The following is a guest blog from ServiceMax partner GoFormz. For more information, visit them in the ServiceMax Marketplace. 

Collecting data in the field by using forms on mobile devices has helped thousands of companies avoid the cumbersome inefficiencies of manual data processing. Streamlining data collection with these mobile forms allows your team to instantly leverage several key operational efficiencies: faster and cheaper data processing, more accurate and thorough data collection and increased information sharing across your organization.

Many GoFormz customers credit their operational excellence to embracing these key elements in their mobile-forms implementations. One of our customers, a global energy and environmental services business, felt burdened by the overwhelming amount of manual documentation and demand for data required from their operations team. After implementing mobile forms, they no longer battle time-consuming documentation, and now reap the benefits of improved service efficiencies and job site productivity.

GoFormz’ integration with a variety of applications, such as Quickbase, allowed our client to flow information directly from the field into their customer management system, resulting in measurable improvements in time savings and information quality. Even administrative operations have improved as a result of their mobile forms. For example, processing time of their daily timesheets has been reduced by 25 percent, and expense reports are now processed in just a few days instead of a month.

Another customer, a large construction company, uses GoFormz to fill out all job related forms on mobile devices. With job sites sometimes as far as three hours away from the main office, the mobile forms, which instantly transmit completed forms and data, save them significant time and money while also boosting processing times.Blog_Preparing-for-a-Connected-World--How-Field-Service-Unlocks-the-IoT-for-Industry_1200x600

Additionally, the integration of GoFormz with Box has increased their team collaboration, data access and record keeping. With a similar mobile forms set up, a construction services company in Georgia uses GoFormz with Dropbox and saves up to 75 hours a month in administrative overhead.

Mobile Forms Save You Time and Money, and Increase Your Processing Cycles

When completing a paper form out in the field, that document requires physical delivery to the office, to be ‘handed in’. The associated costs of this task, both in terms of time and money, can add up. Using a mobile form completely eliminates these costs, while also significantly increasing your operational cycles.

After completing a form on your tablet or phone, your data is immediately submitted back to the office for review. Your administrative team can process the form instantly, making your workflows and turnaround times significantly more efficient. Additionally, removing the necessity for a field technician to return to the office to hand in paperwork, allows for more time spent with customers in the field.

Mobile Forms Record More Accurate and Thorough Data

With embedded features like conditional logic and automatic calculations available for each mobile form, submitted totals are always accurate (and instantaneous). Similarly, the option to enforce required fields ensures that forms are always submitted with complete data sets. Leveraging resources native to smartphones and tablet devices (such as cameras and location services) allows mobile forms to easily include new types of data, like photo images, GPS coordinates and maps.

With more information being collected in forms, your business can operate on a more thorough understanding of the field, using more complete and centralized data.

Mobile Forms Increase Information Sharing Across Your Organization

Collecting data in a mobile form is electronic (versus analog – ‘ink on paper’), allowing your field data to be easily shared digitally throughout your other business systems. By connecting your mobile forms platform with your other critical business systems (e.g. your CRM, field service management platforms or billing systems) crucial field data can be easily accessed and processed across your organization by various departments and their systems. Mobile forms platforms like GoFormz offer pre-existing integrations and a robust API that make it easy to connect your account with your other business applications.

Mobile forms platforms play an essential role in streamlining workflows and driving operational efficiencies. By prioritizing the processing efficiency of collected field data, mobile forms can enable businesses to attain operational excellence throughout the entire organization.

And to learn more about operational excellence and how these aspects work together to create a service system that is far greater than just the sum of its parts, check out our new free ebook.

ABOUT Ren Chin

Avatar photoRen has over 15 years experience in building successful market-leading technology startups. Prior to GoFormz, Ren served as the VP of Product Management and Marketing at several tech companies.