Multifunction capable and more portable than laptops, tablets are an ideal fit for field use in utilities — but survey results say they’re still in the early adoption phase.
How to choose a paperless work order system
Naaman Shibi, director of Techs4biz Australia, says the benefits of paperless systems are many and varied.
What does a paperless work order system or inspection management system look like? Here is a possible scenario:
A customer (external or internal) calls in to report a broken heating/cooling system. The office staff can immediately view the customer’s information, including pending and previous activities, enter the relevant information into the work order system and create a new work order.
Depending on specific internal approval processes, the work order can be immediately scheduled and assigned to the appropriate technician. If the business deploys a wireless mobile devices system, then the work order is dispatched electronically to the mobile device (smartphone, tablet, PDA or laptop) used by the desired service technician.
The electronic work order includes all the required information, including customer information, address for the task, description of the problem, instructions, required actions and safety requirements etc.
On-site, the technician can view the information on their mobile device, make modifications, and record results, parts, effort (labour), observations, recommendations, and any other information pertaining to the work performed.
Additional features may include using barcodes, RFID (radio frequency identification), capturing automatic date/ time/GPS (global positioning system) stamps and electronic signatures, as well as taking pictures (and even ‘doodling’ on the images to highlight problem areas). A speech-to-text function is available on most smartphones and tablets running Android or iOS operating systems.
Once the paperless work order is completed, information is sent back to the database using 3G, 4G or Wi-Fi. The database is updated with all the appropriate information and management can focus on the next steps: review the work, issue an invoice, automatically email a report, etc. Querying data and producing operational and management reports is easy, since the information is homogeneous, timely, accurate, and can be easily accessed.
DISTINGUISHING FACTORS WHEN SELECTING A VENDOR
It is important to note that, while every business incorporates specific business processes, the automation and use of paperless work order systems means you can quickly adjust, improve and address your specific processes by:
● applying experience gained from other customers using similar business processes, including proposing and incorporating adjustments to manual processes to accommodate automation and paperless work orders
● providing a healthy balance between technology, human intervention and common sense; many implementations are managed by technical ‘propeller heads’ who want to automate every little detail, while proper implementations combine human decision- making with automation, which results in improved efficiency and reduced costs
● tailoring a solution to accommodate unique business processes: systems that offer cost-effective tailoring and configurations to accommodate specific business environments will fit your organisation much better than solutions that promote ‘one size fits all’, and
● considering scalability and flexibility as key features: if a single system can automate a variety of activities including work orders, inspections, PMs, audits, Q&A questionnaires, etc, than you get a much ‘bigger bang for your buck’ – which is the main reason for you reading this article in the first place. ‘Information is power’ is an old adage, but one that rings true in every situation. Information capture and knowledge management is fast becoming the true competitive advantage of any company, especially in these economic circumstances.
SPENDING MONEY TO SAVE MONEY
When hearing the phrase ‘spending money to save money’, one may just assume that people are haphazardly trying to justify their latest big-budget project. However, in my travels to visit many of our customers, it has become very clear that the higher the stature of a person in an organisation, the more attention is paid to how money is being allocated to gain significant return on investment (ROI).
It is important to address the issue of the cost of paperless work orders and inspections, and the ROI. New systems that automate field activities should be able to demonstrate ROI within six to 12 months. Furthermore, some vendors are offering financing or monthly payment plans, which can point to an immediate ROI.
Quick visible paybacks affirm investment in electronic field activity solutions. These decisions also minimise and even eliminate inefficiencies such as insufficient information availability, too much paperwork, over-large administrative costs, missed opportunities, poor scheduling and poor cash management, and therefore generate a competitive advantage and better customer service.
With proper implementation, all of the above attributes create some very appealing means for you to ‘spend money to save money’!
Which Mobile Operating System is Best for You?
Selecting the best rugged mobile solution to support enterprise workflows and applications is anything but simple given the multitude of options available to organizations. With a myriad of choices available comes a certain degree of flexibility and opportunity to leverage corporate strengths while focusing on areas that need improvement/greater efficiency or to further differentiate.
Along with the flexibility these options provide, comes the arduous task of evaluating mobility choices and properties associated with them: form factor, operating system, functionality, features, connectivity, security and a line of business (LOB) software solution to guide employees through productive execution of daily tasks. Read more..
Maximize Mobile Service in 3 Steps
When it comes to deploying a truly successful mobile workforce, do you lead the pack, or trail behind?
Mobile productivity boils down to providing constant, reliable access to remote data. At a high level, preventing barriers to this kind of data is actually a platform-independent practice. Whether you use Android or iOS, if your mobile workforce can’t connect to answers from absolutely anywhere, then they can’t be truly productive.
