Field supervision and inspection are part and parcel of many operations such as engineering, manufacturing, telecom, electricity, oil and natural gas, and so many other industries.
Field data is one of the most cumbersome processes as it involves the use of tons of paperwork and hundreds of surveys that validate and capture field-based information required for the filing process.
Data collection from the field can be a huge task, and therefore, there is a lot of research invested in simplifying mobile data collection, which seems to be the only solution to reduce the humongous task of data collection.
As it is, data is one of the most important assets for any organization. It is required to store data in no matter what form – as it is one of the most important proofs for carrying out any work or process with due diligence and by complying with the norms. Data collection has to be quick, paper-free, error-free and reliable, which is why the manual collection of data is no longer relevant in most industries.
This has paved the path to mobile data collection, where data is collected on a handheld device using pre-installed applications that help capture data in the form of spreadsheets or survey checklists.
Benefits of Mobile Field Service Management Apps
Mobile apps are one of the most important forms of data collection method of all time – it helps in storing information in the most organized manner. Mobile apps are also very easy to install and can handle large amounts of data without the use of paper or large data storage devices such as computers.
Technicians who work in the field need to carry around sheets and checklists for recording their inspections and collecting data from their visits. This can turn into a very redundant task with excessive paperwork and a high chance of recording data with manual entry errors.
It is also to be noted that manual data is less reliable than automated electronic data that is collected in an organized and efficient tabulated manner.
Enter mobile data collection for field service management. An app that helps record field data regarding inspections with automated tables, checklists, and survey lists for completely organized, error-free, well-tabulated data that can also provide intuitive analytics as and when required.
It is an application that has been known to boost the productivity and data management of several top companies in various industries such as oil and gas, electricity, manufacturing, telecom, heavy construction etc.
There are many benefits of using applications to record field data, and some of the key benefits are:
- Reliable Data
Data that is collected in forms and checklists are pre-installed on the mobile device via the app using customizable features provided by the developer. This helps in recording information from inspections easily and without missing out on key information or errors.
- Saves Time
It saves so much time and resources that would otherwise take so long to collate, store and analyze later on. Entering data on a mobile device with a customizable field app helps in easy and Swift inspections every time
- Organized and Collated data
The data is saved and can be uploaded safely in a well-organized, tabulated form, which is easy to query from a database as well in the future.
