Managing devices: the next big mobile opportunity

As mobile device choices proliferate, mobile operators must more proactively help customers manage their devices, improving customer satisfaction while saving money on customer care in the process.

That’s the story from vendor InnoPath, which today announced a new version of its mobile device management platform, ActiveCare. InnoPath will be demonstrating the platform at the upcoming Mobile World Congress event.

Today operators are often dependent on device makers for client software and server-based tools for automating the management of mobile devices. InnoPath’s story is that by deploying a generic, horizontal management platform that leverages server-based tools and standards-based, “push” client software, operators can turn their device management headaches into an opportunity (for more, see this feature: Managing the Mobile Enterprise).

“This year, we’re beginning to see the first deployments of mobile device management for front-line customer care, where the operator drives it rather than waiting for [those capabilities] to bubble up from device makers,” said David Ginsburg, vice president of marketing at InnoPath, which counts AT&T, China Unicom, KDDI and Verizon Wireless among its mobile operator customers. “It’s something that operators realize is going to make a difference, including delivering immediate cost savings.”

InnoPath’s ActiveCare provides what the vendor calls an “active connection” between the subscriber’s phone and the operator’s frontline care agents. Using the platform to proactively manage user devices, operators can reduce call handling times, increase first-call problem resolution and reduce churn by improving the customer experience, InnoPath’s Ginsberg said. ActiveCare works with both smartphones and feature phones by either using the native clients installed on phones or pushing a standards-based client down to the device.

Mobile device management capabilities are “one of the few remaining strategic differentiators available to tier-one operators,” said Stephen Drake, IDC analyst. It also addresses an operator’s largest operational expense – customer care, Drake said.

The InnoPath product line includes the InnoPath Server; the Smart Client, an OMA-DM standards-based client that can be factory installed or pushed to handsets; ActiveCare Agent, which adds additional capabilities on top of the Smart Client; and ActiveCare Portal, for helping customer care employees troubleshoot phone problems. Those baseline platforms enable a slew of capabilities, including the ability to check hardware, software and application settings; push application configuration settings to devices; lock and/or wipe stolen phones; push updated firmware images or OS patches; and remotely configure hardware capabilities such as WiFi or Bluetooth settings.