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Hopkins, a Leeds-based supplier,
installer and maintainer of catering
equipment for fish and chip shops, has
increased efficiency and productivity
after implementing a paperless mobile
workforce management solution from
BigChange.
Each of the 17 vehicles used by the
family-run firm’s refrigeration, plumbing, gas
fitting and electrical engineers has been fitted
with a BigChange rugged mobile computer.
As well as providing satellite navigation
and vehicle tracking, the computers enable
engineers to communicate with back office,
access up-to-the-minute job schedules and
complete job specific electronic worksheets.
Electronic worksheets have replaced the
mountains of paperwork that used to have
to be returned to the office and enable
customers to be invoiced immediately a job
is completed.
Managing director Chris Hopkins said:
“BigChange saves us a lot of time and hassle.
Our engineers get important messages
without having to talk while driving or
interrupt another job.We can plot the best
routes to customers and avoid delays by
navigating around traffic hotspots.We can
see where our engineers are in real-time and
what they are working on, so we can allocate
the best placed, suitably qualified technician
immediately, even if they are en route, and
tell customers exactly when he will arrive.”
He added: “JobWatch is a brilliant
management tool. It allows us to pick up
trends in service data that we can study to
improve operational performance. Timesheet,
stock control and turnaround time data can
be analysed, and all are getting better.”
Administrators can access JobWatch from
a PC, tablet or mobile phone, enabling them
to schedule emergency jobs outside business
hours without having to return to the office.
Managing without paper
A one-off
or annual
audit can be
replaced by
routine, even
daily activity
underatken
by those
interacting
directly with
the assets.
going to retain visibility of equipment
provided to individuals for home use?
How will they ensure the equipment
is in place, check for maintenance
requirements and manage returns when
the equipment is no longer required?
Without an up-to-date view of asset
location, there is a significant risk of loss
and mismanagement.
Routine Audit
So how can an organisation make asset
audits a routine and simple day-to-day
activity?With the latest generation
of mobile apps, organisations have
the chance to devolve responsibility
for managing and auditing the asset
estate away from IT and Finance and
towards operational areas. The model
is compelling: there is no additional
hardware investment and the low cost
software can be downloaded from the
Apple store or Google Play. It works on
any device and training requirements are
minimal as most people know how to use
a smartphone.
Armed with the mobile asset
management app, staff can undertake
physical audits using their smartphone
camera to scan barcodes – in the same
way that the laser scanner on a PDA has
been used in the past. The difference is
that with ubiquitous smartphone use,
an organisation can move away from
dedicated equipment and dedicated audit
individuals and devolve responsibility
across the organisation. A one-off or
annual audit can be replaced by routine,
even daily activity undertaken by those
interacting directly with the assets.
Real Time Information
Simple, immediate access to up-to-date
asset information transforms the way
organisations can utilise and control a
mobile asset base. For example, the art
teacher allocating camera equipment
to students will automatically scan
the equipment as part of the process,
ensuring a full and up-to-date record.
Similarly, within the NHS, equipment can
be scanned as it leaves and is returned to
the hospital or GP surgery.
Meanwhile, the IT support person
faced with a malfunctioning laptop can
use the app to log on to the asset tracking
software and view the asset’s history and
maintenance status immediately. As part
of the support process, the interaction
with that asset will automatically update
the asset register, ensuring that the
laptop’s latest location is also accurate.
This model can even be used by
hotels wanting to improve the tracking
of guests’ luggage through the arrival,
check-in, transfer-to-room and storage
processes. Porters could use the mobile
app to scan each guest’s luggage on
arrival. Each bag would automatically be
assigned to an individual or room and
then be tracked throughout the guest’s
stay. As well as minimising the risk of lost
luggage, this approach could also improve
security, as any untagged luggage left in
the hotel building would immediately be
deemed suspicious.
Conclusion
Organisations in every market are
operating a far more complex and fluid
asset base, and the traditional, once-a-
year approach to tracking those assets
is no longer good enough.Waiting for
Christmas or Year End to undertake a one-
off audit is not going to work in such a
mobile environment.
By enabling diverse individuals to
utilise the new generation of app-based
asset tracking solutions, organisations
can gain real-time visibility of asset
location, value and status. This
information empowers asset owners and
budget holders to make critical asset
management decisions, enabling them
to impose control over their continually
changing yet increasingly valuable
property.
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01689 892100
Karen Conneely is Group Commercial
Manager of Real Asset Management.
