I just returned from The Logistics & Supply Chain Forum where I gave a workshop on “Mobile Technologies in Supply Chain.” The sessions went very well and I will write more about this topic down the road. But today let me share with you the key takeaways that I presented to the attendees:
- Mobile Internet usage is and will be bigger than most people think.
- Use of mobile technologies by consumers is growing quickly, especially in Asia and emerging economies. This will impact supply chains.
- Mobile + Social Media = Process Innovation
- Supply chain software vendors are investing heavily in mobile solutions.
- Early adopters, including CPG companies and 3PLs, are already achieving benefits (see “The iPhone as a Logistics Visibility Device” and “Do You Have A Mobile Commerce Strategy in Place?” and “Rethinking CRM: Social Media at a 3PL”).
On my flight down to Atlanta on Delta, I was paging through the in-flight magazine and learned that you can now go through security using an electronic boarding pass displayed on your mobile phone. So, as you’re riding in the cab to the airport, you can check in for your flight via your smartphone and Delta will send an “eBoarding Pass” to your phone. When you get to the airport, just go straight to security and hand them your ID and phone displaying the eBoarding Pass. At the gate, hand the agent your phone to scan the 2D barcode on the eBoarding Pass and you’re on.
Delta eBoarding Pass (click to enlarge)
I was tempted to try this new process on my return flight, but I hesitated because I wondered if all TSA and Delta agents had been informed and trained about this new process. My fear was that the security agent or gate attendant would make me stand aside while they called around to figure out what was going on, and then they would send me to different places and lines to get a “real” boarding pass. Since I had to get home on time yesterday for my daughter’s piano recital, I couldn’t take the risk.
The point I’m trying to make is that training and communication are critical factors when introducing a new process, especially when new technology is involved. Also, if the airlines can use bar coded electronic documents on mobile phones to innovate and streamline their processes, why can’t manufacturers, retailers, and 3PLs do the same for their supply chain processes? Instead of a boarding pass displayed on the phone, why not an advance ship notice (ASN) or other logistics document?
Yesterday, Con-way announced a new service that underscores my point about Mobile + Social Media = Process Innovation (see “Con-way Multimodal Unveils New Twitter Feed to Help Match Carriers with Available Freight”). Simply put, Con-way Multimodal is providing carriers with visibility to available loads via Twitter (Conway TweetLoad), which drivers can access with a smartphone. If a driver sees a load he wants to bid on, he simply clicks on the link to access the portal and complete the transaction. Or if he has an iPhone, he can click on the phone number, which automatically initiates the call to the agent.
(The expectation, of course, is that drivers will not be checking Conway TweetLoad while driving. Otherwise, this could give a black eye to Con-way and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s distracted driving initiative).
Below are some screenshots of Conway Tweetload, including a couple showing how the feed appears on my iPhone (you can also watch a video demo here).
Screenshots of Conway TweetLoad (click to enlarge)
As explained in the press release, “To create the TweetLoad functionality, Con-way Multimodal IT professionals designed a patent-pending application that extracts key information on available loads from the company’s load board, LINK, and uses it to populate individual load tweets viewable by TweetLoad followers. The application checks and transmits any new loads every 15 minutes to keep information up to date for carriers following it.”
The bottom line: Yes, consumers and consumer-oriented companies are leading the way in leveraging mobile technologies and social media, but a growing number of B2B companies are also early adopters. And for all of the criticism transportation providers and 3PLs get about their supposed lack of IT capabilities, companies like Con-way, C.H. Robinson, and D.W. Morgan are already investing in social media and mobile technologies to innovate some of their processes. We’re at the beginning of the learning curve and some (perhaps many) of these initiatives will not succeed. But if you believe that process innovation, and perhaps even business model innovation, is what will differentiate your company from the competition and drive future success, then you need to start thinking about how mobile technologies linked with social media can help you get there.
(Note: Con-way, C.H. Robinson, and D.W. Morgan are ARC clients)
Great piece…it illustrates how quickly the pace of change comes at all of us. For the record, we are absolutely asking that users of Con-way TweetLoad receive read and respond to their TweetLoad opportunities while their vehicles are parked. We have actually included it in the Con-way TweetLoad training video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zL7h7kTU1M