Nine Things Developers Need to Know about Replacing Dedicated Scanners with Mobile Data Capture

| Developers

phone scanning barcode

For developers, perhaps the biggest obstacle to getting your organization on board with adopting a disruptive technology like mobile data capture is making the case for a great return on investment (ROI).  Here are 9 questions that finance and operations executives will likely ask developers before agreeing to replace dedicated mobile barcode scanners with mobile data capture technology.

Having the right answers will go a long way toward getting company-wide buy-in for a mobile data capture implementation project.

1. Which solution provides lower total cost of ownership (TCO)?  A smartphone, tablet or wearable device running cloud-based mobile data capture software offers a TCO up to 5x less than a dedicated scanner, while providing access to a broader range of functionality.

2. Which devices cost more to replace? Replacing dedicated scanner hardware is costly. Replacement cycles for dedicated scanners are slow (5-7 years), but the hardware is mostly a generation or two behind state of the art devices. The replacement cycle for mobile devices is 1-2 years, but the hardware costs only a fraction of the price of dedicated scanners. Depending on technology and brand needs, upgrading mobile devices can be put off a cycle or two.

3. What are the training costs? Dedicated scanners require a short ramp-up time. Employees and customers are already familiar with mobile device hardware and the user experience. Beyond understanding the applications, nothing new needs to be learned.

4. What kind of support will be required? Dedicated scanner support scenarios can vary. With mobile devices, the manufacturer or the carrier/reseller provides support. If you don’t develop data capture applications internally, the integrator and/or software vendor provides support. In some cases, an integrator is responsible for both software and hardware.

5. Is the solution built for the future? Mobile device-based solutions are built on familiar and widely available hardware and software platforms that continuously improve. Dedicated scanners are not intuitively familiar and require cumbersome manual upgrades.

6. Are the devices comfortable for use over a long period of time? Dedicated scanners are typically cumbersome and awkward. You can add a variety of peripherals to mobile devices to ensure the desired ergonomic requirements are fulfilled. Purpose-built cases, such as the Scandit Case, make a dedicated scanner-like, point-to-scan experience possible.

7. Is scanning fast and reliable in in a variety of scanning scenarios? Mobile devices running cloud-based data capture software perform effectively in challenging scanning situations such as low lighting, difficult angles, and blurred, tiny or damaged codes.

8. What is battery life and performance like? Mobile devices running the Scandit Barcode Scanner SDK can easily perform more than 1,000 scans on one charge. Several third-party vendors offer accessories that aid battery life and performance, such as docking stations, charging banks and backup batteries, for a variety of mobile devices.

9. Does the solution fit my company’s brand and image? Scandit runs and performs well on virtually all mobile devices – customers may choose the platform and device that suits their purpose and reflects/supports their brand the best.

Click here to have a Scandit solutions representative help you answer these questions and get you started on your dedicated scanner replacement project. Developers seeking resources should click here. Click here to test the power of the Scandit Barcode Scanner SDK.