Increasing productivity, growing a greener business and raising the level of customer service are the end goals for mobile management systems.
In this guest post, Tom Clark discusses the influence mobile technology is having on business efficiency with the introduction of mobile forms.
Enter Tom.
If you have your own mobile workforce you must have noticed the time and energy that goes into form filling and data entry to professionally document the day.
If you look at the idea of form filling from the general public’s perspective you can see how streamlining the process is essential if you wish to give yourself the best chance in your competitive industry and to deliver the best service possible. Below I discuss what mobile forms are and the impact of mobile forms on the changing workplace, government agencies and the private sector. (image: pat138241)
What are mobile forms?
Mobile forms are one facet of the restructuring of the process that some mobile workers carry out every day by using mobile workforce management systems, accompanied by job scheduling, timesheet administration, asset management, reporting, barcode scanning and signature capture.
New mobile management systems are allowing managers to keep a close eye on the remote team, as the device can report on signal outages and time changes.
In short, mobile workforces are saving time by cutting out the traditional paper form-filling process
Paperless systems allow real time communication and reduce the amount of duplicate work and form-filling carried out by everybody involved – having a positive impact on productivity, customer service and green business.
Due to these benefits, mobile forms are finding their way into many different types of organisation.
Mobile forms and the changing workplace
More and more people are using their personal devices at work, as the gap between IT applications and personal devices shrinks. Tablets and smartphones are creeping into the workplace and leaving room for error as work procedure standards slip and become inconsistent.
Managers have begun to realise that their employees are using mobile devices for their work, leaving room for security issues, as well as complicating processes that could be simplified.
Mobile workforce management systems are serving as the tool to encompass all of the work activity on one device, giving management the best overview of the workforce’s activities.
Mobile forms and government procedures
A report was carried out by the National Audit Office which showed how millions of pounds are spent on the administration of government form filling and how this could all be saved if we simplified the process.
Claiming services and tax payment forms were the biggest culprits for taking up the most time and tax payer’s money. The study focused on the forms used for attendance allowance, tax self-assessment, driving licences, passport applications and student grants.
It was brought to attention that 400,000 attendance forms are processed every year, and that the cost is £40 per form for processing fees, while driving licences cost around £8 per photo administration. If 5% is saved on the processing fees, tax payers could save £3.2 million every year.
This 5% saving will clearly affect the tax payer, and uncovers some enlightening facts that business owners with a mobile workforce should pay attention to.
Mobile forms and the private sector
Mobile forms have caught on in numerous industries, with the service-based industries proving to be most attracted to mobile form technology. Everyone from engineers to labourers have started to utilise the technology to streamline processes, giving them more time to increase the ability to meet demand.
Cloud technology is allowing field workers to easily be contacted, check forms, report back into office, collect data and fill out forms using mobile devices. Any inspections carried out by the workers can be logged in the management system and signatures can be collected to verify the work and document the official approval of a job.
In conclusion
The advent of the technology sector has opened up numerous opportunities to make organisations more efficient. Paper filing and form tracking is one key area which technology in the form of mobile management systems can have a dramatic impact on organisational / personal performance. In particular, mobile forms can help increasing employee productivity, grow a greener business by reducing paper use and raise the level of customer service.
What are your opinions on outdated form filling and the development of mobile forms?
About the author
Tom Clark writes on developing small business and the influence mobile technology is having on business efficiency with the introduction of mobile forms. A lot of his writing is targeted at stimulating sustainability within businesses and eco tech 2.0. Gomobilize offer solutions to best mobilize your workforce and eliminate paper form processing where possible.
