Table of Contents

1. Abstract
2. Brief Company Background
3. Discussion of Business Problems
4. High Level Solution
5. Benefits of Solving the Problem
6. Benefits/Technical Approach
7. Business Process Changes
8. Technology of Business Practices Used to Augment the Solution
9. Conclusions and Overall Recommendations
10. High-Level Implementation Plan
11. Summary of Project
12. References

Abstract Johnson Controls has poor communications with all of its departments within the organization. Can Johnson Controls help boost profits and productivity by improving communications and personnel issues? I will conduct a research and create a plan to improve Johnson Controls’ communications and personnel issues.
Brief Company Background
Johnson Controls employs over 170,000 individuals world wide in several different businesses. The businesses that make up Johnson Controls are building efficiency, global workplace solutions, automotive experience and power solutions. The corporate headquarters is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and they were number 66 on U.S. Fortune 599 and number 254 on Global Fortune 500. Johnson Controls is traded on the New York Stock Exchanged under the symbol JCI and generated $42.8 billion in sales in 2014.
Warren Johnson started Johnson Electric Service Company in 1885. In 1902, the business was renamed Johnson Service Company and grew tremendously by providing regulated temperatures in buildings worldwide and stream-powered cars and trucks. In 1940, Johnson Service Company went public and traded its securities over the counter. The company was renamed to Johnson Controls in 1974 and a few years later acquired Globe-Union, the largest U.S. manufacturer of automotive batteries. Today, Johnson Controls provides a vast array of services and products that is true to the founder, Warren Johnson’s innovative style.

The Branch Manager in the building efficiency sector of Johnson Controls has hired me as a consultant to improve communications and personnel issues. The Branch Manager started with the company in 2010 and witnessed major changes. She witnessed employee and management layoffs, outsourcing of U.S. work and restructuring of the organization. It has been a difficult transition for management and the employees. Employees complain of work overload and inadequate pay; managers mimic the same statements.
Discussion of Business Problems
Through the use of mobile devices, including phones and tablets, Johnson Controls will boost communications and personnel issues. Mobile devices will help share information and boost communications within the organization. It will allow all employees within the organization the ability to access information instantly and help delay decisions.
Customers express their concerns of the lack of follow up with Johnson Controls. Customers state they are always waiting for invoices, proposals and phone calls. This has directly resulted in the decrease of revenue and service renewals. To help increase revenue and service renewals, I believe Johnson Controls will need to implement changes. Part of these changes will be supplying mobile phones and tablets to all of the employees, specifically the on field technicians. This will help boost communication with customers and employees.

High Level Solution According to Rodriguez, Mateos and Zunino (2012), “Mobile devices have evolved from simple electronic agendas and mobile phones to small computers with great computational capabilities” (p. 87). Currently, Johnson Controls has propriety software called NxGen. This is only accessible through a computer and all of business efficiency is done through NxGen. The on field technicians are a vital part of business efficiency. They are the face of the company and communicate with the customers more frequently than managers and administration staff.
Johnson Controls should supply on field technicians with mobile phones and tablets. This will allow the on field technicians access to NxGen and allow them to provide customers with real time reports. On field technicians will have the option to email customers service reports upon completion of the work. They can also create proposals instantly, eliminating the travel delay of driving back to the office. This will help boost revenue with the addition of instant proposals.
Incorporating mobile and tablet devices with their building efficiency sector will help produce faster results. There will be no delay in communication between the onsite technician and the office administration. Technicians will have the ability to access NxGen in front of the customers. They can pull any old reports, proposals and send to the customers via email instantly. This will help solve the customer’s issues with Johnson Controls’ lack of communication.

