“It’s really important for our managers to be able to deal with issues as they arise, rather than having to wait until they get back to the office,” General Manager Information Technology Bryce Johnson says.

“In the past, if an important email arrived in a manager’s inbox while they were out, we would have somebody read it out over the phone and jot down a dictated response. It was a hassle having two people tied up in a response, and there was always the danger that an email or document could be misinterpreted if the manager couldn’t see it for themselves.”

QV’s 14 senior managers now have Mobile Broadband access from their laptops, so they can keep up with their email, plus download files and applications from the office desktop when they’re travelling.

Eight of those managers also have Harrier PDAs, so they can quickly respond to emails on the road, without the need for a laptop.

“The laptops connect using either Telecom’s secure Remote Office Service or they connect to an authentication server via the Internet.

The Harriers use the authentication server to gain access to email. This provides managers with access to emails across New Zealand and Australia,” Bryce says.

Speed makes the difference
“The Harriers are the first handheld devices we’ve used that can deliver the speeds required to make mobile email worthwhile.

“I tested them by downloading Windows Media Player from the Microsoft website and it took just a couple of minutes, with download speeds of almost 500kbps. That’s some serious speed!

“And the Mobile Broadband data cards deliver the same speeds to laptops. Our managers are downloading big attachments from the QV network and working on them during downtimes, for example while they’re waiting for a plane.

“Again, the difference is the speed – you just wouldn’t bother trying to download these files with anything slower.

Simple implementation
“What surprised me was how easy it was to get everybody up and running. The upgrade was painless – we didn’t even need any of Telecom’s technical support. It was a case of plugging the data cards in, or switching on the Harriers, and getting on with business.”

Mobile data promises some big improvements for QV’s core business of valuing properties. Bryce is now working with QV’s Auckland-based valuers trialling tablet PCs connected to QV’s central database via Mobile Broadband.

“To value a property you need information about surrounding properties as well as existing information about the property in question. Usually the valuer has to print off reams of paper before heading out to visit the property and then enter the new information into the database when they return to the office.

“With the speed of a Mobile Broadband connection, it’s now practical for them to download the necessary information on site and then enter their assessments straight into the database.

“For a business that provides up-to-date, instantly-accessible information for clients, it makes sense that we do the same for our staff. Mobile Broadband is helping to make this possible.”

October 2005