Mobilization

Today the need to capture information accurately and timely has never been greater. Mobile work forces continue to move from submitting paper forms that are entered in systems by additional staff to directly entering information in computer, tablet and smart phone based systems. While this gains efficiency and accuracy in avoiding rekeying information, mobile solutions can be expensive in adding equipment and mobile data communication solutions.

For this client engagement, the right solution was to find a balance between mobile capture and cost-effective submission. To avoid the expense of mobile data across a large mobile work force, the solution chosen was to utilize a software system that allowed synchronization at WiFi hot spots. Crews were provided ruggedized laptops that would load work orders over WiFi, capture updates from work orders, and synchronize results on return. WiFi Hot Spots were installed at all locations, with a high capacity network being added at the main location. This network was made separate from the corporate network to secure management systems.

Another concern was the cost of maintaining the additional machines, especially with the potential of malware and virus infections. The client had no full time IT support and need a process that could be managed in house. The solution was to create an imaging process that restored the laptops to the beginning state. A management employee was able to restore the machine using a bootable USB drive and straight forward instructions. The result was an affordable solution that improve efficiency and accuracy of information, as well as shortening the time to bill.