Celebrating 10 Years of Field Service Management with No-Code Apps
July 10, 2013
Dataco Utility Services recently celebrated 10 years of successful field service management with Flowfinity. At the time, the field service provider replaced paper forms and phone calls with a fully automated solution for dispatch and mobile work order management.
The solution still delivers return on investment today, making it as essential as it was 10 years ago. Dataco was an early adopter of a mobile workforce management solution, but for many field service organizations, the ability to keep track of field work on a transactional, real-time basis is still a challenge. Paper forms are still commonly used to track time and activities in the field.
Part of the difficulty in selecting a mobile field service solution to replace paper forms is the uncertainty about how long it will last. The longevity of a mobile solution depends on how flexible it is to adapt to changes in business processes and mobile device requirements.
If adding new mobile forms and workflows requires expensive coding or hefty consulting fees, the long-term viability of the solution decreases. Solutions like Flowfinity, with a point-and-click app editor for quickly customizing new mobile forms and business workflows, are better positioned for long-term success.
Cross-platform support is also essential. The ability to access the same system from different devices protects the software investment as device popularity shifts. It also eliminates the need for expensive, proprietary mobile devices that serve a limited purpose and go obsolete too quickly.
Dataco first deployed BlackBerry smartphones, but now has the ability to access the same system on iPhone, iPad, Android, or Windows devices. Companies that select cross-platform solutions have more options to support BYOD (bring your own device) policies or change mobile device management strategies as their business needs evolve.
Dataco achieved ROI within 2 months by cutting administrative costs and inefficiencies in the field. They say that Flowfinity continues today to streamline their operations and make the company more effective and profitable.