Benefits of Solving the Problem
The general benefits of supplying mobile phones and tablets will provide Johnson Controls is the accessibility to communicate remotely with colleagues and customers. There will be no delay because employees will be supplied a phone and tablet with shared applications. While the on field technician is at the site with the customer, he/she can answer any questions by looking at the application. The on field technicians will no longer need to go into the office to email and/or create proposals.
These applications will allow employees to view real time proposals, emails, messages, etc. This will help eliminate the customer’s biggest concern, the lack of follow up on promised items. Supplying the on field technicians will improve communication and personnel issues at Johnson Controls, therefore boosting revenue and profits.
Business/Technical Approach As stated by Sacharski, “Honeywell has developed a product it calls the Captuvo Enterprise Sled, a compact device holder that transforms the popular Apple iPod touch and iPad devices into an enterprise-ready device designed to be used in barcode scanning, inventory management and inside the DC applications” (p. 66). This has allowed Honeywell to be more efficient, increasing productivity and efficiency. Honeywell is a direct competitor of Johnson Controls. In order for Johnson Controls to compete with Honeywell, Johnson Controls will need to create an application for mobile and tablet.
The application will mimic the NxGen software. This will allow the on field technicians to input timesheets, create billable work, create and email proposals and email service tickets. This will boost customer’s confidence in the company because there will be no time delay in tasks. The on field technician will have the capability of sending any request via email instantly. This will also help Johnson Controls boost communication with customers and employees. All of the work will be available on NxGen, there will be no miscommunication between the office administration and on field technicians.
Business Process Changes An issue that may arise from Johnson Controls converting to mobile and tablet devices is latency. According to Zakas (2013), “One of the biggest issues for mobile Web performance is latency—the delay experienced between request and response” (p. 43). This may hinder employee’s acceptance of the new application. Employees tend to not accept changes and this application will be a big change. Johnson Controls will have to deploy education and training to employees to ensure a successful deployment of the mobile and tablet application. This will help employees transition with learning and incorporating new tasks. Without proper training and education, the application will not be successful. It is imperative for Johnson Controls to provide proper resources for employees. This will create a smooth transition for the new application.

Technology or Business Practices Used to Augment the Solution Prashant Bhatia stated in Sacharski (2014), “Smartphones and tablets are becoming more prevalent in our day-to-day conversations with our customers, and it’s being driven by the executive level and companies determined on becoming a BYOD (bring your own device environment)” (p. 66). I believe it is imperative for Johnson Controls to implement mobile phones and tablets as part of their business. In order for the business to survive in this competitive market, Johnson Controls will need to implement new trends. The cost of mobile phones, tablets and the application will be costly. This cost will hinder the revenue of the company at first. But I believe the end result will produce higher earnings and happier customers. Happier customers equal more business; they will renew service contracts and choose Johnson Controls for repairs. This will also create free marketing for Johnson Controls, customers will recommend their services to potential customers looking for a new company.
Conclusions and Overall Recommendations As stated by Zakas, “Mobile devices have a lot of power compared with the desktop computer of 10 years ago, but they also have severe limitations that do not have to be dealt with when developing websites solely for the desktop” (p. 48). Mobile devices and tablets have evolved tremendously, allowing users to work remotely. This has created a demand for real time answers; Johnson Controls currently does not have this capability. In order for Johnson Controls to remain competitive, they will need to incorporate mobile phones, tablets and applications for their on site technicians. Proper training and education will need to be done prior to the deployment of the mobile phones, tablets and applications. Training and education will help employees learn how to use the mobile phones and tablets properly and effectively. This will help with the transition of deploying a new task and new products.
High Level Implementation Plan The audience the recommendations will be presented to will be the Branch Manager, Service Managers and Sales Managers at Hawaii Johnson Controls Branch. The recommendations will be reviewed by Management and revised accordingly. The plan is for Hawaii Johnson Controls to implement the use of mobile devices and tablets to help boost communications and personnel issues. All of the Management at the Hawaii Johnson Controls branch will need to be on board of the implementation of mobile devices and tablets. Management will also need to provide support and resources to employees. If they do not supply the proper support and resources, the deployment of mobile devices and tablets will fail. This hinders Johnson Controls’ ability to evolve with current trends and the market. It is imperative for Johnson Controls to have a successful implementation of mobile devices and tablets. This will help keep Johnson Controls as a competitor in the business efficiency sector.
Summary of Project Johnson Controls is an international, multi-billion dollar company. They have many sectors in the organization and this may have caused an oversight of the building efficiency sector. In order for Johnson Controls to remain competitive in the building efficiency business, they will need to evolve with the current market trends and customers’ demands. Customers are familiarizing themselves with the Internet, mobile devices and tablets. This allows customers to receive real time answers and the access to a wide range of different services. Johnson Controls will need to create an application that will keep up with customers’ demands. They will need to create an application that will allow customers to view services and products instantly. This will increase revenue and profits for Johnson Controls and help keep them competitive in the building efficiency sector.

References

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