The following is a guest blog from ServiceMax partner GoFormz. For more information, visit them in the ServiceMax Marketplace.
Digital solutions play a vital role within every business organization –– billions of dollars are spent on IT and software solutions (such as CRM, Billing, HR, etc.) in the name of productivity and accuracy. These digital resources, however, are implemented mostly for workers in the office… leaving frontline workers (at job sites or in the field) with manual, cumbersome and outdated tools and workflows (like paper forms, hand-delivered data and manually processing and re-keying data). The chasm between the digital tools used by the frontline teams and by the office, jeopardizes the accuracy, accessibility and timeliness of data collected at jobsites.
So why subject frontline workers to analog, archaic solutions? Often, frontline teams remain ill-equipped due to a simple oversight –– nobody has thought to arm them with the digital tools they desperately need. This innocent blunder comes with consequences, resulting in unnecessary time and financial expenditures. So how can field service professionals bridge the chasm between their frontline and back-office workers? The answer is simple, yet powerful: digital documents and forms on mobile devices
Bridging the Data Chasm with Digital Forms
The way in which frontline workers in the field capture their data, matters. Often, it’s assumed that manual rekeying and scanning paper forms is merely a necessary chore within every workflow –– this couldn’t be further from the truth. Collecting valuable information with outdated and vulnerable tools (like paper forms) often results in inaccurate data and costly delays. So how can the digital resources of the back-office be extended to frontline workers out in the trenches? Closing the chasm between workforces is as simple as digitizing your operation’s medium of data collection –– turning your paper forms into dynamic, digital forms that can be filled out on any mobile device.
Frontline Knowledge Workers
By harnessing these ‘mobile forms’ (i.e. equipping your teams with forms they fill out on devices like tablets and phones), your operation can not only prioritize the accuracy and timeliness of collected data, but also the efficiency and flexibility of its workflows. These smart mobile forms eliminate the need for vulnerable, paper-based field reporting — reducing opportunities for human error and expediting information delivery. Implementing this digital solution empowers your frontline to act as knowledge workers out in the field –– prioritizing the vital role they play within your operation’s data workflow, and enabling mobile workers to accomplish more.
Streamline Data, Connect Your Team
By arming your frontline knowledge workers with these digital documents (using platforms like GoFormz), you can seamlessly connect your frontline and office teams through a constant current of information. As data is instantaneously routed from the field to the office, manual deliveries and delays are eliminated, and information is immediately available for analysis and implementation. The elimination of in-person hand-ins, coupled with an expedited workflow can save your operation significant time and money –– directly benefiting your bottom line.
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