In an effort to streamline the messy proliferation of apps on the handheld computers that warehouse employees use to scan barcodes and manage tasks, Zebra Technologies Co. today launched a platform that serves as a single “super-app,” uniting them all in a single window.
The “Zebra Workcloud Sync” product supports synchronous, real-time collaboration, allowing frontline workers to effectively communicate and seamlessly work together, the company said during its annual Zone user conference for customers and partners, held this year in Nashville.
In addition to providing communications, collaboration, and task management, Workcloud Sync is also expanding to include additional workflows such as cycle count and scheduling & timekeeping, Suresh Menon, Zebra’s Senior Vice President and General Manager, Software Solutions, said in a session at the show.
According to Suresh, Zebra customers have been complaining that their workers can accumulate dozens of apps on each devices, snarling employers’ efforts to simplify workflows. While those apps provide valuable information—such as data from warehouse and retail automation platforms, or from enterprise resource planning (ER) and customer relationship planning (CRP) platforms—the sheer number of them forces users to flip through screens and waste time searching for specific data.
“To truly empower the frontline, organizations need to ensure information flows seamlessly from their core systems to their teams where the work gets done,” Menon said in a release. “Our new Workcloud solutions provide that critical link, giving leaders insights to plan effectively and frontline teams the orchestrated workflows to execute flawlessly.”
In related launches, Zebra also announced an expansion of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered capabilities on its handheld computers, including Workcloud Business Intelligence (Workcloud BI), which delivers real-time, AI-powered insights to frontline workers through role-based mobile dashboards. And Workcloud Integration & Orchestration (Workcloud IO) serves as the central nervous system for data flow, providing a standardized integration layer that connects Workcloud solutions to core business systems like point of sale.
The launch of Workcloud BI and Workcloud IO comes as retailers are piloting and using AI across critical workflows—such as inventory optimization (51%), cost optimization (45%), and demand accuracy (37%)—according to Zebra’s study with Oxford Economics.
