{"id":3148,"date":"2001-07-26T14:59:26","date_gmt":"2001-07-26T19:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smperformance.wordpress.com\/2013\/08\/03\/stratvantage-consulting-llc-mikes-take-on-the-news-072601\/"},"modified":"2001-07-26T14:59:26","modified_gmt":"2001-07-26T19:59:26","slug":"stratvantage-consulting-llc-mikes-take-on-the-news-072601","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stratvantage.com\/index.php\/2001\/07\/26\/stratvantage-consulting-llc-mikes-take-on-the-news-072601\/","title":{"rendered":"StratVantage Consulting, LLC — Mike’s Take on the News 07\/26\/01"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
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From Evernote:<\/a><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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StratVantage Consulting, LLC — Mike’s Take on the News 07\/26\/01<\/h1>\n

Clipped from: http:\/\/www.stratvantage.com\/news\/072601.htm<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

T<\/strong>he News \u2013 07\/26\/01<\/h1>\n

Wireless and Cashless<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, it\u2019s been a long time coming to this country, but Nokia, 2Scoot (stupid name alert) and Sodexho have debuted wireless, cashless payments at Nokia\u2019s Irving, TX campus cafeteria.<\/strong> The scheme uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), which I\u2019ve been yammering about in the <\/a>TrendSpot <\/a> for some time.<\/strong> You know those decorated cell phone faceplates you can get?<\/strong> Nokia\u2019s got a new model called a SmartCover, which incorporates a 2Scoot RFID tag.<\/strong> The SmartCover identifies the user to the 2Scoot backend system and links to a customer’s existing credit card, authorizing and clearing payment in less than a second.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A nice trick, but let me know when you\u2019ve got the system Bluetooth-enabled.<\/strong> While this is a good first step toward a mobile cash solution, it requires quite a lot of setup to work.<\/strong> The vendor needs to implement 2Scoot\u2019s hardware and software systems. Customers need to purchase SmartCovers and install them on their phones.<\/strong> Plus, the phones need to be Nokia phones and despite the fact that Nokia is the number one cell phone maker, there are those of us who carry other brands.<\/strong> The whole setup is a bit too proprietary to become ubiquitous.<\/strong> But hooking up with Sodexho is a savvy move by Nokia.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The food service company is the leading provider of food and facilities management in the U.S. and Canada, with $4.<\/strong>7 billion in annual sales. NPR listeners may recognize the company as Sodexho Marriott, a heavy public radio contributor.<\/strong> The company was a joint effort with Marriott, but all shares were recently purchased by Sodexho Alliance, the global number one food service company operating in 70 countries.<\/strong> The company pioneered their FastPass service, which allows customers to pay via prepurchased meal passes.<\/strong> We can expect Sodexho Alliance to roll the wireless solution out to its other operations if the Nokia campus trial is a success.<\/strong><\/p>\n

No lines at the checkout counter would be pretty cool, but I wonder how much time this solution will actually save.<\/strong> The RFID tag is activated when placed in the scanner’s radio frequency field, which is typically 2 to 8 inches wide.<\/strong> So unlike the recent TV commercials featuring a guy breezing out of a supermarket, paying via SmartCover involves digging your cell phone out and moving it through the scanning field.<\/strong> And I assume a human still needs to tally up the bill.<\/strong> RFID tags in the food, now that would be something.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While we\u2019re at it, a pet peeve: Nokia cranks out more press releases than pretty much any company I follow, but their press section on their Web site never is up to date.<\/strong> They are not alone in this by any means. Perhaps by the time you read this they\u2019ll have gotten around to post the PR.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One more pet peeve: incomprehensible navigation on corporate sites.<\/strong> The Sodexho, Inc. site <\/a> is OK \u2013 at least they had the PR posted.<\/strong> But the Sodexho Alliance site <\/a> is another triumph of design over utility.<\/strong> I merely wanted to find out how big Sodexho is and how many cafeterias they manage worldwide.<\/strong> Couldn\u2019t do it. Get a clue, Web site designers.<\/strong> Try to organize a site so people who have real questions about the company can find the answers.<\/strong> The Sodexho Alliance site did have a FAQ section, with all of three questions in it, one about the chairman\u2019s succession plans.<\/strong> Yeah, that one was uppermost on my mind; thanks for answering it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bottom line: Nokia\u2019s scheme will probably work fine for employee cafeterias and other relatively controlled situations (but probably won\u2019t fly in another Sodexho business: running correctional facilities).<\/strong> It\u2019s unclear if Nokia\u2019s SmartCover solution is vendor-specific or whether it can work with other merchants.<\/strong> (Peeve: a search for SmartCover on Nokia\u2019s site turned up nothing.<\/strong> Great branding.) However, what\u2019s really needed is some kind of wireless wallet solution where a previous relationship with the vendor is not necessary.<\/strong> Being the privacy advocate that I am, I would prefer a solution that does not require the wireless user to give up more information than he or she would if paying by cash.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2Scoot <\/a><\/p>\n

Briefly Noted<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n