Leading Supplier of Modular Space Assesses Business Value in a Shift Toward Enterprise Mobility

Business Need

William Scotsman is a leading global business services provider focused on modular space, secure portable storage solutions, and workforce camp accommodations. The company, now a part of Algeco Scotsman, has thousands of employees and a presence in more than 37 different countries. Their customers are varied, from commercial to government, and they meet the needs of anyone requiring temporary structures.

Since a number of business processes happen from the field, in 2011, the management at William Scotsman recognized that they could greatly benefit from mobile applications, and particularly business-to-employee (B2E) applications. Due to the large number of employees, clients, and other sales components to keep track of, the company’s managers were looking to incorporate mobile applications into their business strategy. Many business processes still happened manually, and as the company was growing and merging into its international parent, Algeco, there was an opportunity to modernize legacy systems, streamline data capture and processing, and improve interface with customers.

The need for clarity arose, however, because the team had never worked with mobility before. Understanding the best approach, cost implications, and timelines was critical in order to make IT and business decisions about enterprise mobility.

Solution and Approach

As with any digital transformation, developing a deep understanding of the technology, its application in a customized business scenario, and a thorough understanding of an implementable roadmap was a critical first step. Synoptek (formerly Indusa) collaborated with William Scotsman in order to provide a framework of appropriate mobile apps as well as a strategy for implementation. Part of these services was a comprehensive business value assessment in order to properly align William Scotsman’s business goals with their mobile app strategy and to maximize their return on investment. The primary business goals were to gain a competitive advantage and improve processes by reducing paperwork, empowering employees, and increasing overall efficiency through mobility.

During the business value assessment phase, Synoptek thoroughly analyzed William Scotsman’s business structure and existing IT services in order to craft a customized plan for implementation and adoption. As a part of the analysis, a study was carried out focused on the four major business stakeholders that would benefit from use of a mobile application – sales, service, executives, and customers.

Synoptek also conducted a brainstorming workshop onsite in order to better align the mobility roadmap with business priorities, as well as mapping out the framework for future mobile app strategy and implementation. The workshop was attended by staff across multiple departments and various levels of leadership, ensuring a diverse representation of the company’s needs, including the CIO, Director of Application Development, major LOB managers, and other IT staff.

This workshop included interactive informational sessions and discussion groups, which produced a list of functions that the team wished to see in their mobile apps. This list was then segmented into several smaller groups based off of which departments or services they would most benefit. These workshops would eventually provide the framework for several prototype apps used to demonstrate the power of mobility within William Scotsman’s business structure.

Then, Synoptek created a series of strategies for the mobile app implementation, including the development and technical architecture of several prototype applications, a detailed cost explanation, and a roadmap for the entire suite of mobile apps. These strategies were developed in tandem with William Scotsman’s IT team in order to ensure that the technical specifications, any recommendations, and the overall budget, were all aligned.

Using the information gathered from the meetings and workshops, three primary UI app mock-ups were developed based off of the individual business needs and priorities of William Scotsman. The prototype apps designed were a customer self-service app, an inbound inspection app, and a service request app.

The customer service app would allow customers to perform a variety of functions without the assistance of William Scotsman personnel. Customers could browse a product catalog, request a quote, request service, request to be contacted directly, and view targeted promotions that might interest them. This app would increase the customer-focus of William Scotsman, providing additional value to their customers, and ultimately increasing revenue through more responsive and higher quality services.

The inbound inspection app would be used in conjunction with tablets. It allowed for inbound inspection processes such as container inspection, fleet attributes, condition coding, and the ability to upload pictures, and damage assessment tools. This app would be seamlessly integrated into their existing business processes and their JD Edwards ERP, ensuring the accuracy of information and increasing productivity.

The service app would also be for use in conjunction with tablets. It provided a number of functions including service ordering, order details, route planning, the ability to upload pictures, and the ability to update customers’ order status. This mobile app would serve to improve customer relations and overall productivity by simplifying customer service functions. Together, these apps bundled business processes and provided a roadmap for William Scotsman to begin implementing B2E mobile applications.

Business Results

All three of these apps would provide support for functions essential to William Scotsman and its clients, as well as streamlining many services with the use of innovative technology solutions. By relying on a mobile solution, William Scotsman could ultimately meet their three original goals: reducing paperwork, increasing efficiency, and empowering employees.

Through Synoptek’s strategic framing and consultative workshop, William Scotsman gained an in-depth analysis of their business priorities and how mobility maps to those priorities. Most importantly, the business value assessment helped the company gain insight into how disparate processes could be integrated through groups of applications. The strategy engagement better allowed executives and management to understand the paths and strategies they could use if they ultimately decided to implement mobile applications into their workforce in the effort to digitally transform their business.