Top reasons for failures were:

• Battery problems — 39%
• Touchscreen issues — 32%
• Device stopped working properly— 24%
• Broken screen — 22%
• Buttons stopped — 15%
• Bar code reader failure — 24%

Even when their devices were operating effectively, mobile workers still found them frustrating. The most annoying things about their handheld device were:

• Slow or inaccurate bar code — 16%
• Unable to use wearing gloves —- 18%
• Too heavy — 15%
• Poor battery life — 18%
• Poor screen sensitivity for signatures — 10%

The top design improvements they would like to see made to their handheld devices were:

• Anti-scratch coating — 30%
• Hand or shoulder strap — 28%
• Heat reflective coating —- 18%
• Easier to clean — 21%
• Hot swap batteries — 22%
• Camera — 17%

And if these improvements were made and they had their perfect handheld device, workers promised huge increases in productivity as a result. Workers estimated that they would be 39% more productive on average. Jan Kaempfer, General Manager of Marketing for Mobile Solutions Business Division — Europe, said: "There can be no doubt that mobile workers are feeling the frustrations of working with their current handheld mobile computing devices. As well as demotivating the workforce, these issues are having a huge cost and customer service impact on the businesses they work for."

"The pressures are high in the business sectors where these bar code scanning handheld devices are used because every second counts. The work environment is also often difficult and exposed, which has an impact on the number of device accidents and failure rates. As a result, it is more critical than ever that technology buyers understand the device design factors that will have the biggest impact on their workforce and their business — ergonomic design, rugged protection and technology differentiators like hot swappable batteries and daylight visible screens."

A full copy of the Handheld Troubles research executive summary can be found here: https://business.panasonic.co.uk/mobile-solutions/handheld-troubles-2020.

Press contact:
Kiri O'Leary
The Amber Group
kiri@ambergroup.net
+44 (0)118 949 7737

About Panasonic System Communications Company Europe (PSCEU)
Panasonic System Communications Company Europe's (PSCEU) goal is to improve the working lives of business professionals and help their organisations' efficiency and performance through world leading technology. We help organisations capture, compute and communicate all sorts of information: image, voice, and textual data. With around 350 staff, engineering design expertise, global project management capability and a large European partner network, PSCEU offers unrivalled capability in its markets.

PSCEU is made up of six product categories:

• Broadcast & ProAV gives you the freedom to tell the story with its high quality products and solutions, which ensure smooth operation and excellent cost-performance across a range of remote cameras, switchers, studio cameras and ENG P2HD. The cinema camera range of VariCam models and the EVA1 are capable of true 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR) making them the ideal solution for cinema, television, documentary and live event production.

• Communication Solutions offers world leading telephony systems, SIP terminal devices and professional 'network' scanners giving you the freedom to focus on the communication and not the connection.

• Mobile Solutions Business Division helps mobile workers improve productivity with its range of Toughbook rugged notebooks, business tablets, handhelds and electronic point of sales (EPOS) systems. As European market leaders, Panasonic had a 48% revenue share of sales of rugged and durable notebooks and tablets in 2018 (VDC Research, March 2019).

• Industrial Medical Vision manufactures applications for various segments such as medical, life science, ProAV or industrial. The product portfolio includes complete and OEM camera systems, providing the freedom to see what can't be seen.

• Security Solutions, built on a heritage of providing evidential quality CCTV footage. Delivering the highest image quality in all environmental conditions using our highly reliable, advanced technology cameras and image recording systems, giving you the freedom to feel secure.

• Visual System Solutions, offers the widest range of professional displays and projectors and allows Audio Visual professionals the freedom to create. It leads the European high brightness projector market with a 39% market revenue share (Futuresource >5klm FY17 Q3, excl. 4K & digital cinema).

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