Chipside Ltd

Tendring District Council, a local council covering an administrative area of around 130 square miles of North East Essex and a population of approximately 140,000 people, recently implemented a mobile computing solution for its on-street parking enforcement. Tendring District Council has purchased The Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro handheld computers and ticketing software through Chipside, a value added reseller.

Chipside was selected to implement the ticketing solution in a competitive tender. It was also recommended by other local authorities in Essex. The Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro hand-held computer was one of many options available, but was deemed by Tendring District Council to be the one that fulfilled their criteria most effectively. These criteria included a good size, durable, compact, colour screen and a good battery life as well as the product having a high memory capacity and being upgradeable. Tendring District Council also stipulated a Windows CE operating system and a reliable Blue Tooth connection.

The Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro is a Windows CE .NET based hand-held computer that delivers the performance, ruggedness and durability required for mobile data collection in harsh environments in a user-friendly, ergonomic package. Based on industry standards, the design ensures ease of integration with existing or desired infrastructure. Unparalleled expansion and connectivity options deliver a high degree of customisation flexibility so that the Workabout Pro can be tailored to specific applications.

the solution

Prior to the installation of the new system, tickets were produced and data was inputted manually. Since its installation in October 2004, ticket production has increased six-fold, from 3,000 manual tickets per year to 15,000-20,000. According to Mr Ian Taylor, Operations Manager, at Tendring District Council, “Whilst on the streets, the Psion Teklogix Workabout Pro offers our parking attendants a more professional appearance and increased job status. They are also useful for note taking and accurate verification of location and time of issue which is a great assistance in processing ticket disputes.”

He adds, “Back at base, time is saved as data is automatically transferred directly to our back office system, which also improves accuracy. The new system offers the ability to collect up-to-date management information and accurate statistics in a timely manner. We have a clear audit trail and can also review the location of our parking attendants and monitor the time spent in specific areas.”

the benefits

He continues, “In terms of the Psion Workabout Pro, the screen visibility is good and the product seems very accurate and reliable. We are very pleased with the operation and overall reliability of the Psion Workabout Pro and have had no staff complaints relating to the product in terms of weight, reliability and ease of use.”

Tendring District Council is considering moving the system into real-time in order to gain even greater efficiency and visibility. However, the present ticket information availability provides a far greater improvement than before and is currently satisfying requirements.

He concludes, “Chipside has worked really hard on this project and we have a good working relationship with them. The implementation has been a real success and we are looking forward to working further with Chipside and Psion Teklogix to deliver even greater improvements to the system. This has been an excellent example of good technology being used properly to deliver an effective real life solution.”

Contact Chipside Ltd

Telephone: (0845) 470 9009 EMail: help@chipside.com
8 Mannington Lane, Westlea, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 7AT. United Kingdom