Certification Process Brings Quality Control to Fleet Mobile Computer Installations
By Joseph Goss, USAT Services Manager
No one knows better than a Fleet Manager that high quality installation services can make or break a new deployment of technology in company vehicles. After all, one loose wire and the truck-mounted computer and modem are out of service for the day—an incident that any service-led organization wants to avoid. This raises the question: if the decision is made at your company to outsource the installation of mobile computing hardware into fleet vehicles, how can you gauge the proficiency of the installation companies available? Often times the local private radio shop that does a good job with radio installs is out of their league with today’s complex computer and WWAN and WLAN communication systems. How can fleet managers be confident that the third party installation crews will have passed Installation 101 and that dry wall screws and crossed wires will not inhibit the field computing project’s long-term success?
Luckily, one company has stepped up to provide leadership in ensuring that your company is making the right choice when engaging an installation partner. Gamber- Johnson has implemented a Certification Process for installation providers. With over 50 years in business, Gamber-Johnson has gathered a library of data on what type of installation work their clients should be entitled to receive and codified it so the best installers of their product line can be recognized.
The Gamber-Johnson Certification Process is a stringent one because this core manufacturer wants to assure client organizations that their mounting system is not only well-designed and manufactured to quality standards, but that it is also installed correctly, professionally and safely. Central to the Gamber-Johnson Certified Installer Program is an ISO 9001:2000 certified training process based on the latest industry criteria that provides a thorough understanding of new and developing standards.
One of the first partners to become certified to serve customers in all 50 states is USAT Corp. Brad Pagel, Gamber-Johnson’s Installation Technician, visited USAT Corp. to audit their installation process first hand. During an on-site visit to USAT, he focused on these points: proper mounting system / hardware selection, best wiring practices, air bag safety, customer service skills, and product / installation warranty. “I will not put our company’s name behind any company that I have not personally trained and observed performing installations correctly,” says Pagel. In addition, Pagel gave directives on an end-user survey that USAT will be delivering to every client to rate the installation procedure.
In order to perform installations on a national basis, USAT Corp. maintains an in-house team of installation technicians. USAT Corp.’s installation teams travel to a client’s location to perform multi-component installation work. USAT Corp. has successfully completed installations in New England, the Midwest, and the Southeast. “Our furthest flung mounting customer is all the way in Honolulu, Hawaii,” says Heidi Culbertson, National Sales Manager for USAT. A typical job includes the installation of a computer, a GPS receiver, a wireless data modem, and two sets of antennas. Another part of USAT Corp.’s job is coordinating with local fleet supervisors to schedule times when the company vehicles can be made available. Some jobs keep the team away from headquarters for six weeks at a time.
Being officially certified as a Certified Installation Provider by Gamber-Johnson has already paid off for USAT Corp. This end-to-end service provider has recently completed a technology upgrade in Time Warner Cable Raleigh Division’s vehicle fleet. As part of a lengthy due diligence process, the decision makers at TWC carefully scrutinized the safety of the computer mounts and the installation processes surrounding them. The TWC project encompassed the vehicles of over 200 field workers, so all decisions merited careful consideration. The end-goal, enabling all of TWC’s technicians to have wireless data access to information and billing systems without relying on voice dispatchers, was to be achieved by IT working in close conjunction with the outside installation contractor, USAT Corp. “Gamber-Johnson’s Certified Installer Program gives TWC a degree of confidence of who we hire to install technology in our fleet and adds credence to our decision to select USAT,” says George Geddis, an IT Business Analyst for the TWC field computing project
Jeff Greene, President of Gamber-Johnson, affirms his company’s position, “Although Gamber-Johnson is not in the installation business, installation work is central to our client’s experience with our product line. We heard from our customers that there needed to be some kind of formalized rating system for would-be technology mounting system installers, and we moved to address that need. I am proud of the Gamber-Johnson Installation Provider Certification Process, which is, to my knowledge, the only one of its kind in the United States.”
In addition to administrating their Certified Installation Provider Program, Gamber-Johnson also offers an annual training event, Connect 4 Tomorrow, for their partners. Gamber-Johnson hosts a two-day seminar every May at their headquarters in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Gamber-Johnson feels that this is time well spent, as it helps to elevate the skill level of all attendees. USAT Corp. attends every year. For the 2005 event, USAT plans on sending 14 people to be trained. Thanks to the efforts of Gamber-Johnson, and the diligence and support of firms like USAT Corp., fleet managers can now request proof of certification before they hand over the keys of their vehicle fleet to a high tech installation company.
About USAT
USAT Corp, a privately held company headquartered in Chapel Hill, NC, is a field communications systems integrator that specializes in ruggedized computers, reliable wireless data communication systems, and technology installation services. As part of USAT's wireless offering, USAT provides wireless WAN modems and activations and installations. Since USAT's clients often contend with harsh environmental factors during day-to-day operations, USAT makes it a priority to provide technology solutions built on durable, industry-tested hardware. A full-service hardware partner, USAT provides and installs ruggedized laptops, handhelds, printers, data modems, GPS receivers and specialized antennas into vehicles and non-traditional work environments. USAT also offers client services focused on helping companies successfully manage a large deployment of communications technology into vehicle fleets or remote locations. Smart Workers, Smart Machines, Smart Grids.
