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The Benefits of Automated Retail Data Collection

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Data Collection: Mobile vs. Paper-Based

When collecting retail data, companies often rely on traditional

paper-based forms and general-purpose software like MS Word and

MS Excel, Google Docs, Notes, etc. They also use traditional ways of

communicating with field reps – paper reports, phone calls, SMS, and

email messages.

At first glance, paper-based forms may seem economical and

cost-effective, but as a matter of fact it can really be costly in terms of

wasted time and low productivity.

Therefore, some of the most experienced and sophisticated

retailers opt for paperless data collection to reduce costs and

become more efficient, both in the field and in the back-office.

In this paper we’ll consider the ways in which companies can

reduce the cost of switching to paperless data collection in order to

improve the bottom-line and increase the efficiency of field-force

management.

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The cost of paper itself is not the only reason to automate data collection. Mobile data collection forms help improve the accuracy of the data collection process, reduce data-entry errors, and instantly aggregate the data collected, which eliminates time wasted from using paper forms and streamlines your data collection process.

The most obvious expense incurred during paper-based data collection is the cost of paper. An average office manager uses 10,000 sheets of paper annually. Even assuming that a field rep performing

5 – 8 retail visits during a workday needs only one sheet of paper for each visit (even though this is not realistic), it would add up to a use of 1200 – 2000 sheets per year for one rep.

Why Go Paperless?

According to general estimations, the average cost of a wasted

page is $0.06. So for a company that has 15 field reps and 2 office

managers the approximate cost of yearly wasted paper sheets is $2280 –

$3000 or $70 – $120 per field rep and $600 per office manager.

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How to Go Paperless

In this regard, most of the

companies opt for SaaS

solutions for paperless

data collection as to avoid

the extra costs of server

hardware and IT support.

Even so there are at least

two things to be considered

when deciding to go

paperless: the cost of

software itself and the

cost of hardware.

Today you can completely eliminate paper forms by implementing a

retail data collection software solution. Automated data collection allows

companies to reduce the cost of its operations by cutting the amount of

paper used with a large staff in the field and the office space required to

handle that paper.

However, it can quickly get very expensive if a company decides to

develop its own software solution for retail data collection and to provide

its field reps portable mobile devices so they can go paperless. The cost

of a software development varies greatly depending on the needs and the

opportunities of a company. Usually it works for large companies that can

afford to invest in new technologies in order to obtain competitive

advantage.

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Reducing Software Expenses

In order to get access to the digital methods of paperless retail data

collection a company has to purchase some kind of data collection software

solution. It usually consists of a web application and a mobile app allowing

your field reps to collect data using their tablets and smartphones and your

office managers to monitor and analyze field team activities using web-

based dashboards and reports.

There are many types of software pricing models. In a Subscription

Model, a company pays a fee on a recurring basis to access software as

an online service. It is usually a flat rate for the services provided, charged

monthly or annually. Sometimes a one-time setup fee may incur. It should

be noted that the Subscription model is not typical for SaaS data collection

solutions, unlike the Pay-Per-User and Pay-As-You-Go pricing models.

Some of the providers even offer free trial or even free premium

pricing models that offer core services or features for free and charges a

premium for more sophisticated components, so you can decide whether to

implement the software or not without any investment.

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The Pay-Per-User pricing implies that a company pays a certain

amount, usually per month for each user that needs access to the

application. A variation of the Pay-Per-User pricing model is the

Pay-Per-Multiple-User pricing model, in which a separate cost is incurred

for a specified number of users.

The Pay-As-You-Go pricing model is a usage-based model in

which companies only pay for what they use, with no recurring or base

fees. Companies are only required to pay for the actual volume of

resources consumed. In case of field reps management a company pays

for number of visits performed by field reps. The price starts from

$0.08 per executed visit and usually depends on the volume of

executed visits. In this case, the software provider might charge a

minimum monthly usage fee.

Some SaaS providers also

differentiate office-users and field-team

members, so the pricing may vary.