What 3 best practices determine if your mobile workers have the answers they need? Click Here
Source: www.netmotionwireless.com
The Dozen Challenges To Successful Mobile Deployment eBook
Introduction
As wireless network capacity expands and mobile devices become more powerful, enterprises are able to bring full application access directly to mobile
Those workers roam across multiple networks, use multiple connection types and encounter coverage gaps, all while expecting the same reliable, continuously available acess to network resources that they experience in the office… Click Here
Source: www.netmotionwireless.com
Fleet Management Refresh Eliminates Inefficiencies, Expands Functionality
A new real-time GPS solution has helped this fire protection company reduce speeding and idling, while cutting the cost of its tracking system in half.
For a commercial building owner, sprinklers and fire alarms are critical systems. The consequences of broken equipment can be dire, so when there is a problem, customers want to know that a service technician will arrive quickly.
Baltimore-based Fireline Corp. has been in business since 1947, providing a variety of fire protection services including engineering and design, installation, inspection and testing, and service and repair of fire alarm, fire suppression, and sprinkler systems. The company employees 100 service technicians who spend the bulk of their day on the road, traveling between customer locations.
Ensuring the techs arrive at jobs in a timely manner isn’t Fireline’s only objective, though. Driving behavior has always been a key concern for Fireline, both because the technicians and the vehicles represent the company in public and because speeding and hard braking cost the company money — erratic, risky driving can lead to increased maintenance and fuel expenses, in addition to costly insurance claims and speeding tickets.
When Bill Gibb, materials resource manager at Fireline, took over fleet management at the company several years ago, upgrading Fireline’s ability to track its vehicles was one of his top priorities. Up to that point, the company had used a GPS solution that provided location updates every four minutes. “That might not seem like long, but a lot can happen in four minutes on the highway,” Gibb says. “I wanted something more proactive so we could get updates to us as soon as possible.”
Seeking Fleet Management That Goes Beyond The Basics
The previous solution provided location and vehicle speed information, but that was it. While Gibb was looking for a new solution, GPS provider TomTom Telematics approached the company and offered its fleet management system. According to Gibb, the system not only provided greater, more up-to-the-minute visibility, it did so at a much lower cost. “Once I saw what it could do, I talked to the owner about it,” Gibb says. “The previous solution was very expensive, and we were paying a monthly fee, plus a fee for a phone connection. It was twice what we’re paying now with the new solution.”
Fireline installed the TomTom LINK 300 device on its 100-vehicle fleet. The company deployed the new units as the contracts on the older system expired. The new units are mounted on the dash inside the cab of the trucks.
The TomTom device registers vehicle position, trip information, standstill times, mileage, and driving behavior. Fireline managers can access the data via the TomTom WEBFLEET online portal. The solution has provided real-time visibility of the fleet, along with up-to-date maps and live traffic updates. “The traffic updates are really helpful. I can let our guys know if there is a backup on the beltway,” Gibb says.
Real-Time Visibility Helps Reduce Speeding, Idling
Fireline uses the data from the GPS system to proactively work with drivers to correct poor driving behaviors. Each day, drivers (and managers) receive a report showing where they were the previous day. Once per week the managers get an excessive speed report, and the owner of the company receives an excessive speed and event report that includes hard braking or hard steering events. “That indicates extra wear on the vehicles that we don’t need,” Gibb says. “We track how many miles the vehicles have traveled for maintenance, and if they come in early, we look at the driving record. We can tell the driver, ‘We have to do this maintenance early because of the way you are driving the truck.’”
Fireline was also able to use the solution to reduce idle time. By working with drivers, the company reports that the average idle time is now less than 30 minutes per vehicle, per day across the company, which Gibb feels is right on target. “There are times they have to let the vehicles idle because of the weather or because of the job,” Gibb says. “We have seen a reduction, but when the weather is very hot or very cold, they have to idle — it’ll never be eliminated completely.”
The service department manager can easily see where each vehicle is in the case of an emergency call. In the past, the manager would have had to call the technicians on the phone to check their location. “She can look on a map and see who is closest to the call,” Gibb says. “We’re in the fire protection business, so when people are calling with a broken sprinkler head, they want you there now. This helps us get there faster.”
With a monitoring solution in place, driver behaviors have improved. That, in turn, has helped improve the company’s image, Gibb says. Every one of Fireline’s trucks is marked with an 800 number for other motorists to use when the vehicles aren’t being operated safely. According to Gibb, the company used to receive several complaints per month about its drivers. With the GPS solution in place, those calls have almost stopped completely.
The solution has also reduced theft. “There have been times when a driver has bought gas for their personal vehicle and claimed they put it in the Fireline vehicle,” Gibb says. “We can show them where the Fireline truck was when they used the gas card. We terminated one employee who was abusing the gas card because we could track what he was doing.”
The drivers carry smartphones and laptops that they use to complete inspection documents and reports, but Gibb says the company has no current plans to integrate the GPS solution with a mobile dispatch solution. “Our game plan is to stay with what we’re doing and keep an eye on the technology to see what’s coming down the road,” Gibb says. “Being able to track our speeding and driving and getting real-time data has improved how we operate.”
Source:fieldtechnologiesonline.com