Mobile CMMS apps represent a significant business asset because they save time and make processes smoother. However, not all CMMS tools are equal when it comes to handling staff concerns or issues in the field.
Mobile CMMS: Time Savings for Technicians
Mobile CMMS apps free up effective working time for technicians because they are expressly designed to make their tasks easier. They have direct access, via smartphone or tablet, to the same client and site data that their office-based colleagues have (service history, contact information for the site’s point person[s], P3 data for the site, etc.), so they no longer need to contact the office about missing information. Instead, they can instantly see what tools are suitable for a given task. No more last-minute service call cancellations due to simple misunderstandings!
L’autre atout majeur de la gestion mobile de la maintenance pour les techniciens est le passage au « zéro papier ». En effet, plus besoin de formulaires pour les rapports d’interventions : tout se fait de manière intuitive grâce à des champs pré-remplis en fonction du type d’intervention, le technicien n’a plus qu’à se laisser guider par l’outil. Sur les applications les plus avancées, il est même possible d’ajouter des photos de l’intervention au début et/ou à la fin de la saisie de l’intervention.
Ainsi, le technicien équipé d’une application mobile de gestion des interventions gagne un temps considérable au quotidien, et notamment pour faire ce qui l’intéresse vraiment : réaliser son intervention. Cela va influer sur sa motivation.
Mobile CMMS: Benefits for Office-based Users
The mobile app also saves time for office-based users of the software, as data pertaining to service calls are passed up the chain more quickly and reliably. They’ll no longer need to contact the technician for clarification about data entry errors, illegible handwriting, or incomplete fields on their reports.
Ils peuvent désormais suivre les interventions en temps réel grâce à la fonctionnalité de synchronisation immédiate, d’où une meilleure traçabilité.
The mobile app is a must for maintenance service providers seeking consistency in their service management processes. It represents an essential stage of a company’s digital transformation.
However, most mobile CMMS apps on the market are still running up against staff concerns and issues in the field.
Mobile CMMS: Issues in the Field
With a traditional CMMS mobile app, data is reported only when the technician has access to a high-quality internet connection. However, technicians often work in boiler rooms, elevator shafts, and basements, where signals are weak or even nonexistent.
What’s the solution? Mobile CMMS apps in “offline mode“:
1. The technician enters the job ticket into the app as usual
2. That data entry is stored in the phone’s cache memory so no data is lost
3. Once the technician returns to an area with a better connection, the job ticket is submitted automatically and the data is sent to office-based users.
Aside from connectivity issues, mobile apps must also take technicians’ safety concerns into account, as some technicians work alone in hazardous environments. For that reason, some mobile CMMS publishers have developed app features for the safety of isolated workers. The technician can send an SOS with a single click in the event of difficulty, and office-based users are alerted instantly. In addition, the service call is timed and an alert is sent automatically after a set period of time.
Mobile CMMS: Staff Concerns
Finally, technical teams may balk at embracing mobile CMMS apps. Some technicians may view this software as a way for their managers to “police” them, while others believe the tools will increase their workload by requiring them to fill out an increasing quantity of forms.
Il devient alors nécessaire d’adopter une approche pédagogique pour intégrer un outil de gmao mobile au sein de sa société, d’où l’utilité d’une équipe de chargés de projet dédiés à l’implémentation de l’outil de la manière la plus cohérente possible avec les attentes et les réalités de l’entreprise. Ces derniers sont en charge de la formation des collaborateurs, ils sont les plus à même de répondre aux craintes des techniciens et de leur démontrer les avantages des solutions de gmao mobiles.