The Express Route to Smart Data Capture

No matter the size of your business, data can be a differentiator. According to an IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Scandit, “Organizations that are effective in building data intelligence experience materially different business outcomes.”

Yet to be able to use data, you first have to capture it in a reliable, repeatable and scalable manner.

And the hurdle of modernizing data capture processes can seem high. It’s hard to find time and money to upgrade outdated barcode scanning technology or pen-and-paper methods. Existing applications may also be hard or impossible to amend.

What, though, if there was an easy answer to smarter data capture? What if the solution was already literally in your employees’ hands, and accessible without needing any internal or external development resource?

Scandit Express (formerly known as Keyboard Wedge) is a no-code application that instantly transforms iOS or Android smartphones and tablets into advanced smart data capture tools. It’s ideal for businesses where time to deployment is critical, developer resources are limited or non-existent, or applications cannot be easily modified.

How smart barcode scanning apps save time and money

By switching to smart barcode scanner apps on smartphones or tablets, workflows can be accelerated by up to 10x. Smart data capture on smart devices also typically costs two-thirds less than dedicated scanners.

The process of scanning barcodes – a worker scanning codes one by one, using a dedicated scanner – hasn’t evolved significantly in decades. It’s inefficient, expensive, error-prone, slow to scale, siloed from other processes and systems, and tedious for workers.

It’s also not uncommon for businesses to not be using any technology at all to capture data – to be relying solely on pen and paper or manual data entry.

Solving this fundamental problem of how we capture data has far-reaching business effects.

Unmatched speed, accuracy and intelligence in data capture

Using Scandit Express is like buying a Mini with a Formula One engine under the hood. Like all our products, it’s part of the advanced Scandit Smart Data Capture Platform.

The Smart Data Capture Platform allows you to capture data with unmatched speed and accuracy, automates end-to-end processes and provides rich, actionable insights at the point of data collection.

The Scandit Express barcode scanning app gives businesses instant, no-code access to this industry-leading software. All you have to do is download and install it.

Scandit Express doesn’t rely on investing time and money in software integration and can be deployed in less than 24 hours. It is compatible with any existing software with an input field and can easily be distributed via mobile device management (MDM) or enterprise mobility management (EMM) systems.

The best barcode scanning app available

As US telecommunications provider Altafiber (previously Cincinnati Bell) discovered, Scandit Express is a world away from using the basic camera functionality of a smartphone to scan a barcode.

Altafiber had already realized that switching to smartphones would improve efficiency and customer experience. However, they quickly discovered that scanning performance using basic camera functionality was slow and inaccurate.

By switching to the Scandit Express barcode scanner app, they were able to deploy industry-leading scanning without needing to make a single change to their software.

We started using Scandit Express right away without needing to make any changes to our provisioning system… We’ve achieved improved scanning accuracy in all conditions and made our service calls shorter.

Brian Golden, Vice President – Field Operations, Altafiber

And Scandit Express doesn’t just provide instant access to the fastest and most reliable barcode scanning software available. It includes advanced smart data capture features that allow you to move beyond small, incremental productivity gains to transformative speed-ups and cost savings.

You can auto-fill to your desired application or data tool, or even directly to a spreadsheet.

Speed Mode: Scan successive items at high speed with a single press of the scan button.

Batch Scanning Mode: Scan multiple barcodes simultaneously to speed up workflows and reduce scanning errors.

 

Accuracy Mode: Select and scan a single barcode out of many using an augmented reality overlay (for example, to speed up ordering from a catalog).

Over the next few months, we’ll be building even more advanced features into the application.

The immediate impact of a smart barcode scanner app

We’ve seen customers around the world deploy Scandit Express in days and impact their bottom line in a matter of weeks.

When UK fashion retailer River Island replaced single-use scanning devices with Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro rugged smartphones, they rolled out the device deployment in eight weeks. This included integrating Scandit Express (together with other Scandit solutions) into their employee-facing app in a matter of days.

By doing so, they were able rapidly to unlock new opportunities to uplift the customer experience, modernize workflows and connect store associates. They were also no longer tied into an enterprise device ecosystem including expensive support and bespoke peripherals.

From a technology perspective, it just worked… Now it is amazing – everything is quick, the prices are correct and we can communicate with everyone individually.

Paul Cooper, Head of Technology, River Island

Everyone has to get smarter with data in 2023

According to Forbes, the seven biggest challenges facing every business in 2023 are inflation and economic downturns, supply chain security, increasing customer expectations, accelerated digital transformation, the war for talent, data and device security, and sustainability.

No matter the size of your business, a common thread in responding to these challenges is effective use of data. And getting smarter with data doesn’t have to be a lengthy, difficult or complex process.

You can pick up your own smartphone or tablet right now and see if Scandit Express could work for your business today. We’d love to hear your feedback.