would like our industry expert to chat to you about how you can deploy the Meter Auditor in your business or municipality, please contact us.
Below is an Infographic examining consumer spend and the resulting retailer expansion/decline. To see examples of how you can improve your business and sales with SurveyThumb, click here.
Touchwork has launched a new and unique product that allows you to receive, track and manage alerts from the field in real-time.
Utiviti Alert Manager is part of the
Utiviti suite of smart, multi-platform solutions to make your workforce more productive, and your utility processes more efficient.
Imagine if (without additional hardware) you could...
• Immediately know about field problems in real-time
• Make it easy for field teams to report problems
• Easily monitor progress to resolve the problem
• Empower all your staff to make meaningful suggestions
• Save money and improve service delivery/quality
This breakthrough mobile service can immediately improve operational effectiveness in your municipality or company. It can also act as an electronic “suggestion box” – allowing staff to report a problem or issue when they see it, or make a suggestion they think could add value to the organisation. Furthermore, it could be used as a channel to commend a colleague for work done that deserved special mention.
Whether it’s on a mobile phone or the office PC, the
Utiviti Alert Manager opens new channels of communication to manage the valuable flow of information.
To see an example of a fault reporting survey on your phone, either:
• Scan the QR code
• Type this into your mobile web browser - http://bit.ly/uMEvQ6
• Click
here to open it up on your PC web browser
Top Promotions is an in-store promotions company, specializing in demonstrating products and services within retail stores, at expos and special events. Founded in 1993, Top Promotions provides these services to a number of leading consumer brands throughout South Africa.
Due to the competitiveness of the market and the dynamics of the industry, their client (Pink Lady® Apples) had a need for more real-time and regular reporting on how their brand was performing in the retail trade.
SurveyThumb was able to provide a solution to this. The result...
- 25% more calls were made
- 100% reduction in printing and paper costs
- 70% reduction in admin costs
- Monthly reports generated automatically and delivered to multiple users via email
Click here to download the complete (pdf) Executive Case Study:Top Promotions and Pink Lady® Apples use Cell Phones for Collecting in-store Data.
Touchwork recently attended and presented at the 2011 AMEU Convention in Cape Town, South Africa.
AMEU is an association of municipal electricity distributors as well as national, parastatal, commercial, academic and other organisations that have a direct interest in the electricity supply industry in Southern Africa.
Touchwork spoke on the benefits of using mobile technology to improve workforce productivity, and make utility processes more efficient. Touchwork offers a software solution specifically for this - Utiviti.
Click on the title below for the free 2 page pdf whitepaper - As presented at and published by the 23rd AMEU Technical Convention 2011.
To contact us, or read more about Utiviti - please visit our website.
