Handheld device failures discourage couriers, warehouse workers, retailers and emergency service personnel across Europe, as well as being a real cost. This is stated by the workers interviewed in the latest research conducted by Opinion Matters on behalf of Panasonic (well-known company of accessories for PCs and smartphones and cameras) TOUGHBOOK: handheld devices equipped with a barcode reader tend to fail on average more than 1,5, 3 times a year and take XNUMX days or more to repair or replace.
Over 70% of workers believe their PDAs are more prone to failures than other technological devices they use. But, in an increasingly hectic work environment, those who use mobile devices very often do not reserve them the right attention. According to the workers interviewed, the damage is caused by a variety of factors: devices fall or spill liquids on them, are left in freezing or extremely hot environments or even hit by moving vehicles.
Causes of the problems:
- Device drop 45%
- Too much time in the heat 29%
- It simply stopped working 27%
- Fall in water 24%
- Invested in vehicles 22%
- Spilling of liquids 20%
- Too much time in the cold 11%
The most frequent damages resulting from this type of accident range from problems with the battery, keys and touchscreen to failure of the barcode reader.
The major faults found are:
- Battery problems 38%
- Damage to the touchscreen 35%
- The device no longer works well 31%
- Broken screen 24%
- Keys not working 22%
- Damage to the barcode reader 22%
Even when the devices are working properly, field workers still encounter some frustrating situations. The situations that make the use of the handheld device more disappointing are due to:
- Slow or inaccurate barcode reader 22%
- Unusable while wearing gloves 16%
- Device too heavy 15%
- Poor battery life 15%
- Unsatisfactory design 10%
The design improvements they would like to see on their handhelds are:
- Anti-scratch coating 32%
- Handle or shoulder strap 27%
- Heat reflective coating 24%
- Easier to clean 23%
- Hot swap batteries 22%
- Better display visibility 22%
According to the interviewed workers, if the perfect device were produced, applying all these improvements, their productivity would increase significantly - on average by 41%.
The full version of the Handheld Troubles research is available via this link: https://business.panasonic.co.uk/mobile-solutions/handheld-troubles-2020
