3 Tips for Choosing the Right Device to Work Smarter

Barcode scanning is an essential activity for workers across a range of industries to get things done, be more productive and capture data. Today businesses which want to equip their staff with the right device to do various hands-on tasks, across a range of environments, are looking beyond traditional dedicated handheld scanners to smart devices. Modern smart devices, paired with smart data capture technology, deliver cutting-edge digital capabilities that seriously boost productivity, employee satisfaction and your bottom line.

So what’s driving this adoption in the enterprise? Multifunctional, ruggedized smart devices deliver workflow flexibility, superior user experiences, lower TCO (total cost of ownership) and the ability to quickly add additional software functionality, for starters.

Below, we explore how smartphones, like the Samsung XCover Pro, are helping businesses unlock new ways to scan and, ultimately, to work smarter.

1. Don’t buy into the smart vs. tough trade-off; you can have both

One argument classically used in favor of retaining dedicated scanners is that they are rugged enough to survive in tough and varied conditions — from a retail stockroom or warehouse to the back of a delivery van to an engineer in the field. But in today’s market, there’s a huge choice of smart devices, including rugged ones specifically designed to work in these tough delivery environments.

For example, when it comes to drop resistance and sealing specifications, a recent comparison showed the Samsung XCover Pro was just as rugged and resilient as a dedicated scanner, and is also resistant to rain, snow, dust, temperature and altitude, as well as falls onto hard floors.

It compares favorably with dedicated hardware scanners for ruggedness, but with a sleeker, user-friendlier and future-proof form factor. And this is just one of the many enterprise-ready Samsung rugged devices available to select from, all of which can gain an extra layer of protection via a durable case if really necessary.

2. Think about the costs, both current and future

It’s no secret that dedicated scanners are expensive to purchase and maintain, it’s one factor leading to a shift to deploying smartphones. If you’re investing in barcode scanners for hundreds or even thousands of employees, those hardware investments can quickly spiral out of control. This is especially true during “peak seasons” when many retail and logistics enterprises need to equip temporary workers with data capture devices to cope with spikes in demand.

Moreover, these outdated data capture solutions often require employee training for proper adoption, which triggers labor costs. And, of course, there are also hidden costs of standing still. For instance, traditional scanners aren’t compatible with some increasingly important data capture technologies such as augmented reality (AR) or ID scanning which can innovate processes and productivity. This inflexibility to evolve with hardware turns scalability into a costly and headache-inducing burden.

Smart devices and smart data capture present themselves as the winning alternative. The cost of smartphones enabled with Scandit barcode scanning is typically three times lower than dedicated barcode scanners, which reduces operating costs and financial risk by lowering your upfront hardware investment. Then there’s also the BYOD (bring your own device) approach, which is perfect for the gig economy and cuts costs to a minimum.

3. Prioritize your employees’ productivity

Another myth in favor of handheld barcode readers is the belief that they offer superior scanning performance. However, Scandit-powered smart devices not only match, but often actually outperform the scan speed and accuracy performance of traditional scanners.

By leveraging computing capabilities and a high resolution camera, smartphone scanning offers superior range compared to some of the most widely-used handheld scanners and ultra-rugged touch computers — even exceeding their scan range by 40%. And that’s including lower-end smartphones. Watch Samsung and Scandit experts discuss it in detail here.

Additionally, advanced smart data capture capabilities such as continuous scanning or MatrixScan can significantly improve workflows, productivity and general employee satisfaction.

To top everything off, smartphones also offer a great user experience by delivering:

• A single lighter device, making it easier to carry throughout a full shift;
• One device per employee to handle multiple operational tasks, no more hunting for shared devices from a pool!
• A familiar, user-friendly interface and the ability to do more and access a range of smart device features, from using a range of apps, to taking photos, to the ability to make calls or send messages;
• A range of models to suit different functions, environments and workflows, like increased touch sensitivity for gloved hands and wet touch functionality for harsh weather.

Time to work smarter

It makes sense that leading businesses across the world are including smart data capture solutions on smart devices, either to supplement or replace dedicated scanners to more efficiently manage operational workflows.

Read our recent guide created in partnership with Samsung which explores this topic, including some real customer examples. By bringing powerful smart data capture capabilities to any app running on any Samsung camera-equipped device, you can obtain the same (or superior) scanning performance as dedicated hardware for a fraction of the cost.

The result? More intuitive, flexible and cost-efficient data capture across the enterprise.