As Nick Harper, sales director with Amtech explains, we live in a mobile world where information technology is at everyone’s fingertips, and this has created huge potential for engineers
It is not that long ago that mobile business devices were far more capable and connected than any personal device. However, this has changed quite considerably over recent years and personal devices have now taken the lead and play such a key role in our everyday life, with our smartphones capable of carrying out a host of functions from filling out forms of communication through to making purchases.
As a consequence businesses are now waking up to the capabilities provided by new mobile devices, so there is now a requirement to harness this with business specific applications loaded onto the devices, combined with back office connectivity enabled to the core business systems.
This means that engineers have the possibility of achieving more on-site and can dispense with the traditional manual processing and re-keying that wastes time and duplicates effort.
On-site production of Inspection & Testing certificates is a case in point. For example, an ‘Inspection & Testing’ app for iPad can be used to create new certificates or use a previous certificate as a template. Either way, as the data is generated from the test results it can simply be entered into the app as you work.
Once the on-site work is complete, the data can be synchronised to dedicated cloud servers for secure storage. It can also be accessed by the main computer in the office that has the full version of the certification software.
This integration of mobile device and cloud storage serves to protect data, acting as a back-up should anything happen to the iPad. Crucially, it also enables administration to be completed on return to the office, so that on-site productivity is maximised.
In situations where multiple engineers are carrying out Inspection & Testing on-site it allows managers to download the test results as they come in from various engineers.
Early days
This integration between mobile devices, cloud storage and back office systems is just the beginning. In the very near future we can expect to see a much higher level of integration between systems that help to manage everyday tasks.
For example, a service engineer with an Inspection & Testing app may also receive jobs from service and maintenance management software on the same mobile device. Integration between these systems will enable documentation such as previous certificates to be delivered to the mobile device along with the job details. So, if it’s a re-test job, having all that core information from the previous certificate in place, within the app, will save time.
If the testing reveals problems with the system, that same mobile device can be used to take photographs of, for example, damaged cables to send to the client. At the same time, an estimating app on the mobile device will enable an estimate for remedial work to be produced on-site, using material and labour costs from an online pricing database. The estimate can then be sent to the office and/or client for approval.
Once the work is approved a follow-up visit is booked into the scheduling software and the engineer can leave site – or it may be possible to complete the work there and then. The key point here is that the engineer has achieved considerably more while on-site than would traditionally be the case.
In parallel, all of this information is shared with back office systems in real time so the company retains full visibility and control of progress.
For a higher level of efficiency, the scheduling software may also be integrated with GPS tracking so that scheduling and allocation of reactive and planned jobs can be automated.The result is better compliance with key performance indicators (KPIs), optimisation of resources and reduced fuel consumption.
Information on the move
There will also be times when both service and installation engineers on-site need quick access to technical or installation information about a product. Clearly it would be impractical to store all the information that might be required on the mobile device itself. However, when you’re ‘always online’ access to that information is always possible.
Through the use of web services such as LuckinsLive.com product information is available on mobile devices. Everything from simple dimensions, and technical details, through to complete installation instructions, compliance certificates, pictures, CAD images and more, can be downloaded and delivered to the engineer or customer – or appended to a quote or job schedule.
The point here is that mobile technologies are opening up new ways of working – empowering engineers on-site to maximise their productivity for the benefit of all parties.
Amtech
T: 0800 028 28 28
