CAFM & IT Mobile data capture Edward Belgeonne CEO, & Founder of Destiny Wireless Ltd,
explores the technology. Successful and effective facilities management relies on accurate record keeping. Asset management, maintenance schedules and refurb project management are just a few facilities management task that could not be completed without detailed records.
It’s estimated that the average company makes 19 copies of each document, loses one out of 20 and spends 400 hours each year searching for lost files. Mobile data capture offers a dramatic improvement on these amazing statistics, followed by inevitable cost- savings.
Any task which involves recording information and sending it to a company’s offices can be streamlined. The greatest leap forward has been the ability to transmit captured data instantly. Businesses can complete tasks faster, get invoices out sooner, they can make customer service more responsive, and they can kick off multiple workflows using the same data, rather than waiting for each department to finish with it. And these are just the most obvious benefits.
The field of mobile data capture is changing rapidly. Devices like the digital pen help make the process as intuitive as possible, meaning existing paper forms can be retained and no additional training is needed for the end user. The basic idea is that rather than replacing your company’s paper-based forms with electronic versions on PDA’s or laptops – which would require considerable investment in hardware, training and software development – you simply introduce the digital pen alongside your existing processes. These devices, about the size of a fountain pen, have a tiny camera at
the nib that records every stroke. The pens are equipped with Bluetooth and via a mobile phone can upload an image of each document and load a data file onto your company’s servers with a simple tick of a box.
There is still the hard- copy original of each document which can be left with the customer, yet there is already an electronic version back at the office, which can be checked, distributed and acted on immediately. This allows the business to retain the same paper forms they currently use. But whereas an old-style paper form may take days or even weeks to be received at headquarters, inputted and fully processed; a digitally transmitted version can be acted on immediately.
An associated advantage is in time management. With information circulating at a much faster rate, it’s possible to greatly improve the deployment of resources. The latest systems are able to coordinate with all aspects of a company’s activity. GPS allows location- based information to be integrated automatically, so alongside data and documents the same system can keep track of vehicles and personnel, offering a complete workflow management system for your people in the field.
Remote data capture allows a huge increase in accuracy. When documents are transmitted instantly, any errors can be picked up immediately by office staff, allowing the user in the field to make
corrections or get extra information,
where needed, before the end of an appointment.
With all systems, encryption is built in, so data is encoded before transmission to avoid any risk of interception. In fact all forms of mobile data capture improve security, simply because they safeguard your valuable information against loss. With data transmitted instantly to your company’s secure servers, you don’t have to worry about unreceived faxes or forms lost in the post.
The greatest changes being made today consider all aspects of how data is stored, transmitted and distributed within a business. Seen like this, mobile data capture is often at the sharp end of improving workflow and responsiveness of a company as a whole.
The key to the success of wider adoption of mobile data capture is to maintain flexibility in approach and offering to end customers.
www.destinywireless.com
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