SITUATION – The client provided smart-phone based security devices and services with 10,000 UK customers. Their field maintenance team was growing in numbers quickly but struggled with paper-based admin procedures. As the team grew, HQ and field admin became unreliable and laborious causing delays in parts ordering, customer invoicing and month end reporting.

SOLUTION – We documented EPICS & User Stories for the UK-wide implementation. Once agreed c. 40 fully described ‘use cases’ were produced along with the application’s process model, an entity relationship/ data model and wireframes describing the various user screen options, layouts and screens flow sequence. A slick electronic mobile solution was required to ease the admin burden, and to promote client’s perceptions of the business as being efficient and technology driven. A tablet-based software application to eliminate their engineer’s paper-work mountain was confirmed then built by a third party. User testing and implementation was completed with support from in-house IT functions.

OUTCOME – The engineering team were quick to adopt the new tablet based system after some initial training. All paper-work systems became redundant with reliable parts ordering, stock control, invoicing, re-visit bookings and reporting handled by their Samsung Tablets connected to the UK HQ hub via the 3G network.