|
"MobileDoc"
& Dashboarding Insurance Adjusters
by Mark Sedenquist
Here
are two more items of interest to dashboarders gleaned from
the wireless smorgasboard at the Cellular
Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) show in
New Orleans:
- "MobileDoc"
software created by Xerox
Although
the cost of this application currently exceeds the reach
and scope of most dashboard entrepreneurs, it may point
to a solution for other mobile professionals. Imagine being
able to obtain copies of documents that you inadvertently
left in your office when no one is able to go and get them
for you physically, or having 24 -hour access to your database
when you can't use a laptop. Employing a hand-held wireless
device, (like a PDA or a pager that can access the network
server), the user selects a icon that represents the desired
file or document. Once it's selected, the user can identify
a fax number to which the document will be sent. It can
also be sent as e-mail with an attached file. The software
handles the selection, acquisition and transfer of the requested
documents to any location specified by the user. This application
is, in my view, ideal for working in "Dynamic Space"
(See Road Wirer 16).
- Dashboarding
Insurance Adjusters
In
Road Wirer 7, I wrote about the rugged,
on-the-road computers that Itronix (www.itronix.com)
was building. In New Orleans I learned about a working application
that holds clear promise for dashboard entrepreneurs. Drawing
upon the combined resources of several service providers,
field insurance adjusters for Country Companies Insurance
in the Chicago area are using hand- held wireless devices
to send and receive assignments and estimates for vehicle
repairs and loss evaluations. Processing time for many claims
has been significantly reduced since the appraisers no longer
have to return to the office to input the paperwork. Perhaps
a logical extension of this approach might involve having
the consumer being able to contact the insurance company
directly in the event of an accident or other problem through
built-in wireless notification equipment.
I
am currently looking into some of the pre-paid cellular plans
now available, and I will be reporting my conclusions next
week. Let's hope I find some that will put an end to the monthly
surprises inside the envelope when the roaming bills come
home.
Let
me hear from you!
|
