Field Service

Case study: 'Effectively manage inventory in the field'

Opticon offers mobile computing solutions, which can facilitate user tasks that an engineer may encounter during any repair or facility maintenance call in the field. Mobile solutions keep the field technician completely mobile whilst still being connected to the enterprise database.

With increased levels of accuracy in the data, the system allows the mobile service technician to be regularly updated and therefore make decisions quickly and respond at location to the requests of the customer. This leads to a reduction of repeat-calls and travel costs and increased customer satisfaction.

Mobile computing solutions allow the field service engineers to lookup, add, delete and edit the status of multiple service activities:

- Receive new repair orders
- Manage customer installation information
- Comment on work order forms
- Register used spare parts
- Be updated with service reports and priorities

With live access to customer data, service engineers are able to monitor repair activities and serviced errors, which have taken place in the past. New activities are registered by identifying serviced products or spare parts. Serial numbers are often attached as barcode labels on products and spare parts. The Opticon devices with integrated scanners allow fast and effective barcode data capture, allowing complete traceability of any supplied materials and their replaced parts.

Patterns in data reports show information concerning the cost and quality of product/time management and can be a guideline for repair or purchase processes of spare parts.

The office now has the ability to plan any repair and service activity for the work force in the field. These are sent to the devices of the engineers as a work order. On the device the service engineer can check the additional information and customer data. The service engineer fills in the working order and sends it back to the office via EDGE /GPRS. This works fast and in real-time. In addition, the mobile workers can easily update their own stock. Before placing an order, the engineer scans the barcode on the spare part. At the same time the inventory database is updated on both the device and the inventory system in the office.