Helix Sweepstakes helps sell your products with fun! ...read more

Historically business has wanted field deployed personnel to capture data at the point on customer interaction for at least the last 20 years. There have been and continue to be many variations and ways of achieving this end.  To date all have been relatively expensive.  They historically  broke down into three classes of use:       Paper and transcribe inexpensive to implement   ↑ costly to maintain - data transcription ↓ possible transcription errors ↓ latency -- delay from collection to system input ↓   Batch capture and upload device expense  ↓ latency  - delay from collection to system input  ↓ communications availability  ↓    Real time interaction communications availability ↓ communications cost  ↓  At the same time the internet has matured enabling direct customer involvement on the web reducing the need for field personnel in many areas / industries. (e.g. routine sales calls)  Industries where the services are being performed (at least in part) by the field personnel still need mobile data devices.  (e.g route sales, home health care, inspection / estimation services,  delivery, field sales,  etc) Time and technological improvements have vastly reduced the cost and availability of mobile devices and communications.  Thus causing a resurgence of interest in mobile solutions. Now we can affordably combine the best of all of these improvements to provide Hybrid Mobile solutions that: capture while offline  -- costs ↓ notebooksnetbookspocket hotspots are real time when connected online -- counnications costs ↓ smart phones (blackberry, IPhone, IPod touch)WIFI3G/4G networks upload off line captured data whenever you go on line -- communications avaialbility ↑ Public WIFIHome internet widespread and deliver local hard copy or on screen advices via the internet.  ↑  Our ATEC2GO, AT-e-Commerce  and e-Server Modules enable these mobility solutions for our clients. Call one of our consultants or agents to discuss howAdvanTec Information  Systems, LLCcan enable your field personnel and improve your process and bottom line. ...read more

I was thinking about social networking and how to use it to promote business. It occurred to me that it is not a revolutionary new thing. If we look back on in recent history we can see many examples. 100 years ago there were town parades and fairs and holiday events where people got together and socialized.  Since then we have grown more and more disparate, not knowing our neighbors not getting out, doing our own thing. We had the country store where people came together, throughout the day sitting in rockers on the front porch or around the pot belly stove, hung out and socialized.  This gave way to the backyard fence,  the street corners where kids hung out, the malls, the coffee shops (Starbucks), teens on phones in the sixties and seventies, which gave way to chat rooms, instant messaging, ubiquitous cell phones, texting and now social networking (face book,  twitter, etc). A similar parallel exists with letters to the editor, contributions to periodicals like family circle, readers digest and blogs today. Both of these revolutionary new mediums Social Networking and Blogs are really just the logical adaptation (evolution) of people hanging out and expressing their opinions.  The rrevolutionary part is that now they can be heard by millions instead of just a few. The pity is that bad ideas get just as much or maybe even more attention than good. The other thing worth noting is that the old country store used to be the older folks hanging out, today all the socializing seems to be done by a younger and younger crowd.  Sure they are the ones adopting the new technology but recently I read an article that the internet is now used by 70% of the population relatively independent of age.  It is just matter of time before someone comes out with senior versions of Twitter – "Twaddle", "Prattle", "Jabber", "Blabber", "Utter", "Palaver". The more things change the more they stay the same. ...read more