You know the old saying So Many Great ___fill in the blank_____, And so little _________. In my case it is so many great candidates and so few openings. For a recent open position in our Service/Support department there were 5 candidates that could have easily joined our team and made an immediate impact. Promising applicants were delivered via social media, employee referrals, and a traditional job board.

This is not a post about the enormous amount of applicants for every job opening, nor is it about the difficulty in selecting from that pool. It’s about a recruiter’s responsibility to present the best applicants that will help grow the business and create more jobs for those other Great Candidates. Recruiting today is not about filling open positions, it’s about growing jobs & business in a post recession economy. Every new hire has an opportunity to impact your business in a positive way, and every recruiter should think of selection and screening as a revenue generating activity.

Thank you to all the candidates that have inquired and applied for positions at American Barcode and RFID! Thank you to our newest team member Lee. We are already impressed with your contributions!  Now back to the business of Tracking Inventory, Managing Assets, Mobilizing Workers, Securing the Workplace, and CREATING JOBS!

Historically, pharmaceutical delivery information has been stored in the form of paper receipts. Mass accummulation of paper trails is both costly and time consuming, not to mention prone to error and a host of other problems. With the use of mobile, handheld devices, proof of delivery can be automated through electronic signature capture.

Four reasons to incorporate electronic signature capture into your Proof of Delivery (POD) system are:

1) The costs of paper storage and retrieval are eliminated.

2) Transaction data can be searched quickly and easily.

3) Delivery disputes can be resolved quickly and easily.

4) Signatures captured electronically can also be printed on a paper receipt for the customer’s records.

Despite these benefits, electronic signature capture alone is not enough because there are other pieces of data associated with the transaction, such as the signer’s relationship to the beneficiary, a list of the items delivered, and a list of any items that are to be returned or are being refused by the recipient.

How can these issues be addressed?

One of the biggest challenges faced by medical delivery companies is obtaining proof that a delivery was made or that an item or medication was returned or refused by the recipient.

Did you now that this issue alone accounts for millions of dollars in lost inventory due to medication having to be re-delivered and not being able to track and assign equipment.

The five most common obstacles to acquiring proof of delivery (POD) are:

1) Absent or illegible signature of the recipient

2) Lack of delivery documentation, such as a printed receipt or an electronic record

3) Undocumented relationship of the signer (e.g., neighbor, spouse, sibling, etc.) to the beneficiary

4) Missing date and time of delivery

5) Incomplete description of the delivered item(s)

A convenient and user-friendly solution to the proof of delivery headache is to utilize a handheld mobile computer or barcode scanner, mobile data collection software, and a mobile printer.

To demonstrate how this solution works, we will use a fictitious company named Acme Medical Express as an example…

Click Here to Continue Reading…

After recently attending a Social Media gathering I began to wonder if one can be “too active in Social Media?” Can you be over-tweeted, over-wall posted, overly linked-in or linked-up? Like most things in life I suppose there is a fine line between just right and excessive. Looking at social media from a narrow window of a recruiter, I think you can be too social.

Here are some of my concerns about a candidate that is extremely active on-line and with Social Media

• Time: how much time does it take for you to friend 100 new people everyday & tweet 100 times & write a new blog post & & &.  I am exaggerating to make a point, but I have a legitimate concern that this activity would likely interfere with the demands of the job that the candidate is applying for.
• Inconsistent: this could be a profile, message, brand.  Example a CPA that is active with professional sites, member of boards, and has lots of accounting connections but has posted on his personal website that his life long dream is to start an organic peach farm and all his efforts, money, heart and soul are dedicated to making that happen.  Exactly how long will this person want to be my accountant?  Granted that he would bring the best peach cobbler on potluck day, but understand my concern.
• Bits & Bytes vs. Real Humans: are the Super Star Social Media Mavens as good at expressing ideas and connecting to and influencing people in real life?  I’m talking actual face-to-face interactions, body language, Emotional IQ, Social Ques and Norms.  I am expected to recruit Real Life Super Stars not the virtual kind.

From my perspective it’s not all bad.  I would look very highly on a candidate that is active on-line in their area of specialty or the American Barcode and RFID business segment.  With extra favor given to trend setters or those setting best practices. I also give high marks to those that have the diligence to build a following with social media or have created a volume of content that relates directly to the job they are applying for.

Good Ole’ relevant skills and proven abilities should still be the number one consideration of a recruiter, but this strange new world of social media and on-line persona are new elements that are surely under the recruiters microscope.

We had an opportunity the other night to get a behind the scenes look at the technology at Chase Field – home of te Arizona Diamondbacks.  There were many different aspects of the tour that I found really interesting, and it was cool to see a lot of the technology solutions we provide in action. 

Right from the front gate, you can see part of the stadium’s WLAN infrastructure and wireless access points.

Wireless Infrastructure - Main Gate

The above access point connects the handheld mobile computers to the network which, in this case, are being used for access control and ticket verification at the gate.

Ticket Verification - Access Control

Once inside, there are a number of kiosks that encourage fan interaction through a cross promotion and rewards program with a local grocery chain.

Self Serve Kiosk

And, throughout the stadium, concession vendors use mobile handheld computers to take food and beverage orders, transmit the order back to the kitchen/bar, and process the credit card payment – all over the stadium’s secure wireless network.

Motorola MC55 in Action

I love when I am out and see the technology solutions we provide working and adding value to a business, and in this case also adding to the fan experience. 

What other AIDC technologies have you seen, or heard of, being deployed at sporting venues and large events? 

How do they make the fan/customer experience better?