Dispatch Field Workers

Use SharePoint as a mobile dispatch console

Formotus offers practical solutions for automating mobile workflow and field dispatch scenarios. Our mobile phone solutions integrate easily with all versions of SharePoint, including hosted SharePoint (BPOS), with no add-ins required. SharePoint users can direct field service workers to their destinations to do assigned jobs, and the reports on those jobs can be collected back on SharePoint.

Example Dispatch Scenario

Electronic work orders can be assigned and scheduled using SharePoint, then distributed automatically over-the-air to the mobile workforce. Individuals in the field see only the job forms assigned to them, or jobs can be made available for anyone to grab. Grabbing a job means checking an InfoPath form instance out from SharePoint and downloading it to the phone, but these details are transparent to the mobile user.

When a worker grabs a job, it is saved locally on the mobile device for completion offline. Multiple jobs can be saved on the device and opened for editing. When a job is completed, the form is submitted over-the-air and it disappears from the device. Back on SharePoint the InfoPath form instance is checked back in, and all the information provided by the mobile user, such as time and materials or a captured signature or photo, is available immediately in real time.

Let's walk through the steps to better understand how this scenario works:

Call center operator initiates a new job.
The mobile worker sees the job and grabs it over-the-air.
The mobile worker completes the job and submits the form back to SharePoint.
Headquarters gains instant access to submitted mobile data.

1. Call center operator initiates a new job

In our scenario a call has come in requesting a work order to clean the burner of a gas furnace. The dispatcher opens SharePoint, where current work orders can be seen.

Clicking on New creates an InfoPath form instance corresponding to the new work order, or job. The dispatcher fills in the first part of the form, describing the location and type of work to be done.

Each job form can either be assigned to an individual or left unassigned to be grabbed by someone in the pool of mobile workers. When the dispatcher submits the InfoPath form to SharePoint, the new job is created and the mobile workflow is initiated.

2. The mobile worker sees the job and grabs it over the air

A dispatch form is special type of Formotus form that appears in the mobile interface as a briefcase. The briefcase contains jobs. The mobile worker sees at a glance how many jobs are waiting online, and how many have already been grabbed.

Opening the briefcase shows a list of jobs. Jobs waiting online are easily identified by a green download arrow.

Grabbing a job will download that job onto the mobile phone as a form to be used offline.

The job, which is actually an XML file, can be edited, saved and re-opened repeatedly without an internet connection.

3. The mobile worker completes the job and submits the form back to SharePoint

When a mobile worker opens a job form, the first screen offers directions on where to go and what service to provide. Map links provide assistance in finding the location, and contact phone numbers presented as buttons make it easy to dial the customer.

Other screens in the same form can be used to gather all manner of information from the field. Data collection is made easy by multiple-choice controls such as dropdowns, checkboxes, and radio buttons. Fields can be populated automatically using business logic and even queries to Web services.

Formotus forms take advantage of advanced phone features by letting you capture signatures, diagrams photos, and GPS locations right in the form.

When finished with the form, the mobile worker submits it back to SharePoint over-the-air. Forms can be designed to let mobile workers re-dispatch the job to each other, or a worker can delete the job from the device and thereby return it to the dispatch pool.

4. Headquarters gains instant access to submitted mobile data

When the mobile worker submits a completed job, the InfoPath form that was checked out to him from SharePoint is now checked back in with the additional information from the field included. Anyone with access to the SharePoint site and Microsoft Office InfoPath installed can now view and edit the same form that the dispatcher and mobile user have already worked on.

Notice the signature captured on the device is now right there in the form. The same can be done with photographs and GPS locations.

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Mobile Line of Business Solutions

     Mobile Application Design
    Dispatch Software
    Signature Capture
    Inspection Software
    Mobile Data Collection
    Mobile SharePoint