According to estimates, the price range is

$10-$65/month per field rep and $50-

$75/month per office user with $500 setup

fee

(The Expert Guide to Buying Field Service Management Software)

. In the Pay-Per-User pricing model,

additional fees may incur for technical

support, customer service, and updates.

Pay-Per-User or Pay-As-You-Go

Both models have their own advantages that should be considered

while choosing a type of pricing. The Pay-Per-User model is good for

accurate budget planning and calculating the expected costs. The Pay-

As-You-Go model allows for more flexible pricing, so a company can

start data collection automation with fewer up-front risks.

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BYOD : Eliminating Hardware Costs

Corporate business plans

for 10 lines start at around

$90/month for 20GB of shared

data. Adding unlimited talks and

text we get $240 – $440 per

month, and $2280 – $5280 per

year.

Fortunately advanced software solutions for data collection offer

BYOD implementation to reduce communication costs and to

completely eliminate the cost of hardware. Instead of the company

purchasing tablets and smartphones, field staff can use their own

devices to perform their daily data collection activities. Besides saving

on hardware, companies save time and money on training staff and

field reps can be more effective using a device they are already

accustomed to.

Although state-of-the-art data collection software provides the

ability to capture data offline, your field reps still need Internet

connection to synchronize and share the information.

Assuming that field reps also need the devices to store mobile

forms and collect data it may seem the material costs for paper-based

data collection vs. data collection software are close and the idea of

going paperless is ineffective.

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Cloud: Make Away with Data Storage Costs

Moreover, today you can even store your

retail data completely free if you opt for Cloud-

based data collection software. State-of-the-art

data collection SaaS providers usually offer

Cloud storage as part of their service. If you

adopt a Cloud solution for retail audits you can

count on the best service availability even if your

company is multinational and runs in different

countries and time zones. Being on the Cloud

also makes it possible for field sales reps to

work offline, and the system will automatically

synchronize once an Internet connection is

established.

In order to store 2 million paper documents, an organization can

expect to spend between $40,000 and $60,000 on filing cabinets alone.

Those same files could fit on fewer than ten CD-ROMs

(Business Guide to Paper Reduction). If we assume that a filing cabinet

uses from 6 to 20 square feet of space and the office space costs

$23 per square foot, the space for a one filing cabinet will cost a company

$1656– 5520 per year.  

When you choose paperless data collection your data storage costs

can be significantly reduced or even brought to zero. Digital data collected

using mobile forms require much less space than paper sheets and

therefore cost less money. The additional advantage of storing data in the

Cloud is that all the data can be accessed anytime, anywhere and on any

device. With the development of mobile technology you don’t need CDs or

any other data carriers to store and access your data. More and more

companies opt for Cloud storage. The price of Cloud storage starts at

$0.01 GB per month and the average number of MS Word pages per GB is

64782.

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Main Conclusions

Data collection software implementation allows companies to

improve accuracy of data collection process, reduce data-entry errors,

and increase productivity of field reps that immediately increases the

overall efficiency of an organization.

There are several ways to reduce costs when switching to paperless

data collection:

• Opt for a SaaS data collection solution to avoid the extra costs of

server and IT support

• Implement BYOD, allowing employees to use their own tablets and

smartphones for task performance to eliminate hardware costs and

save time and money on staff training

• Choose Cloud data collection software to cut data storage costs and

get the best service availability

• Take advantage of free accounts with limited number of users or

pay-as-you-go pricing to reduce software expenses and to start your

data collection automation at little to no risk

Mobile data collection software assures that all the information from the field is uploaded to the corporate database as it is collected, what eliminates the time wasted from using paper forms and streamlines your data collection processes.

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CONTACT INFO

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sales@visitbasis.com

Toll Free: +1 (800) 497-6293Phone: +1 (954) 505-2059

Data collection automation

software grants your field reps the

ability to capture data anytime and

anywhere using their own mobile

devices.

Additionally, while using an

automated data collection system,

your office managers are able to

process large amounts of data by

pushing a single button.

Data collection automation

eliminates manual data entry,

saving time and lowering the rate

of errors, increasing efficiency and

revenues.