Countless companies are joining the trend of using mobile apps to upgrade the management of their processes. Among these is the field data collection, a process of multiple complexities used by the most diverse industries and which regularly, due to internal problems associated to its handling, sparks conflicts with customers, from which companies can’t recover from. Gathering data and obtaining territorial information can be done via field data collection through mobile devices, taking advantage of the constant expansion of mobile phone networks, therefore reaching remoter areas every time.
The adoption of mobile channels for the field data collection is now a phenomenon that’s reaching sectors which once used to be reluctant to technology, such as the construction industry. Mobile technology, once the domain of early-adopters and outliers, is now mainstream, thanks to improving connectivity and mobile device computing power. Mid-level firms that just a few years ago could delay the adoption of mobile technology must now make a substantial investment just to keep up with their competition.
In fact, a US survey highlights the trends for mobile tech usage in the construction industry, and according to the survey:
- Firms using more than five mobile business apps hit 36 per cent, while firms using more than 10 mobile business apps reached 23 per cent.
- Most-used mobile apps were inspections at 61 per cent, work orders at 49 per cent, and checklists at 31 per cent.
- Popular features were signature capture at 64 per cent, and image capture at 60 per cent.
- Construction firms see value in integration, with 69 per cent favoring integrating core business applications such as Quickbook, Salesforce, Square and Dropbox.
Field data collection: saying paper goodbye
Going paperless in the office is an easy transition—with everyone using a computer, you can simply depend on online forms. Going paperless when it comes to field data collection, however, can appear to be an equally daunting task. If you do move away from paper, though, you can modernize your entire team’s workflow, helping everyone get more done and saving data entry headaches. It may be even more fulfilling than taking your office paperless.
What you’ll need to make it happen is a field data collection app—a tool that lets your team fill out forms offline on their smartphones and tablets. These apps are super-powered forms that let you capture images, photos, videos and more, sign forms with a finger, track locations on maps, and much more. They’re flexible tools that can help you gather more information and work faster, without having to worry about a wifi signal. As the work in field data collection is being done, the data is stored in the device, and once Internet becomes available, the data is synchronized automatically.
A world of advantages
What can the companies gain from the reinvention of a process such as field data collection with mobile tools? These are some of the multiple benefits achieved thanks to the use of mobile apps?
- Field data collection becomes quicker, thanks to predetermined forms.
- Collected data is sent to the main office instantly, eliminating that way waiting times caused by workers returning to the home office with the paper forms for their processing.
- Work is 100% verified with the employee’s signature, GPS location, date and time.
- The service quality is exponentially improved, providing a more organized and professional attention.
- Thanks to mobile apps such as DataScope, the work can be evaluated more efficiently, and companies can obtain more accurate metrics.
DataScope is a platform which allows various industries to streamline, organize and evaluate the work of their field staffs thanks to online forms which provide real time indicators 100% adaptable to any field.
