Smartphones are rapidly replacing laptops for organizations that need the flexibility of comprehensive mobile business solutions. Now you can do everything from processing payments, to entering or viewing data on a CRM, to monitoring inventory, right from your phone. But should you be using your mobile printer to perform some of these functions instead?
In addition to producing high-quality documentation and receipts in the field, multi-function mobile printers can serve as a platform for processing payments and tracking assets or inventory usage in real time. These printers offer built-in magnetic-stripe or smart-card readers and an ample power source for operating other peripherals, such as Barcode or RFID scanners.
To get the most out of mobile solutions, organizations should carefully consider work processes to determine what functions should be performed by which mobile device. Think about:
Power Needs
Peripherals such as barcode scanners quickly draw power down on a smartphone. Rugged mobile printers have ample battery power to operate additional peripherals, such as magnetic-stripe (MCR) or smart card (SCR) readers, and Barcode or RFID scanners.
Durability and Usage:
A phone with an added card swipe can get heavy for technicians who are taking their smartphone everywhere they go. If the swipe is not needed until the end of the job, it makes more sense to put the swipe on the printer. You'll probably also spare the swipe a lot of wear and tear.
Memory:
Think about storing data on the mobile printer to preserve smartphone memory. Printek's multi-function mobile printers offer the ability to store variable graphics, texts and forms. This capability is great for customers who want to print on-the-sport coupons or promotional messages on the end of invoices.
Security:
Just remember that all mobile printers are not created equal. If you plan to use a printer for transactional functions such as processing payments, be sure to look for a high level of data security. Because of the way that Printek enabled Bluetooth on our printers, one of our clients wrote a security layer on top of our integration package. Through this customization, a field worker could print only to printers associated with his phone.