ENGINEERS GET
MOBILE
In-field employees using dedicated tools to work faster and smarter. More efficient employees, more profitable business.
Problem
TREK Geotechnical Inc. was looking for a comprehensive, consistent, and easily-integrated way to collect real-time information from engineers in the field. With each employee receiving an iPhone on their first day of work, we created a work-tool to automate and streamline field-inspections.
"New employees expect to use mobile as a means of improving workflow. It's all about doing things in the field in a mobile environment and populating the back-end database."
James Blatz- President at TREK Geotechnical
Strategy
understanding the in-field process
We began by interviewing the Operations Manager and engineering staff, to understand what the in-field processes looked like. We learned that employees were working remotely for hours at a time, with 6-foot long maps used for measurements such as 'depth-to-bedrock,' recording hand-written notes, taking pictures of job-sites, communicating back to the office, and redundantly recording all of their findings digitally upon their return. We identified what information was available digitally, to allow us to imbed different data sets within the final product.
Solution
geological maps
We learned that all maps with pre-recorded measurements were already available digitally; Overlaying geotechnical maps with the standard Google Maps API would save engineers time and reduce human error. We also learned that some of the engineering staff were using expensive GPS equipment; We agreed that engineers could rely on mobile app GPS coordinates, removing the need for GPS equipment altogether.
project organizer
The challenge lies in the complexity. Landscapes evolve from one visit to the next, and teams are frequently interchanged. Engineers are constantly reminding themselves what was done last, and precisely where on each site…...using paper-based notepads. The Project Organizer allows engineers to work, make notes, and know their location...from the convenience of their smartphone. And all information recorded from the field is automatically sent back to HQ’s back-office systems.
Success
Standard phone features,
solving complex engineering tasks.
The TREK Corporate App was launched initially as a proof-of-concept, demonstrating its value for the engineers & ultimately to the business... And the work has not stopped since!
Front-End
Collecting better, more accurate, more consistent information
Back-End
Saving time organizing and securing project-related data
$$$
Increasing the value of the project through better net results
TESTIMONIALS
"Significantly improved our access to information!"
"Consultica offers a positive & collaborative environment in all of their requirements-gathering and are genuinely driven to ensure that an R.O.I. exists for the customer. Our corporate app has significantly improved our access to information while engaging our employees to come up with new ideas for its enhancement to improve workflow."
James Blatz - President at TREK GeotechnicalIDEAS?
Employees no longer work behind wooden desks from 9:00AM-5:00PM; they're MOBILE! This case study is a prime example of the importance of giving your team convenient access to real-time information to improve both job-performance and business-outcomes.
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