ersonal data assistants, or PDAs, are everywhere ... you might even own one. These devices are a great solution for busy professionals who want access to important information anytime and anyplace. PDAs help manage contacts and calendar information; they also function as wireless phones, mini word processors, e-mail messengers and Internet portals.

As an ISO/merchant level salesperson (MLS), you can use one of these little computers to keep important information at your fingertips. As you read this article, consider the following: Do I need a PDA? How do I decide which model is best for me?

PDAs Help Simplify Your Work

If you're out of the office the majority of the day to visit customers and make sales calls, it's critical to have the most current information at your fingertips. However, instead of pulling out a file folder or grappling with your laptop, why not access most of this information within seconds using a handheld PDA?

How is this possible? PDAs hook up to and synchronize with your computer. This means that the computer and PDA exchange information that keeps both devices up to date. The connection and synchronization of data will take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes depending on the speed of the devices and the amount of information being updated.

PDAs will help you:

• Organize contacts. If you love your Rolodex, great! However, it's hard to lug it on the road. If you use sticky notes, business cards, or even a drawer to manage contacts, PDAs are a must have.

• Stay on top of e-mail, as well as "to-do" lists, tasks and appointments.

• View and edit critical documents.

• Calculate. Instead of using worksheets to calculate a client's savings for a new terminal lease and a lower discount rate, why not use a PDA? You'll look a lot more professional, and you'll see the results right away.

• Surf the Internet (for work, of course). Some PDAs include wireless Internet access, which provides you with access to e-mail, Web sites, online maps, and many other goodies found on the net. There are hundreds of uses for a PDA. In addition to the list above, these products are particularly helpful to ISOs/MLSs in the following three areas:

Documents To Go

Documents To Go is a software application designed for palmOne devices; it usually comes already loaded on most of these products.

The application enables you to open Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and PDF documents on your PDA to retrieve and edit financials, contracts and presentations while out of the office.

Users of another type of PDA, called Pocket PC, can also view Word and Excel files, although these are the "mobile," more scaled down versions of these Microsoft applications. (I prefer to use Documents To Go on a palmOne device because it offers a lot more flexibility than the Pocket PC versions of Excel and Word.) Either way, having access to Excel and Word documents on a PDA enables you to store and view important contracts and spreadsheets when out of the office. Regularly synchronizing data on your PC and PDA keeps the files up to date. For instance, after Anna, Nubrek Inc.'s Marketing Manager, updates the company's marketing information at the close of business on Monday, I "sync" the information first thing on Tuesday morning before I leave the office for my appointments. When I do this, I have the latest updates with me throughout the day.

AvantGo

AvantGo is an excellent offline Web browser for people using palmOne's Zire, Tungsten, or other PDA modules that don't connect directly to the Internet. When you sync data, AvantGo downloads selected Web pages.

For instance, I receive updates to the "Wall Street Journal," The Green Sheet, local movie times, airline ticket sites and the weather. For more information on AvantGo, visit www.avantgo.com .

A very strong business case for using a PDA with Internet browsing capabilities (or an application like AvantGo), is the variety of Web-based ISO management solutions available.

As I discussed in a previous article ("Exploring Different ISO Management Solutions," The Green Sheet, May 23, 2005, issue 05:05:02), a number of ISO management solutions work with PDAs.

The sales and marketing software Salesforce.com has a PDA module, although this application does not offer any ISO-specific functions.

At Nubrek Inc., our product eISO is compatible with PDAs. ISOs/MLSs who use eISO to track and manage leads and appointments can keep a list of their active clients on their PDAs along with maps to their businesses. POS Portal also provides PDA access.

Calculators

If you use Excel worksheets for computation, you might find that your PDA's version of Excel or Documents To Go can perform the same calculations. Nubrek publishes a free merchant savings calculator that works on most PDAs. For more information, visit www.nubrek.com .

So Many Options

Most electronics stores have PDA displays, which allow you to play with these gadgets before making a purchase. When selecting a product, consider the desired features as well as its size and general appearance.

As with most electronics, the more bells and whistles available, the higher the price. If you have trouble weighing the options, most electronics stores staff knowledgeable people who can answer basic questions.

A great Web site for comparing products is www.davespda.com/resources/compare/index.htm . This site allows you to select up to five different models and view them in a comparison chart. People are conducting more and more business on the go, whether in the car, at the airport or during lunch. If you're looking for a mobile device to help you organize contacts, connect to e-mail and the Internet, access important documents, compute numbers more quickly, and provide wireless phone communication, a PDA is the right solution for you.

Joel Rydbeck, Chief Executive Officer of Nubrek Inc., brings his strong background in e-commerce and business process automation to the merchant services industry. Nubrek offers eISO, a software application that tracks clients and provides automated commission and residual calculations. For more information on spyware visit Rydbeck's blog: www.merchanttechnology.org, e-mail him at joel@nubrek.com or call 877-390-1887.