Work Orders on Mobile Handheld PDAs

Many owner's of small services companies ask me how a paper based work order or service request document can be condensed to fit on a small handheld PDA screen. Good question! Let me explain some of the ways the team at MobileDataforce would layout the screens in an easy to use manner.

Most service or work order documents are divided into common sections:
  1. Date, Service Technician name, service ticket number
  2. Customer Name, address, phone number
  3. Reason for Today's Call
  4. Work Performed and description
  5. Identify equipment that was serviced
  6. Cost of work performed
  7. Cost of parts used
  8. Status of Work (complete, incomplete, outstanding)
  9. Payment information
  10. Customer and Service Technician signatures

We use the ability to pre-load the mobile work order application with all the dispatched customer information from the office. Most of the data the service technician enters into the mobile application can be done using:

  • Check boxes
  • Pick lists
  • Radio buttons
  • Pull down menus with multiple choice
  • Digital signature capture
  • Pre-determined labor rates
  • Pre-determined parts' pricing
  • etc

We are able to automatically compute the cost of labor and parts and you can even swipe a credit card from many of the handheld PDAs.

What is the value of mobilizing a work order or service request service?

  • Faster dispatch from the office
  • Pre-populated work orders synchronized to the handheld PDA
  • Less data to fill out on work orders
  • Instant invoicing for work complete
  • Faster collections
  • Complete and accurate work orders synchronized back to the work order or accounting system in the office
  • Less admin work in the office
  • Less dispatch work in the office

The benefits list is very long. If you would like to discuss your business requirements with a mobile solutions expert, please contact MobileDataforce by email or by visiting http://www.mobiledataforce.com/.

Here is another article on mobilizing work orders/service requests using handheld computers.

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