The need to bring new skill sets to bear isn't lost on CFOs. Fortunately, technology can help. At NetCom, for example, Bob Waldron is looking forward to a new system created by Gilbertson and his technology staff that will allow him to check on the status of every project at the end of each day. "Today," says Gilbertson, "we have a paper-based process in which each assignment results in a sign-off by the client. But with every remote worker tied into headquarters through our virtual private network, and using Microsoft Project, employees can enter all the pertinent data and we can view the status of every project daily."
Joe Radigan writes regularly for eCFO.
Putting a Price on Telecommuting
Despite the flexibility and other advantages mobile technology offers, finance chiefs are likely to approach it with some hard questions about ROI. And, as is so often the case with technology, that can prove difficult. For Kerry Reedy, vice president for sales and marketing at Atlantic Envelope Co., in Atlanta, mobile computing has become part and parcel of daily business, every bit as indispensable as telephones and fax machines. "We've just got to believe this is the right thing to do," says Reedy. "I honestly don't believe the move to wireless can be based on ROI."
Reedy compares the money spent on mobile technologies with other infrastructure software costs, such as ERP. "This technology lays the track for the last half mile," he notes. "Why have all this other technology if you can't get the information to those who need it?" Keith Bolt, vice president and CFO of Atlantic Envelope, agrees, saying that improved customer-service levels justify the cost. —JR
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